Do you sometimes pour some skimmate back in your tank?

[Zeal]

Title, Ive seen YouTube videos and read that sometimes people "accidentally" pour some of their skimmate back in their tank...


Thoughts?
Opinions?

 

[W1ngz]

Yeah, if I feel my nitrates and phosphates are a little low I'll slosh a little back in. Why buy magical cures and dosing additives when you're pouring exactly what you need down the toilet?

 

[wkd4b11]

I've done it before but I don't make a habit of it. I've even emptied the entire skimmate cup accidentally when my skimmer was overflowing

 

[Zeal]

Yeah, if I feel my nitrates and phosphates are a little low I'll slosh a little back in. Why buy magical cures and dosing additives when you're pouring exactly what you need down the toilet?

same! I sometimes use it to promote polyp extension before feeding.

 

[Webslinger]

ummm just turn off your skimmer?

 

[DoobDob]

intentionally? no

 

[MichaelClark55]

Are you serious? Like on purpose. The timing of this article is crazy. Just yesterday I noticed the tube that drains from the overflow cup was sitting inside of my refugium section of the sump. No harm with that unless the valve is OPEN! Who does that? So for over a week I was wondering why I was all of sudden getting algae growth and not so clear water anymore. So yeah I dumped skimmate back into tank but for an entire week!

 

[Hemmdog]

YouTube reefers will be the death of this hobby... such horrible advice.

 

[RobW]

That's the problem with the world today. Everyone who watches YouTube thinks they can do anything.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

YouTube reefers will be the death of this hobby... such horrible advice.

Soooooo true.

 

[LuizW13]

Wait..So, they're buying a skimmer, to pull gunk out of the water...to then put it back in the water?

 

[Chad3407]

I've ran my skimmer with the drain line open. I wanted to skim the tank to add o2 but didn't want to pull anything out because nitrate and po4 were low.

 

[BeejReef]

That's the problem with the world today. Everyone who watches YouTube thinks they can do anything.

Ha ha.. so true, wait... I resemble that remark

 

[W1ngz]

So easy to see the reactionary headline-reading outrage crew. People see things far too black and white.
The question the OP is asking is not 'do you routinely and systematically empty the entirety of your skimmate volume back into the system'. There are benefits to having small amounts of organics to feed microfauna, and bump nitrate and phoshate levels up when they are low.

Also, relax, it's just organic waste, not cyanide.

 

[MSB123]

What have you seen youtubers do?

 

[KorD]

Nope. I will not put stuff in my tank that the skimmer is pulling from the water column. It's defeating the purpose of running my skimmer in the first place.

 

[Hemmdog]

So easy to see the reactionary headline-reading outrage crew. People see things far too black and white.
The question the OP is asking is not 'do you routinely and systematically empty the entirety of your skimmate volume back into the system'. There are benefits to having small amounts of organics to feed microfauna, and bump nitrate and phoshate levels up when they are low.

Also, relax, it's just organic waste, not cyanide.

And a lethal amount of arsenic in every cup

 

[Hermie]

No... It's kind of like wiping your face with a used tissue

 

[VSVP bet]

I add it to my morning smoothie. I can now say I have become one with my reef.

I usually dump all skimmate, but sometimes if I collect too much with out dumping the cup (I have no overflow hose), some gets back into the system. This is rare but I dont worry about it.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have the few times I forget to turn off my skimmer when I turn my return pump off, it cause mine to overflow so I quickly dump the water so I don't cause a mess. I usually keep my collection jar emptied so not too much nasty goes back in.