Are protein skimmers really that important?

[twentyleagues]

I'll admit I was a bit premature in my review of this skimmer. I let it run for two months and now it works perfect. The bio-load seems to be lower and the water is crystal clear. It does work but can take some time. Cool and groovy!

What does this mean? So it fell apart but now works as intended?

 

[BryanM]

I occasionally will see people on here who will not run protein skimmers in their tank and think, "Do I really need one in my tank as well?" That's why I'm asking all of you. Do you think protein skimmers are important for a reef tank, or do you think reefers can do without them?

Photo Credit: @Butuz

I do without. Many people require, just another way to skin a cat.

I hate skimmer maintenance, and if I did not do it when I had one, the wife would get mad because she could smell it.

 

[vlangel]

I have a mixed reef and do not run a skimmer. I do get nutrient uptake from the ornamental macroalgae in the tank plus the many filter feeders I keep (feather duster worms, sponges, ect). I guess for me it comes down to pruning my macros or cleaning a skimmer cup? I choose pruning.

 

[56longroof]

I'm not Julian sprung and maybe my idea of a serious reef is flawed or I have low expectations

My skimmer less reef tanks.

Nice tanks. I dont see alot of fish in them. That would be a contributor for not needing to run a skimmer. My tank is borderline overstocked. There is no way I could do without it.

 

[exnisstech]

Nice tanks. I dont see alot of fish in them. That would be a contributor for not needing to run a skimmer. My tank is borderline overstocked. There is no way I could do without it.

I totally agree and run one on my large tank that has 8 tangs and other fish. I also added one to the SPS tank shown but I'm not emptying it just using it to get a pH bump.
I was replying to the member who said unless your Julian Sprung it's impossible to run a successful reef tank without one and that just isn't true and people coming into the hobby should know they are useful but not a requirement for success. JMO

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Want to see how necessary a protein skimmer is?

A lot of the coral in my classroom reef tank started getting pale and their growth stalled, and some of my mangrove leaves started getting brown and falling off. I have never used a skimmer on this tank, I don’t use any chemical media, and have changed just a handful of gallons of water over the last 2 years.

Tested the PO4 and NO3:

So how would a skimmer benefit me?

 

[X-37B]

Want to see how necessary a protein skimmer is?

A lot of the coral in my classroom reef tank started getting pale and their growth stalled, and some of my mangrove leaves started getting brown and falling off. I have never used a skimmer on this tank, I don’t use any chemical media, and have changed just a handful of gallons of water over the last 2 years.

Tested the PO4 and NO3:

So how would a skimmer benefit me?

It would not benefit it obviously.
Feed the system enough to bring the numbers up and your corals would not be pale.
A skimmer is not needed on many systems. I don't run one on my 15.

 

[mcarroll]

Are protein skimmers really that important?​

What does "that important" even mean?

A filter that can require exactly as much maintenance as you tune it for and which never needs "recharging", "refilling", etc. seems of objective worth. (Even cleanings can be automated with some added plumbing.)

Whether any given person will subjectively recognize that worth or be able to put it to use is their scenario is a whole other question which has less to do with "the protein skimmer" and more to do with that person or their particular scenario.

I guess most folks don't know it was invented as an aeration device, an extension of running airstones in saltwater. Saltwater acts VERY differently than freshwater, so you can't just run an airstone without creating a huge mess.

...and so the protein skimmer was born, taking advantage of a natural process....a filter whether you like it or not. :)

 

[Mongo1.0]

I'll admit I was a bit premature in my review of this skimmer. I let it run for two months and now it works perfect. The bio-load seems to be lower and the water is crystal clear. It does work but can take some time. Cool and groovy!

Sometimes they need a little break in time.

 

[kingranch2003]

Since "nano" skimmers are largely more trouble than they're worth IME, I rely on filter pads, live rock, and bi monthly 25% water changes. It works for me in my 40 gallon cube. I wouldn't mind the extra aeration and possible ph boost though

N03 5 P04 .01

 

[rpkneumann]

My tank is now 14 months old. (~150 ga)
I started with skimmer. It consistently took out lot of dark gunk.
Bedsides the nutrition extract, I do believe in the benefits of aeration.
But..... I start wondering a little because of following:
About 3 months ago I started treating a plague of persistent hair algea with fluconazole. First with Flux RX (2 times) then I changed to Reef Flux (2 times). Reef flux had more impact in shorter time but its more pain to open individual capsules for the powder.

My starting values for Phosphates were very high (25), Nitrates in the 80s and Nitrites in the 10s.
I'm now at the end of my 4th treatment cycle and it seems to have worked.
The skimmer is off during treatment time.
All I have is a Roller and 1 sock for filtration. But tons of rock in the sump.
My values changed to the better even without the skimmer.

