Can turning your skimmer off benefit your reef?

[atomos]

I saw a video where a dude from some company ( I think it was Dr Tims) said that you should run your skimmer on a timer because if you don't when the beneficial bacteria reproduce they will be collected by the skimmer.

- interesting points

 

[bulldogniner]

Funny this article came up!

My skimmer pump just went out a week ago and I am debating replacing it. My refugium seems to be be kicking into overtime and I haven't noticed any negative effects on my fish or coral. If I replace it, I might go with something smaller.

 

[jeffrey holloway]

I turn off my skimmer for 5 hours each night. My tank is cyno and dino free for once and the corals are doing much better. works for me.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Removed Skimmer a few months ago to combat dinos. Dinos still winning but the tank is better. That's because the little $&/ts killing all my sps. The lps left are going great, as long as I brush the rocks daily and use 10mcg filter socks overnight. Repeat ad nauseum.

Have most of the gear for my new tank coming soon. And an Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion Pro 25 for quarantine and maybe frags down the line!

 

[Greybeard]

Where can I find this info on Re-Fresh and Waste-A-Way products to wipe out a cyano bloom?

https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DrTims_Cyano_Recipe_Mar19.pdf

 

[TanksJB]

All my tanks are skimmerless. I was recently heard exclaiming... "I'll shut down my tanks and give them away before using skimmers."
I use fleece mechanical filtration, refugiums, algae scrubbers, but no skimmers. It's like going commando, not always popular but oh so liberating!!!

I use Water Polishing Filter Pads I found on Amazon that come in 100 and 200 micron. I cut to fit in the return on my large trigger sump. What product are you using?

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Great....Another thread that makes me want to mess around with my tank equipment again! :mad: My skimmer is on such a dry-skim level that I clean out the cup once every month or two. But I do believe the oxygenation of the water and removal of the large organics do help in the long run.

 

[Falreef]

Depends on what’s in the tank. For the most part, the simpler, the better. Stable water - salinity, pH, temperature, lighting and flow are pretty much all that matters.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Don’t use a skimmer so yes.

Same...for about 5 months now. Before that I ran it less and less.... reef looks better in my particular case without it. Params still fairly steady.

 

[ReefEco]

Using an external skimmer with a separate feed pump also allows more flexibility in use, and no danger of the water becoming anoxic, if that is in fact a worry over a few hours (I think once the bubbles come back on, the stagnant water in your skimmer will be oxygenated rather quickly). You can keep the feed pump on 24/7, but you have flexibility to turn the needle wheel on or off for feeding, or to tailor nutrient export. This also helps keep sump levels consistent and doesn't mess with your ATO, which might be an issue depending on your setup. I think an ideal method would be to automate a plankton, phyto or small particulate coral food at night, turning off your skimmer for a couple hours to help the food circulate, and bypassing mechanical filtration as well. Or, depending on your setup, of course just isolate the display by turning off the returns for a while to let the food circulate.

 

[Rich Klein]

Today let's talk about the benefits, if you believe there are some, to turning your skimmer off for a certain period of time. I have always been pro-skimmer and I still am but I have to be honest with you. I took my skimmer off my 400g over 6 months ago or so and my reef has not missed a beat. It's actually doing better algae wise. Oh and I've not changed the water either but that's for another discussion. So let me here from you!

1. Do you think there are benefits to turning your skimmer off for periods of time? What?

2. What's the longest you've ever been without a skimmer on a reef tank?

No skimmer reef image via @CoralAddict645

I use my skimmer combined with a CO2 scrubber to combat the PH lowering effect of a Calcium Reactor, so I never turn it off unless part of maintenance.

 

[wcreef21]

https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DrTims_Cyano_Recipe_Mar19.pdf

Thank you sir!

 

[Appoloreefer]

All my tanks are skimmerless. I was recently heard exclaiming... "I'll shut down my tanks and give them away before using skimmers."
I use fleece mechanical filtration, refugiums, algae scrubbers, but no skimmers. It's like going commando, not always popular but oh so liberating!!!

That is fine for those of you that use a sump or refugium but what about those of us that do not have either. can you still run without a skimmer. All I have on my tank (125 gallon) is a skimmer

 

[mommbass]

So questions: you're running that beautiful tank with no skimmer. What type of filtration system do you have? Are there fish in that tank? Also, how do you keep your nitrates levels and parameters right with no water change. Even the ocean flushes itself out with currents, waves, tides etc.

 

[Merv49]

Today let's talk about the benefits, if you believe there are some, to turning your skimmer off for a certain period of time. I have always been pro-skimmer and I still am but I have to be honest with you. I took my skimmer off my 400g over 6 months ago or so and my reef has not missed a beat. It's actually doing better algae wise. Oh and I've not changed the water either but that's for another discussion. So let me here from you!

1. Do you think there are benefits to turning your skimmer off for periods of time? What?

2. What's the longest you've ever been without a skimmer on a reef tank?

No skimmer reef image via @CoralAddict645

How many fish in your tank? I think that has great bearing on the question. I have 49 fish in my 270 gallon tank and doubt seriously turning off my skimmer would be of any benifit.

 

[Merv49]

Today let's talk about the benefits, if you believe there are some, to turning your skimmer off for a certain period of time. I have always been pro-skimmer and I still am but I have to be honest with you. I took my skimmer off my 400g over 6 months ago or so and my reef has not missed a beat. It's actually doing better algae wise. Oh and I've not changed the water either but that's for another discussion. So let me here from you!

1. Do you think there are benefits to turning your skimmer off for periods of time? What?

2. What's the longest you've ever been without a skimmer on a reef tank?

No skimmer reef image via @CoralAddict645

When asking these kind of questions why don’t you quantify you question by stating what your bio load is. I believe it makes a difference.

 

[dkfrosty1]

When I was putting together the equipment for my tank, I looked at skimmers. I was told I didn’t really need one so opted not to add the expense. So far my tank is doing awesome,. Tbh, I’m not exactly sure what they add, but my fish are healthy, my pods are flourishing, my corals are multiplying, so I won’t be adding one.

 

[tommyng_1981]

No skimmer. Only macro algae reactor + loads of biomedia. And I run an NPS tank.
I agree that skimmers remove good bacteria. Which filter feeding NPS supposedly consumes as food.

 

[Reefvision]

Skimmer is a tool for nutrient export. If you have low bio input on the tank it’s not needed and probably a detriment. But if you hava robust bio system with many fish, snails, etc, I wouldn’t risk a bad experience in this scenario without this tool , because the benefits outweigh the cons. Ph/airation is vital, when a organism dies.

 

[Yazannreef]

Skimmer is part of a redundancy of filtration process. Use it if you don't have a fug or filter socks to help with nutrients levels. Its an added benefit in my opinion also as I am using a co2 scrubber for pH management. Skimmer is not a must have but a good to have.