Skimmerless....

[deepbluesea99]

i have run tanks with skimmers ,without skimmers and with refugiums and no skimmer i think the key is to keep the fish population low in skimmerles tanks and keep up on the water changes also if you have alot of leather corals id advise a skimmer.all of these kinds of tanks have thier merits as long as the ballance can be maintained.isint that what its all about aneyhow?

 

[MCsaxmaster]

You can definitely maintain O2 without a skimmer. True, skimmers are very good at oxygenating the water, but they are far from the only way to do this.

-Chris

 

[Al]

You can definitely maintain O2 without a skimmer.
-Chris

I tried running a 58 gallon tank a few years back with just powerheads for circulation, no skimmer or sump, and it was nothing but trouble, finally ending in a tank crash. My own experience is that an overflow/sump provides better oxygenation than a hob skimmer but that you do need one or the other.

The mystery is how Eric ran his 40 gallon breeder so successfully.
Was it just that there were about 10 inches of water in this tank to keep aerated?

 

[davejnz]

40 breeders have a larger surface(18"x36") area than most smaller tanks thus giving better gas exchange at the surface.
I was having problems with my venturi skimmer on my 40 gallon so i took it offline for the past month.This tank was setup with a DSB and allowed to sit for 5 months before adding coral so it has always had lots of infauna.Its been running a little over a yr now and tank is fully stocked with LPS(no softies except xenia)and a light fish load(pair of tomato clowns).I have noticed a little cyano since pulling it but thats probably due to my laziness(need to clean pumps/powerheads,low flow).I still havn't done any waterchanges and NO3 and PO4 are undetectable.I have noticed more algae growth and had to put more herbivores in the tank.All is well so far,still feeding the corals/tank 4-5 times a wk,tank seems to handle the input even without a macro refuge.The H.O.B. overflow has always seemed to grow quite a bit of micro/turf algae in it and that has been my main form of export besides harvesting xenia on the glass(not sure if that qualifies).I do add a little carbon to my sump/pod refuge to help keep the water clear.I think i'm gonna continue to maintain this tank skimmerless unless problems arise,just one less thing to clean and maintain

 

[VolitanLioness]

At the time I seen my fish gasping for air it was the largest fish in the tank a 5" Filefish, I had a small Bio Load because I do account for size of adult fish when figuring out my tank. I do 20% water changes every 2 weeks.

Kaye

 

[salty joe]

< Originally posted</a> by EricHugo

The expansion of the Eco-system style commmercially available systems is testimony to the use of biological efficiency, although I am not a fan of them for reasons other than the principles which are sound. [/B]

Can you elaborate why you are not a fan of them?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[vikubz]

I think some folks, like me, don't fully understand the way a DSB works and what is required for one to work well when they first set one up.

I had a dsb in my sump, but did not have a sufficient population of critters to keep it properly stirred and it became a detritus trap.

I think it is for this reason that A. Calfo in his forum has suggested that keeping LR and LS in the sump is not a great idea, since they tend to get neglected.


Mark

 

[jgreen1025]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8285992#post8285992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by salty joe
Can you elaborate why you are not a fan of them?

Joe,

Eric's no longer in touch with this forum. To find out what he really meant by that comment (I don't understand it either) you'll need to ask him in his new forum.

John

 

[VolitanLioness]

There was a great discussion on this over there, I think it will help you understand more on this topic... here is the thread
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic26392-9-1.aspx?Highlight=skimmerless

Kaye