Thought on going skimmerless...

[lpsouth1978]

I just did my weekly water change, at which time I noticed that my skimmer was not working properly. It is simply not producing good micro bubbles in the column. There are a ton coming out of the exit pipe, just not in the body. I took the skimmer out and scrubbed it fairly clean. Removed the pump, inspected it, cleaned it, and put everything back together. I then tested it again and it is not any better. I also noticed that if I block the air intake tube, the water rises in the reaction chamber, as it should, but the pump becomes very loud, starts clicking, and becomes almost useless.

I am thinking that there is something wrong with my skimmer pump, and I may need a replacement pump, or maybe just upgrade the skimmer. I cannot afford a new skimmer or pump right now, so can I go skimmerless for a time? Will it cause any issues in the tank? If I do go skimmerless, should I increase water changes? I have always had a skimmer before, and have always considered them a must have for a reef tank, but wonder if this is old thinking.

System info:

40b w/20L sump
Fuge w/chaeto (not doing very well)
Jebao DCP-8000 return pump
2 x Jebao OW-10 wave maker pumps
2 x AI Hydra 26HD w/DIY diffusers
150W heater

Temp - 78.5
SG - 1.026
pH - 8.3
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5-10
Phosphate - ? (only have API for phosphate right now)
Calcium - 420
Alk - 8.5

2 x Black occellaris
Royal gramma
Diamond Watchman
Lawnmower Blenny
3 x Pajama Cardinals
Melanurus Wrasse
Duncans
Acans
Hammer
Frogspawn
Indo Gold tip Torch
Orange Mushrooms
Zoas
Rainbow BTA
Green Haddoni Carpet Anemone
Aussie Elegance Coral 

 

__________________
Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

[Lypto]

Your tank might have an adjustment period while the bacteria catch up, A great way to soak up nutrients is to use macro algae, especially green caluerpa. there's much less expensive airstone skimmers that work well for me, so there's that as well.

[Clown79]

Skimmers on nano's aren't  necessary. They can be helpful but can also remove too much nutrients from a tank.

 

It depends on the system, other nutrient export methods, bioload, and feeding habits.

 

Some of us don't need a skimmer and some do. Really the only person who will know is the hobbyist themself

 

[lpsouth1978]

Just now, Lypto said:

Your tank might have an adjustment period while the bacteria catch up, A great way to soak up nutrients is to use macro algae, especially green caluerpa. there's much less expensive airstone skimmers that work well for me, so there's that as well.

While the bacteria catch up to what? I have not added any new fish in about a month. My bacterial populations should have nothing to "catch up" to at this point. If you are right, how would that negatively affect a skimmer that has been performing great for months?

[Lypto]

I'm no expert, but I think skimmers work by the bubbles adhering to oils and dissolved solids in the water secreted by food and living things in the tank. There might be a little more food for the bacteria breaking down, so the populations will grow, which thankfully, Bacteria are very good at 🙂

I dont think its a biological issue with your skimmer.

[lpsouth1978]

2 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Skimmers on nano's aren't  necessary. They can be helpful but can also remove too much nutrients from a tank.

 

It depends on the system, other nutrient export methods, bioload, and feeding habits.

 

Some of us don't need a skimmer and some do. Really the only person who will know is the hobbyist themself

 

Thank you for the thoughts. I think I have a relatively high bioload with 9 fish in the tank. However, I only feed once a day, and only as much as they can eat in a few minutes time. I will feed a little bit, wait for it to be gone, and then feed more. I usually do this a few times before stopping. I probably feed about 1/2 cube frozen foods daily. This is a mix of brine, mysis, marine algae, razor clam, krill, and Selcon. The only other export methods are weekly 5g water changes, and 200 micron filter socks, changed 1-2 times a week.

[Clown79]

Feeding frozen daily usually causes higher nutrients in a tank.

[lpsouth1978]

Just now, Clown79 said:

Feeding frozen daily usually causes higher nutrients in a tank.

What other foods would you suggest? I have always fed frozen, for the last ~15 years.

[Lypto]

In some tanks with a high bio load, Macroalgaes thrive. The more you grow the more you can feed your fish and the more pods your tank will have. I've noticed the fluid that comes with the frozen stuff often has a lot of nutrients with nothing to eat it aside from microorganisms and worms. I feed maybe twice a week with a small bio load though, so It's just speculation.

Pellets  are good for fish individually, and help keep nutrients at a controlled level a little more easily. I like them because it's not super messy when I need to feed and go.

[Clown79]

13 minutes ago, lpsouth1978 said:

What other foods would you suggest? I have always fed frozen, for the last ~15 years.

Feeding a variety of foods is beneficial. Most use pellets and feed frozen 1-3 times a week

[empresto]

I feed a cube of frozen daily to my 18 gallon rotating between an herbivore mix, mysis, and spirulina brine shrimp along with probably an 1/8th tsp reef roids.  With the cheato I have growing in my sump, I've found I have to periodically dose nitrate to the tank to keep my montipora from bleaching.  Without the cheato, I'm sure this would be an entirely different story.  My pod population is also super healthy, even with 4 fish.

[121a]

I have ran tanks with and without skimmers. My current tank is relatively new and I am opting to not run a skimmer. When did you notice the skimmer not working correctly? I ask because it stands to reason if the skimmer hasn't been working for a month or so, then removing the skimmer probably won't have any impact on the tank.

