First let me preface my comments by saying that if you have a skimmer you like and feel that it is doing your tank some good thats fine. If it aint broke dont fix it and there are certainly situation that I would prefer to have a skimmer on the tank. Examples
Overstocked tanks.
Tanks where water changes are kept minimal to defray cost and large tanks where the cost of water changes that make a significant impact on water chemistry are costly.
New tanks started with large quantitys of LR but most people dont do this any more.
Other than that I am really starting to question the value of these costly forms of filtration.
I started in this hobby in the early 90s and have owned probably a half dozen different skimmers in that time but have never met one I have really liked. Given proper husbandry none of them produced much and it got to the point that if they started to I took it as an indicator to examine other factors in the tank that may need attention but then again an iincreased need to use the mag float to clean the front glass serves the same purpose.
Now to my tank. A standard 75 gal with 30 gal sump. Kole tang, copper band, two yellow tail dams and a pair of false percs. Filter sock,GFO and Carbon changed weekly and a ten gal water change once a week,. I pulled the skimmer some months ago and have noticed a improvment in my coral growth and color ever since. Algea growth has remained non existant and glass cleaning has remained the same.
There are a few things different from those early 90s tanks and I feel the main one is the availability of affordable and quality GFO and Carbon. Also I am in a position now to feed foods that were alive just a few hourse prior to being finely diced and fed to the tank. I live in south FL and work at a bait shop. Diced up live shrimp crab meat oysters and fish are whats on the menue and my copper band still gives me the what the hell is this crap look if I try to sneek in any store bought foods. IMO frozen and freeze dried foods are adding more nutrients to the tanks than we realize and quite often what ends up in our skimmer cups.
Of course the day I pulled my skimmer I googled "skimerless reef tank" and came up with a few results that encouraged me.
http://ift.tt/2jNW5Fl
http://ift.tt/2jNLNVL
At this point in my reef hobby career I dont plan on ever haveing another large or overstocked tank so it is probably safe to say i have purchased my last skimmer and it seems like a relief.
Overstocked tanks.
Tanks where water changes are kept minimal to defray cost and large tanks where the cost of water changes that make a significant impact on water chemistry are costly.
New tanks started with large quantitys of LR but most people dont do this any more.
Other than that I am really starting to question the value of these costly forms of filtration.
I started in this hobby in the early 90s and have owned probably a half dozen different skimmers in that time but have never met one I have really liked. Given proper husbandry none of them produced much and it got to the point that if they started to I took it as an indicator to examine other factors in the tank that may need attention but then again an iincreased need to use the mag float to clean the front glass serves the same purpose.
Now to my tank. A standard 75 gal with 30 gal sump. Kole tang, copper band, two yellow tail dams and a pair of false percs. Filter sock,GFO and Carbon changed weekly and a ten gal water change once a week,. I pulled the skimmer some months ago and have noticed a improvment in my coral growth and color ever since. Algea growth has remained non existant and glass cleaning has remained the same.
There are a few things different from those early 90s tanks and I feel the main one is the availability of affordable and quality GFO and Carbon. Also I am in a position now to feed foods that were alive just a few hourse prior to being finely diced and fed to the tank. I live in south FL and work at a bait shop. Diced up live shrimp crab meat oysters and fish are whats on the menue and my copper band still gives me the what the hell is this crap look if I try to sneek in any store bought foods. IMO frozen and freeze dried foods are adding more nutrients to the tanks than we realize and quite often what ends up in our skimmer cups.
Of course the day I pulled my skimmer I googled "skimerless reef tank" and came up with a few results that encouraged me.
http://ift.tt/2jNW5Fl
http://ift.tt/2jNLNVL
At this point in my reef hobby career I dont plan on ever haveing another large or overstocked tank so it is probably safe to say i have purchased my last skimmer and it seems like a relief.
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