Protein skimmer only

Parker · Mar 11, 2016

I just bought a protein skimmer on eBay. It's a reef octopus bh100 and I was planing on putting it on my 29g bow front tank. Buuuuuut it's way bigger than I expected... I can't fit the ps and my hob filter both on my aquarium. So I'm wondering if I can run just the protein skimmer and no filter. (My tank is a FOWLR)
Thanks guys

vic67 · Mar 11, 2016

You can run the PS only but you will probably find more "particles" in your water column. A HOB filter is good for mechanical filtering while your PS will skim out dissolved organic waste.

bobman · Mar 11, 2016

I would just run the skimmer and toss a little rubble rock in the rear chambers. Its a nice skimmer I had one when my 32 gal was setup and it was awesome. Actually I had the bh-1000 which is the older version.

AlexG · Mar 12, 2016

I agree with only running a protein skimmer. Ditch the HOB filter as it will likely cause problems in the future with nitrates. If you have a good CUC that takes care of the substrate there should not be any issues. If you don't have a CUC for the substrate then a vacuuming of the substrate will also work. While many do not agree I think that mechanical filtration in the form of filter pads or filter socks can be detrimental to a reef unless they are changed on a very frequent basis (everyday or two).