 

Also, you said you cleaned it and scrubbed it. Once the skimmer is thoroughly cleaned it may need to go through a break in period. Maybe give it a few days and see if it returns back to normal.

 

As other members have pointed out, there are alternatives to skimmers. Macroalgaes being one of them. Increasing frequency and/or volume of water changes. Running mechanical filtration (carbon, chemipure, purigen, ect).  If the skimmer doesn't return back to normal, I'd say ditch it.

 

 

[squamptonbc]

3 hours ago, empresto said:

I feed a cube of frozen daily to my 18 gallon rotating between an herbivore mix, mysis, and spirulina brine shrimp along with probably an 1/8th tsp reef roids.  With the cheato I have growing in my sump, I've found I have to periodically dose nitrate to the tank to keep my montipora from bleaching.  Without the cheato, I'm sure this would be an entirely different story.  My pod population is also super healthy, even with 4 fish.

I have to do the same, between the skimmer and macro algae I struggle to keep nutrients up. I am currently not using the skimmer and just macro algae to see what changes if any might occur to decide if a skimmer is something I want to run, I have a heavy load of fish, and only feed frozen and fresh foods, and don't exactly feed lightly so in theory should have higher nutrients, but the macro algae almost seems too good at its job.

 

I haven't been able to register phosphate on the hanna checker in months, and if my nitrates drop below around 2, the mushrooms dont like it and its a bit of a struggle at times to keep the nitrate up.

 

 

[lpsouth1978]

9 hours ago, 121a said:

I have ran tanks with and without skimmers. My current tank is relatively new and I am opting to not run a skimmer. When did you notice the skimmer not working correctly? I ask because it stands to reason if the skimmer hasn't been working for a month or so, then removing the skimmer probably won't have any impact on the tank.

 

Also, you said you cleaned it and scrubbed it. Once the skimmer is thoroughly cleaned it may need to go through a break in period. Maybe give it a few days and see if it returns back to normal.

 

As other members have pointed out, there are alternatives to skimmers. Macroalgaes being one of them. Increasing frequency and/or volume of water changes. Running mechanical filtration (carbon, chemipure, purigen, ect).  If the skimmer doesn't return back to normal, I'd say ditch it.

 

 

I just emptied the collection on Saturday and it was working fine, so it only stopped working in the last 24 hours or so. I didn't thoroughly clean the skimmer, I just ran some water through it and scrubbed some of the gunk off the inside with a soft toothbrush. I know there could be a small break in period after cleaning, but it should still produce nice micro bubbles.  Mine is producing some, but there are a lot of large bubbles in it now instead of micro bubbles.

 

I also started with a small ball of chaeto, that started out really strong and grew to the size of a volleyball. I then culled it, and now it is not doing so well. It isn't growing and is bleaching. I didn't change anything in the sump, but can't get it to grow and thrive like it was before.

[WV Reefer]

4 minutes ago, lpsouth1978 said:

I just emptied the collection on Saturday and it was working fine, so it only stopped working in the last 24 hours or so. I didn't thoroughly clean the skimmer, I just ran some water through it and scrubbed some of the gunk off the inside with a soft toothbrush. I know there could be a small break in period after cleaning, but it should still produce nice micro bubbles.  Mine is producing some, but there are a lot of large bubbles in it now instead of micro bubbles.

 

I also started with a small ball of chaeto, that started out really strong and grew to the size of a volleyball. I then culled it, and now it is not doing so well. It isn't growing and is bleaching. I didn't change anything in the sump, but can't get it to grow and thrive like it was before.

 

If you are doing weekly waterchanges you do not need the skimmer.

[nicholc2]

11 hours ago, Lypto said:

I'm no expert, but I think skimmers work by the bubbles adhering to oils and dissolved solids in the water secreted by food and living things in the tank. There might be a little more food for the bacteria breaking down, so the populations will grow, which thankfully, Bacteria are very good at 🙂

I dont think its a biological issue with your skimmer.

Thing is skimmers also remove bacteria when they skim so removing that will also have the effect of more bacteria. The bacteria population will fluctuate depending on food available. 

 

That being said I went skimmerless about 2-3 mos ago and haven’t looked back. Tank is running better than ever. I did add a refugium with chaeto to be used for nutrient export in lieu of the skimmer. All the corals are much happier with this setup. I feel like the skimmer was removing as much good as it was bad.  I stopped doing water changes regularly too which is an added bonus of this setup. 🙂

[Clown79]

I don't use a skimmer and haven't in 10yrs.

 

I think using chaeto is an excellent idea but some  can't keep it alive. 

[lpsouth1978]

Thank you all for the help and suggestions. 

 

I just finished doing another inspection/cleaning of the pump. I double checked the venturi intake and found nothing wrong, there was no build up or blockage of the intake or the tube. Upon closer inspection of the needlewheel impeller, I found a single grain of sand stuck between 2 needles. I removed it and carefully scrubbed all of the needles. Everything seems to be working VERY well again. It is back to producing a nice thick foam.

 

I think I will keep the skimmer going for now, at least until I can figure out why my chaeto stopped growing. Another concern is the air that the skimmer adds to the system. I worry that without the O2 being injected into the system, I would see a dramatic drop in pH.

 

Again, thank you all for the help.

[nicholc2]

As long as you have good surface water movement you shouldn’t have any PH issues. Plus if you run the chaeto on an opposite light schedule that’ll keep the PH even more stable.