to skim or not to skim

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by Lance

I like my fish fat. I feed them well. I can't imagine what my tank would look like without skimming.

I overfeed too but a healthy fluctuating population of mini brittle stars and a handful of hermits ensure uneaten food does not stay around too long.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by Snaz

I overfeed too but a healthy fluctuating population of mini brittle stars and a handful of hermits ensure uneaten food does not stay around too long.

Maybe so, with smaller fishes. I have my doubts keeping large fish and SPS without skimming.

[Aquattro]

I know that in my 180 SPS with a fair amount of fish, I remove about 3 cups of thick sludge every 3 days. There is no way I could manage that load without a big skimmer.

[emerald crab]

I skim, run bio pellets, dose vodka, run an algae scrubber and I still don't compete with the ocean.

[Smittyburger]

My skimmer pump just died and I have been running without a skimmer now for about a week on my 75g reef tank. The tank has a pretty good bio load but appears to be running fine up to now.

I just completed a 10g water change (versus 10g water change every 2 -3 weeks) and every thing looks good. As soon as the replacement skimmer pump arrives, I will install the skimmer back into the 30g sump. I still am a bit nervus running the tank without the skimmer.

[Mike-fish]

Originally Posted by Snaz

You are in a unique position to compare skimmerless and skimmer. Can you describe briefly if any the water differences, inhabitant health etc. of each?

all in great health
the stocking of the 175g :
400LB of live rock
1 large powder blue tang
1 large foxface
1 clown
1 cleaner wrasse
2 chromis
1 copperband
5-6" clam
care for tank 175g:
water change approx once a month 30g
filter floss weekly
fuge cheeto roll daily
feed nori and mysis daily

stocking for 29g:
2 clowns
sps - goniopora
lps - bubble coral
assort zoas
3" clam
care for 29g
feed mysis daily
coral frenzy weekly
very rare water change

stocking for 34g (don't chew my head off bought as is stocked now on thurs)
1 regal tang SM ( will rehome soon came with tank)
1 mandrin
1 clown
1 6 line wrasse
lots of mushrooms
gsp
wsp
bsp
asssort zoas

care for 34g
no regime set yet just got on thrusday moved from calgary.
little tiny mini cycle but not worried.
will be same as 175g except fuge

current test results (hope this works never tried before)https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx...EdXaLlPF-r8Nuc

keep in mind the 34 was just moved about 48H ago. use the bottom tabs on the work sheet to navigate from tank to tank.

[straightrazorguy]

I just wanted to revive this thread, rather than starting a new one. My 6 moth old RLSS 6I skimmer died, so I am skimmerless, not by choice, but by circumstance. I just wanted to know if there are any succesful SPS tanks out there that run skimmerless.

I run a mixed coral 3 ft cube (150 gallon in the DT), with a 30 gallon sump. The tank is plumbed in line with a 55 gal refugium that is full of cheato and rock. I probably have a toal of 80 lbs or more of rock between the DT and the fuge. The tank is predominantly SPS, but with a few LPS and some zoas and mushrooms.

As far as my bioload, I have the following tank inhabitants:

- 3 inch yelow tang,
- 3 inch copperband butterfly,
- 3 inch harlequin tusk,
- 3.5 inch tamarin wrasse,
- 3 inch reticulated anthia,
- a pair of mated Percs (2 and 3 inches)
- a 2 inch cleaner wrasse
- a pair of skunk shrimp (2.5 iches)
- a lonely peppermint shrimp (about an inch).

Should I try to run it skimmerless or scramble to replace the skimmer?

[WarDog]

I have no answer...however, are you willing to risk the health and investment of your SPS's to find out? Something to think about. Good luck and keep us posted.

[kien]

If i recall correctly, the consensus was: Yes, you can run a successful skimmerless SPS tank, so long as you remove/export nutrients yourself. This can be achieved by one or all of the following techniques:

1. Perform a 50% water change once a day.
2. reduce (or stop) feeding your fish.
3. Remove some (mostly all) of your fish.

The equation for success is simple: S = NO > NI

where:

S = Success
NO = Nutrients Out
NI = Nutrients In

[The Guy]

Originally Posted by kien

If i recall correctly, the consensus was: Yes, you can run a successful skimmerless SPS tank, so long as you remove/export nutrients yourself. This can be achieved by one or all of the following techniques:

1. Perform a 50% water change once a day.
2. reduce (or stop) feeding your fish.
3. Remove some (mostly all) of your fish.

The equation for success is simple: S = NO > NI

where:

S = Success
NO = Nutrients Out
NI = Nutrients In

My opinion on your techniques, which BTW I agree with!

1. Too much work, you want to enjoy not be a slave.
2. reduce= maybe (stop feeding) not in my tank!
3. why bother reefing you might as well shut down!

Your equation to me = get yourself a good skimmer and enjoy the hobby or stop reefing and collect stamps instead.