Values improved dramatically:
Phosphate down to 0.05 to 0.1 from 20s,
Nitrates are now 0.0 down from the 30s
Nitrates 0.0 down from about 12.
Treated the Phosphates with Phosbond and Brightwell Phosphat-E and have been under control for 6 weeks now.
The Nitrates and Nitrites came down steadily. No change in feeding habits.
Lowered Temperature from 79-80 to 77 (with a cooler)

I think I wait turning the skimmer on until my Nitrates a littler higher so that my Corals not starve to much. I only have 4 small softy corals in the system but all the fish I want.

Can't explain the Nitrate/Nitrite behavior without the skimmer. It could simply be that my tank finally finished cycling ( after 11 months) ;-) ?

 

[CHSUB]

Want to see how necessary a protein skimmer is?

A lot of the coral in my classroom reef tank started getting pale and their growth stalled, and some of my mangrove leaves started getting brown and falling off. I have never used a skimmer on this tank, I don’t use any chemical media, and have changed just a handful of gallons of water over the last 2 years.

Tested the PO4 and NO3:

So how would a skimmer benefit me?

I run a skimmer and have 7 mangroves…in a small ~42 gal system.

 

[mcarroll]

[strange double post]

 

[mcarroll]

Been to his house, tank has great flow and a skimmer…

I've never been to his house, but I've been to The Reef Aquarium, Volume 2 where he & Delbeek state in no uncertain terms the known facts and their opinion of protein skimming and protein skimmers. Concluding after much elaboration on page 130:

We are satisfied that protein skimming is the simplest and most efficient means of water purification for the maintenance of live corals and for the creation of model ecosystems. So much benefit to the aquarium is provided by a device that simply mixes the water with fine bubbles of air.

Whether he personally uses a protein skimmer or not, runs a tank or not, etc. (all circumstantial) nothing that he said in the book about how skimming works or why it is beneficial has changed.

BTW, we see essentially the same conclusions in the The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium (v.1, p.261) and the Bensch Atlas (v.1, p.95), which concludes:

In our opinion the protein skimmer is the most important technological component of the marine aquarium hobby...

 

[twentyleagues]

I have had fish tanks all my life my first reef tank back in '99 was in the hobby until 2010 and now back since about '22. Do you know how many times I have thought this freshwater thing would be a lot easier if a protein skimmer would work (technically you can get a protein skimmer of sorts to work in freshwater its just a pain to do). All my salt tanks with skimmers just look better and stay healthier overall with less work. Skimmers dont just pull out or help remove stuff we can test for they will also remove coral toxins, docs, dics. You can absolutely run a tank without one but why wouldnt you use the one thing that is so easy to use and helpful, but again thats me comparing it to the fw world. Huge advantage in my eyes.

 

[vlangel]

I have a mixed reef and do not run a skimmer. I do get nutrient uptake from the ornamental macroalgae in the tank plus the many filter feeders I keep (feather duster worms, sponges, ect). I guess for me it comes down to pruning my macros or cleaning a skimmer cup? I choose pruning.

Nice tanks. I dont see alot of fish in them. That would be a contributor for not needing to run a skimmer. My tank is borderline overstocked. There is no way I could do without it.

I actually do have a fair amount of fish in my 75g, (though I don't consider it overstocked. I keep a kole tang, a foxface, a Chalk Bass, a midas blenny, a bi-color blenny, a firefish goby, a masked goby, a ywg, a coral beauty angelfish, an ocellaris clown and 2 pajama cardinalfish. The tank is very clear and clean. Again however, I keep easy fish and coral so not for every tank.

 

[skey44]

I’m a chronic overstocker/over feeder that loves growing Acropora so a serious protein skimmer is a must for my reefing style!

 

[BobTheBlenney]

Sorry if this point has already been posted, but it seems to me that if you set up and stabilize your system with a skimmer, then you will always need a skimmer. If you set up and stabilize your system without a skimmer then you'll probably never need one. I personally have never used one or felt the need for one. My goal is to use as few extra pieces of equipment as possible. Less expense and less failure. The more your system is dependent on various pieces of equipment, the more likely a damaging failure will occur.

 

[D'sreef]

I 100% believe that the need for a skimmer really just depends on your overstocking, and if you need more O2 in the system or help maintaining PH. If you don't fit one of those categories you can use just about any means of filtration you want. Just depends on how complicated you want it.

 

[vlangel]

Sorry if this point has already been posted, but it seems to me that if you set up and stabilize your system with a skimmer, then you will always need a skimmer. If you set up and stabilize your system without a skimmer then you'll probably never need one. I personally have never used one or felt the need for one. My goal is to use as few extra pieces of equipment as possible. Less expense and less failure. The more your system is dependent on various pieces of equipment, the more likely a damaging failure will occur.

I totally agree with as little equipment as possible because everything breaks eventually. At least if a skimmer malfunctions its not usually catastrophic. I have seen ATOs that malfunctioned resulting in a total crash and nothing surviving.