Protein Skimmer run time and your tank!

[MombasaLionfish]

Wondering today how long do you run your protein skimmer?

Would also be helpful to have a few details about your tank.

• How many gallons?
• How many fish?
• Types of corals?

Thank you!

image via @aquavista99

2 hours after feeding, 60 gallons, 0 at the moment all of them are in QT, and one tiny zoa.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Run my skimmer when it is needed.. 40 breeder and approximately 60 gallons total water volume.

 

[homer1475]

24/7/365 minus a few hours every couple months for maintenance.

80G display, 30G sump, 85G total water. 6 fish, mixed reef, mostly LPS.

 

[Big E]

Skim 24/7........feed heavy-

6" Bellus
5" Watanbei
3" Carpenter warasse
2.5" Linespot wrasse
2.5" Fridmani
3" Yellow Tang

Dominant Acropora loaded system. Also about 10 zoa/paly species

Skimmer Amaxx Cone S 3 rated for 270g heavy bioload/ 450g light My system is total of 90g
Yes, I oversize my skimmers 3-4 times manufacturer recommendations.....been doing this for almost 20 yrs. with skimmer only setups... use GFO with higher loads.

Current nutrient levels-- P04- .05------ N03= 5.0ppm

48 hours of skimmate

 

[burton14e7]

I turn mine off every day for the 2 hours after dosing Red Sea Reef Energy A&B. My skimmer overflows if I don't.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

imagine having a skimmer, couldn't be me

 

[APrince62]

75 G tank <no sump> up and running going on 3 months
3 damsels
scooter blenny
cleaner shrimp
gonna add coral beauty this weekend after quarantine
misc cuc
6 small zoas and one oother small soft coral.....looks like grass when open

run HOB skimmer 24/7 except for 1/2 hour after I feed
I have tendency to over feed so hope skimmer helps correct that

 

[aquavista99]

I am still using the same Euroreef skimmer purchased back in 2006 on my current sps growout system, which is around 450 gallons or so. 99% SPS with 4 tangs, 5 pairs of clownfish and 1 copperband butterfly fish. Feed heavy and run the skimmer 24/7.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I run 24/7 for a couple reasons:

1. Degas unwanted dissolved gases. I'm saying degas versus oxygenate from what I was told from my freshwater experience, that bubbling isn't critical in putting oxygen into the water, but removing unwanted dissolved gas. So maybe it is oxygenation or maybe it's degassing, I'm not sure with saltwater....either way, a good thing.

2. Poor performance. At best they remove almost 30% or TOC (Total Organic Carbon). From the Ken Feldman papers (which for some reason I can't access from Advanced Aquarist...site down???), he showed the poor performance of different brands, and they ranged from 20 to almost 30% TOC removal. Here's a graph I was able to capture from images.

So in my book, there is no such thing as over skimming. When I first got into the hobby I ran an MRC 2 on a 90 gallon tank. I can't remember the rating on the MRC...maybe 250 gallons.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have 5 tanks above 100 gallons, 3 tanks between 40-100 gallons, 2 smaller nanos and a 2g pico. I skim 24/7/365 on all of them but my 2 gallon pico at work, no room for a skimmer, and it is all shrooms and zoas anyways they like it dirty. Even though on all but one tank (excluding the pico), I have to dose nitrate and phosphate. This is even with a huge bio-load in all of them, tons of feedings, and numerous things to feed my corals and huge haddonis. I did try the no skimmer route a few times on different tanks, but it was not for me or my corals.

I do think one thing that needs to be added to this, is if you are running a skimmer, do you run wet or dry? Do you have a fuge? Do you perform "regular water changes"? These may show a little more of a pattern for those who skim and those who do not.

I run all of my skimmers more to the dry side of things, all tanks but pico have a fuge, and what is a regular water change? lol. Dose a little here, dose a little there, it is alive and pretty "All Good in the Reef Hood".

 

[Chris Villalobos]

I can't see a difference with skimming and not skimming, but I have a tank that has to be dosed with NO3 and PO4 everyday to keep them from dropping to zero. I currently do not skim.

My tank:
52 gallons (32 gallon display and 20 gallon sump)
9 fish (3 chromis, 3 anthias, 1 clown, 1 Xmas Wrass, 1 Firefish)
SPS and LPS

 

[BellaCoop]

I run the skimmer on my tanks 24/7. The only time is is adjusted is when i first get the tank to make sure it runs perfectly. As well as turning off the skimmer one ever 7 months or so for a good cleaning.

 

[mfarris]

475 gallon display
550 gallons total system
12 tangs ( several over 8 inches)
Magnificent fox face
>30 smaller fish (chromis, anthias, wrasses etc)
My fish are fat pigs
>100 acro frags to colonies, a few softies and Lps, obligatory cc
Skimz sc255i
Runs 24/7/365

 

[davilahope]

I can't see a difference with skimming and not skimming, but I have a tank that has to be dosed with NO3 and PO4 everyday to keep them from dropping to zero. I currently do not skim.

What do you dose? Be specific please and thank you

 

[Chris Villalobos]

What do you dose? Be specific please and thank you

My daily dose to keep NO3 above 1PPM and PO4 above 0.01PPM

1PPM NO3 from an NaNo3 solution I mixed up with RODI Water
.01PPM PO4 from an Na3PO4 solution I mixed up with RODI Water

 

[n21benson]

Skimmer 24/7 (AquaC Remora Pro)
100 gallons
FOWLR (1 x Clown Triggerfish)

 

[Ron83]

My skimmer runs 24/7
145 gallons water
120 gallon display
11 fish
mixed reef

 

[jd371]

24/7, cleaned about every 3 months
75g with 20g sump
Mixed reef with 8 fish ( 2 Clowns, CBB, Melanurus, Flasher Wrasse, Falco Hawkfish, Firefish and Rainford Goby)

 

[simpleman]

i run my skimmer 23 hrs off 1 hr when i add Red Sea Reef Energy A&B clean the cup about every 4 to 5 days a lot of skimmate could not imagine leaving that stuff in the tank

 

[Backreefing]

I don’t skim at all probably never going back