Do I really need my skimmer?

[BlazinNano]

Do I really need it?

28 gallon AIOn tank.
Zoas and simple LPS (hammers, fragspawn, duncan)
2 Skunk Clowns

Feed clowns twice a week pellets
No spot feeds for corals, none of them actually eat

Chamber one Cheato
Chamber two Bag of ChemiPure and Skimmer Pump
Chamber 3 Return pump

Want to make chamber two my refuge. 4 times bigger then chamber one
Get rid of the skimmer and make my tank simpler.
Not a big tank. Skimmer freakes out and have overflowed plenty of times.
Have a feeling pump is making tank hot. Rio 1100. It is already to hot in Florida want to keep the temp down without using the fans. Because of the fans evaporation sucks and that is what is making the skimmer overflow. Skimmate is very very light brown and wet. Not really doing much.

 

[melev]

I would keep using your skimmer - the light is usually the reason a tank gets hot, not the skimmer pump.

When it overflows, does it overflow in your system or all over the place?

 

[Troylee]

If you want to change twice as much water go ahead.... If not leave it alone..

 

[drainbamage]

You can get rid of it, just make sure you're getting pleanty of fuge growth.

my 30 gal frag grow out tank: Koralias and an eheim 2213 used as a carbon reactor. No skimmer. Water changes twice a year (50%). Excellent growth on many Zoas and Palys (including Rastas and a possible hornet), SPS's, and Acans. The tank has an eggcrate shelf about 6 inches tall, bellow being an area filled with chato. Maybe 15 pounds of live rock, and a mandarin dragonet, a small scopas tang (gets swapped out as it grows) and a coris wrasse. It's doable, just keep an eye on stuff and feed minimal.

Rio pump definitley isn't your main heat cause. It's the closed up lid, and is it running T5's or PC's? PC's real bad and you might want to get some more vents and fans rigged up.

 

[UFfishingirl]

I say keep the skimmer. I know you and you wont do water changes anymore often lol. :wink::bigsmile::kiss:

 

[RBursek]

A skimmer adds allot of dissolved O2 into the water that fish need, adjust your skimmer to skim drier instead of wetter, or skim only 12 hours a day. remember, warmer water holds less dissolved O2 then cooler water.

 

[jaytizzle]

Not that I am a good example, but no skimmer and less than two water changes per year on my 24g nano and I get excellent growth and coloration. It is the most maintenance-free setup that I have ever put my two eyes on.

 

[majorb]

Not that I am a good example, but no skimmer and less than two water changes per year on my 24g nano and I get excellent growth and coloration. It is the most maintenance-free setup that I have ever put my two eyes on.

Did I misunderstand this?!?! Only 2 water changes a year? So you only do a water change every 6 months? Do you just add fresh water as it evaporates?

 

[majorb]

I don't run a skimmer on my 28G jbj nano and I keep the same things as you. Everything does really well. So when I set up my 60G frag tank, I didn't run a skimmer and everything has been really healthy! You can totally do without a skimmer, I have a LFS that doesn't use skimmers on any of his tanks in the shop.

 

[jaytizzle]

Yeah, majorb... I have only changed 8 gallons in my 24 in the last year. I did once a week for the first 6 months, then every other week for the next 3 months or so, then monthly for 3 months or so. Pretty much for the last year and a half it has only had 3 water changes of 4 gallons each. I top off twice a week with DI water (not RODI... this is at my office and I have always used DI from a filter we have).

Like I said, I'm not necessarily the best example but it's worth sharing my experience. Also, that tank is my avatar picture. Big SPS colonies grown from tiny frags.

 

[whip1]

Feed clowns twice a week pellets

poor clowns.........

 

[beaslbob]

Did I misunderstand this?!?! Only 2 water changes a year? So you only do a water change every 6 months? Do you just add fresh water as it evaporates?

So what's new? :bigsmile:

I never do water changes and up until a move a few months ago I had fish and corals in my 55g tank for over six years.

IMHO skimmers are not necessary.

I just use a refugium with macro algaes. Nitrates and phosphates have been unmeasureable for years. I do dose calcium/alk/mag with the diy two part. I use straight untreated tap water and just replace water the evaporates.

my .02

 

[whip1]

hmm must be Irish..........