Water Purification

[TheReefGeek]

First would be live rock and sand for me, not a skimmer.

[Bob I]

I do want to mention that I am not totally devoid of filtration means. I have for years used Chemipure in a Fluval. I don't know if it does wonders as claimed. However, I have never had a problem with tank crashes etc., therefore I will continue using it even when later in the year I am forced to go FOWLR. And as a note to Brad, I have a few bits of SPS corals. Notably a smallish colony of Blue Tipped Staghorn that does great.

[danny zubot]

Bob, if you've never had one then how can you possibly decide if they are "grossly overated" Have you seen skimmate?

[Bob I]

It would of course be an exercise in futility to engage in an argument. I have stated an opinion, and that is as far as I will go. I have run a very successful reef tank for the last five years without resorting to a skimmer except a brief unsatisfying experience with one, and my decision is to leave the gadget to those who believe there is need for one.

[TheReefGeek]

Yes, it is possible to run a successfull reef without a skimmer, nobody will argue that.

But could that same reef be run easier, and possibly even healthier, with a skimmer?

Bob, what skimmer did you try, on what size tank? What made the experience unsatisfying?

[Beverly]

I'm with boB on this one.

A few years ago, we ran a Precision Marine HOT skimmer on our first two reefs for about 2-3 years. Produced great skimmate! But fiddling with it to remove micro bubbles, fiddling to get the skimmate not too wet or too dry, and coming home to at least two floods was just too much freaking work! Now that we live in a second storey condo, floods are a major no-no

I know we do exta work to compensate for the lack of skimmers on our three reefs, but we don't have any more floods and don't have to fiddle with extra machinery. IMO, our reefs look great.

Rory and countless others have seen our skimmerless reefs. Anyone care to comment on how our reefs are doing without skimmers?

[Bob I]

Originally Posted by TheReefGeek

Yes, it is possible to run a successfull reef without a skimmer, nobody will argue that.

But could that same reef be run easier, and possibly even healthier, with a skimmer?

If that same reef is my reef, the answer is emphatically NO

Bob, what skimmer did you try, on what size tank? What made the experience unsatisfying?

It must be remembered that I have been keeping salt water tanks off and on since the middle seventies. I have probably tried every gadget that was foisted upon the unwary hobbyist. And my findings are that the skimmer is just an overrated gadget.

[JHG]

Considering I don't currently have a skimmer and am in the market for one, I rely solely on LR/LS and carbon, especially when introducing new corals.