Skimmerless?

[tennis20]

I lost my 6 gallon nanocube in hurricane sandy. I decided not to get another tank for a while. I wanted to save up money for an good tank because I was very disappointed with my jbj 6 gallon. I also lost my 29 gallon fresh tank in the storm. I am thinking about just making the 29 gallon a salt tank. Since I had an AIO I dont have too much experience with fuges and sumps. First of all if I were to use my 29 gallon as a salt tank, would I need a sump or fuge. If I did use a sump, do I need a skimmer or can I just have a refugium with some chemi-pure or GFO. The sump would be 10-20 gallons. The tank wouldn't be terribly stocked, a couple of fish (for example; clown, royal gramma, goby) , a good amount of coral, and , maybe a crocea/maxima clam.

 

Thanks,

Max

[flypenfly]

If you want to keep SPS, a skimmer and ATO is pretty much required unless you check your evap twice a day.

 

If you're keeping softies and LPS, maybe not so much as long as you do weekly water changes when you first start out the system.

[xerophyte_nyc]

+1 on the skimmers

 

A skimmer is like doing daily water changes, it clears the water column of organics before they break down further. It really does make a difference.

 

Plenty of people have success going skimmerless, but there is more work needed to export nutrients by other means. In a smaller tank, it is easy to do regular water changes, where a skimmer can be bypassed. In a bigger tank, it becomes a chore.

[Walker]

I wouldn't recommend going skimmerless for SPS, but it is possible to do if you're very diligent with water changes. On a 29g, I would say it's more trouble than it's worth. However, if you are going for more of a macro/softy/LPS tank, skimmerless may be very viable as they like dirtier water.

[tennis20]

Do you think I would need to get a huge skimmer or would an aquaticlife 115 skimmer work?

[tennis20]

I'm just really clueless with skimmers

[Julian_blnc]

Try an sca 303 from eBay

 

I'm not familiar with the one you posted it may work

Free bump

[Formula462]

hmmmm my biocube has quite a few sps colonies in it...no skimmer.

FWIW there IS such a thing as "too clean" even for sps.

[HALLZOO]

The following is purely personal opinion and offerred only as friendly advice:

 

I recommend setting up without the skimmer or refugium. Start with a good R.O. unit and focus on husbandry (weekly 5 gal water chages, scrape algae, stir sand weekly, adjust feeding to keep your fish happy but not too much). I bet you would have more success with less headache using this method. You can always add equipment later if you're bored/cash burning hole in your pocket/feel the need.

 

I ran a 27 gal cube like this for about 14 months. Had minor algae from time to time but it was easily dealt with by hand removal, blackout and feeding adjustment. Never used GFO or skimmer on that tank and it was beautiful. My current 40 gal has a skimmer but I'm pretty sure it would be fine without. I only put it in there because I was bored/had cash burning a hole/felt the need. No refugium, ran GFO for a while but took it out 3 months ago and corals look better than ever. I'm pretty sure the husbandy schedule I follow (described above) has been key to my success.

 

29 gal is a good size for a nano. Run a subcurrent filter to deal with surface scum, throw some GAC in it and you're good to go. Keep the sand bed 1" or less and stir it frequently. Dont pack the tank with rock and throw in a few powerheads for flow. Maybe a vortech if you have the funds. Good luck!

[flypenfly]

You can probably even grow Bird's nests without a skimmer if you have very light fish stocking and feed very sparingly.

 

If you want to try your hand at acros though, the skimmer is your main filtration.

[HALLZOO]

oh, almost forgot this -

 

IMO keeping up your "main minerals" is more important than the equipment you run - by this I mean alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium in the proper range and steady. Two=part solutions work great for small reefs.

[Veng]

Just a view point from the other side of the fence:

 

I have no skimmer, on a 20L. I've got ~5 gallons of refugium though and a filter sock. I feed like mad, and don't even run GFO, and my SPS grows just fine. Skimmers are a method of nutrient export, but they aren't the only method and they aren't required to grow SPS.

[Amphiprion1]

Just a view point from the other side of the fence:I have no skimmer, on a 20L. I've got ~5 gallons of refugium though and a filter sock. I feed like mad, and don't even run GFO, and my SPS grows just fine. Skimmers are a method of nutrient export, but they aren't the only method and they aren't required to grow SPS.

 

Agreed. There's actually a thread on RC about skimmerless systems with Acropora and most of those systems look nice.

