Skimming needs in the following situation.

[Fitz19d]

Ok, so I have a 55g which had a scooter, firefish, 2 tomato's, banded sleeper goby, and a melanarus wrasse along with my Wenn. mantis.

I had a BF100 Reef Octo skimmer that I gave up on because it was flooding even if water went half a centimeter higher. (It's in tank pump but hangs off back of refugium)

For now I've been running the skimmer out of a 9g nano that I got.

**
Since sold the blenny and lost the firefish. For the 4 remaining fish + mantis, do you think I need a skimmer? I feed usually 3 pinches of flakes a day + 1-2 cubes frozen that get target fed to corals + some adrift for the fish. I do have a couple anemones, clam, and a ton of chaeto/anthelia/GSP/xenia (got rid of most of that)

I'm also strongly thinking of making the 9g a home for the little mantis + random coral and maybe the clam(?) to keep it safe from a peacock. I'll sell the rest of the fish probably so it's just a Peacock/soft coral/anemones in the tank. Still need a skimmer? Idea is to have plenty of hermit/snails but also target feed table shrimp to mantis.



If I do indeed decide I still need a skimmer, any suggestions? A ASM G3 doesn't fit my refugium. I'm having trouble figuring out what's a good brand that would also be good for 40-70gallons ish and fit in a maybe 8 by 10 or 11 space.

 

[Kharn]

Ok, so I have a 55g which had a scooter, firefish, 2 tomato's, banded sleeper goby, and a melanarus wrasse along with my Wenn. mantis.

I had a BF100 Reef Octo skimmer that I gave up on because it was flooding even if water went half a centimeter higher. (It's in tank pump but hangs off back of refugium)

For now I've been running the skimmer out of a 9g nano that I got.

**
Since sold the blenny and lost the firefish. For the 4 remaining fish + mantis, do you think I need a skimmer? I feed usually 3 pinches of flakes a day + 1-2 cubes frozen that get target fed to corals + some adrift for the fish. I do have a couple anemones, clam, and a ton of chaeto/anthelia/GSP/xenia (got rid of most of that)

I'm also strongly thinking of making the 9g a home for the little mantis + random coral and maybe the clam(?) to keep it safe from a peacock. I'll sell the rest of the fish probably so it's just a Peacock/soft coral/anemones in the tank. Still need a skimmer? Idea is to have plenty of hermit/snails but also target feed table shrimp to mantis.

If I do indeed decide I still need a skimmer, any suggestions? A ASM G3 doesn't fit my refugium. I'm having trouble figuring out what's a good brand that would also be good for 40-70gallons ish and fit in a maybe 8 by 10 or 11 space.

This may or may not get me in trouble here...

But my first experience (like most I assume) with a skimmer was nothing but shocking and totally likely to being my fault in not understanding them so...

For 2 yrs now I have run my system without one...all I have =X... is a very large canister filter (Fx5), Live Rock and some Macro Algae...

I have not lost any stomatopods to water quality...corals, well I find it hard to tell whether it's a light or water quality problem or a mix of both some species like Mushies(inc Ric's), Zoas, Acans, Torchs/Hammers/Anchors all thrive...

Having said all this I am about to do a seriously overhaul of my entire system just on filtration (sumps skimmers refugiums etc.) just so I can keep all types of corals, the stomatopods themselves will benefit from the higher water quality but as of rite now, they are thriving under the simple filtration setup.

My main success or at least the only thing I can put it down to is sheer water volume & water changes.

Hope this gives you an Idea and even with this major upgrade about to begin...I am effectively doubling each systems current total volume so all up around 2,000liters for 16 stomatopods again sheer volume will maintain a very healthy system between water changes.

 

[Fitz19d]

My tank I think has great water. Everything tests out at 0 or very very very low.

But I don't plan on any SPS. It's great that sounds like the kinds of LPS you had (mainly same as me) did well.

I do wonder how much of the good water is coming solely from growth of some of my "weed" corals. I know I have amazing growth on some green buttons. Xenia grows quick with anthelia right behind. My green stars are the only ones that seem to be going slower.


My 2 frags of hammer coral though seem to be much slower. I don't know how to really gauge growth, but I know it's been 2 months for a 2 headed frag and I am just now seeing a super tiny little 3rd head coming out of the skeleton.

Was looking at an ASM mini G, now locally someone has a RO NWB 110 in sump I think would fit. Hopefully one of these 2 would work better and I'd be set.