[Subsea]

I have been skimmer less for 20 years. Obviously, they are not necessary. I find them detrimental to the reef keeping that I do. I prefer to use bacteria in the substrate and macro in the tank for multiple nutrient pathways. Most of my tanks have diverse filter feeders, including flame scallop, sea apples, sea squirts, tunicates and numerous feather duster.

 

The tank that I will photograph has been set up for 6 months. Lighting is four T5 lamps at 4W per gallon. This 55G tank set up was $500' not including livestock. The fish in this tank were purchased from Petsmart and Petco. The Five Spot Cardinals cost $5. The Lyrle tail Creamcycle Mollies cost $1.19. It takes 4 hours to adjust to full strength marine.

 

Enjoy the hobby, it does not have to be expensive.

Patrick

[Etphi]

Here's a picture of my tank, 20L. I have numerous acroporas. They're all growing well. Again it is a skimmerless tank. I just do water changes every week. If you keep up with water changes you can keep mostly anything.

[flypenfly]

Some people go months without water changes and can keep SPS as well.

 

Every system is different and maybe you can find the special magic formula of what works for you. But for most people for most ordinary stocking, a skimmer is pretty invaluable.

[HALLZOO]

Subsea I love your tank. Very natural. I bet it's fun to look closely at the nooks and crannies in your tank, I imagine it is full of life!

[Subsea]

Subsea I love your tank. Very natural. I bet it's fun to look closely at the nooks and crannies in your tank, I imagine it is full of life!

 

When I add food, I batch feed everything at once. The tank comes alive. I have breeding snails as well as large pods in the coarse substrate. I had purchased 10 lbs of puka shells as part of the mixed coarse substrate. After adding 250 micro Blue Leg Hermits at lights out, imagine my surprise the next morning. White puka shells were occupied and spread out everywhere in the tank. Yes, I do enjoy watching the critters.

 

When my grandson comes over, we use an illuminated magnifying glass and inspect the various little people. Ethan is five and I do enjoy this quality time with him.

Patrick

[Subsea]

The following is purely personal opinion and offerred only as friendly advice:

 

I recommend setting up without the skimmer or refugium. Start with a good R.O. unit and focus on husbandry (weekly 5 gal water chages, scrape algae, stir sand weekly, adjust feeding to keep your fish happy but not too much). I bet you would have more success with less headache using this method. You can always add equipment later if you're bored/cash burning hole in your pocket/feel the need.

 

I ran a 27 gal cube like this for about 14 months. Had minor algae from time to time but it was easily dealt with by hand removal, blackout and feeding adjustment. Never used GFO or skimmer on that tank and it was beautiful. My current 40 gal has a skimmer but I'm pretty sure it would be fine without. I only put it in there because I was bored/had cash burning a hole/felt the need. No refugium, ran GFO for a while but took it out 3 months ago and corals look better than ever. I'm pretty sure the husbandy schedule I follow (described above) has been key to my success.

 

29 gal is a good size for a nano. Run a subcurrent filter to deal with surface scum, throw some GAC in it and you're good to go. Keep the sand bed 1" or less and stir it frequently. Dont pack the tank with rock and throw in a few powerheads for flow. Maybe a vortech if you have the funds. Good luck!

 

+10 on this advice.

 

[Kfmmartin19]

Idk if u have seen this TOTM tank. Same size as yours, only filtration is an ac50 and they have plenty of SPS colonies.

[Herptile]

My DIY airstone skimmer never did do much. And since I increased the frequency of my water changes, it hasn't skimmed anything at all for weeks now.

[Subsea]

oh, almost forgot this -

 

IMO keeping up your "main minerals" is more important than the equipment you run - by this I mean alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium in the proper range and steady. Two=part solutions work great for small reefs.

 

I would like to address this point coupled with stand alone lagoon tanks.

In my lagoon biotheme tanks, I use 1" of substrate with a grain size between 2mm-5 mm. Aroggonite will begin dissolving at a pH of 8.1. With lights on, because of photosytethesis, macros and corals consume carbon dioxide and give off oxygen with a net result of increasing pH. When lights go off, pH and oxygen go down. When aroggonite dissolves, it increases calcium carbonate buffering as well as trace minerals. I never dose for alkalinity or trace minerals.

[MeepNand]

I would like to see this skimmerless thing too. I have plans for a moni cap and a birdsnest.

Do macros make a difference?

[Subsea]

Here's a picture of my tank, 20L. I have numerous acroporas. They're all growing well. Again it is a skimmerless tank. I just do water changes every week. If you keep up with water changes you can keep mostly anything.

 

Very red anemones in bottom right. It is huge. What kind of lights over it?

[tennis20]

Thank You all for your great advice, experience, and comments.