Protein Skimmer run time and your tank!

[Z Burn's Reefing]

I run my 24/7, mostly for aeration. I leave it on and turn it down to run tank dirtier.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I tun an external Reef Octopus on my 360g 24hrs a day with 31 fish and loaded tank with mixed reef.
As I transition into new 660g, i wilt be running a larger skimmer unit also 24/7. Haven’t decided if it will be int or Ext type unit yet

 

[Tastee]

RSR 250, 65g total, skimmer runs 24x7. System is still young at 17 months and getting rid of GHA and getting in balance. Dose Aquaforest 3 part gradually throughout the day via 2x Apex DOS. Was running NoPoX but offline for the moment as nutrients are low. Will run (off the DOS) as needed again in future.

6 small-medium fish, plan to add 2-3. 6 or so inverts incl a large Nassarius, large hermit and CBS. Light mixed reef coral load. Large Sinularia, medium Trachy and Cynarina, small Goni, 8 large Zoas + latest addition of ~20 small Zoas. Favia and two Acros - one large colony, one smaller stem (candy cane). Plus half a dozen small shrooms. Plan to add more corals over time, continue mixed.

Once I get this tank running well I may reduce skim time but for the moment I need the export.

 

[Dburr1014]

I started to skim 12 on 12 off every day 2 months ago.
It has been pulling out more crap since then.

100 gallon system, 6 fish (5 small, 1 tang)
Mixed reef.

 

[mdbronco]

Do people run their DC pumps full or less (or varied)? Due to noise I keep mine on my 55 gallon at 50% with 6 fish and mixed reef set-up.

 

[Jay Norris]

Hi, I run my ETSS 1500 skimmer 24/7 on my 600 gallon system. I have a total of 15 fish, as I like to give them plenty of space to move around, but we be adding a few more over the coming months. I wish I could run a DC pump on this skimmer, but it requires a pressure rated pump, and I went with the 100 Iwaki pump to run it. This is by far the best skimmer I have ever used, but it is a little tall and requires you locate in externally, at least in my case.

 

[AZG]

90 gallon display
20 gallon sump
UV
Small fuge

After having to dose NO3 two times a week, I decided to pull the skimmer/filter socks. No need to dose anymore. I certainly noticed a difference in color. Amminos twice a week. SPS dominate, few LPS (mostly zoas). Yellow tang, 2 clowns, 6 line, 2 anthias, and a starry blenny. Small clean up crew.

130 gallon system
60 and 30 plumed together
40 gallon sump
Just a fuge
UV in the future

A young system (9months) haven’t had a reason to put a skimmer in it. Boat load of zoas and sticks. 2 yellow tangs, mandarin, black blenny, 6 line, yellow chromis, and a hawk flame. Currently building the bio load and trying to catch the 6 line lol. 5 snails. Amminos twice a week, roids once a week (just the zoas in the 30). Keeping it simple and it’s working out!

 

[McPuff]

I run a Reef Dynamics INS300 on my 300 gal DT (with 40 gal lagoon total volume is probably around 300gal due to displacement, etc.). Skimmer is 24/7. Have a chaeto reactor that I run 16 hours dusk to dawn essentially.

About 20 fish total with 4 large tangs, large foxface, and medium blueface angel.

Several large SPS colonies in the DT (almost exclusive SPS). Lagoon is basically a mixed reef at this point.

 

[Ian M]

I only skim once or twice a month with the setup all tied together:
75g DT (fish & soft coral)
75g refug/frag tank (fish, sps, lps, zoa, clam)
55g refug (sand, rock, algae)
40g sump (removed socks, unused skimmer, unused carbon/gfo reactor, heaters and return pump)

pair blackice clowns , one spot foxface , sailfin tang , purple tang , yellow tang , flame angel , yellow watchmen goby w/pistol shrimp , pair green dragonets , blue cheek goby , bi-color goby , maxima clam , blood & peppermint shrimps plus a full cuc in each tank.

I find my mixed reef system really degrades with skimming, color and polyp extension suffer from it. Even after two months of not skimming my No3 is <5 and I haven't read Po4 in 1.5 years, I believe my two refug's are removing it fast enough for me.

 

[anit77]

I run mine 24/7 unless I'm dosing aminos or phyto. I do that one or twice a week, at night just before or right after lights out. Feed D on my Apex shuts the skimmer down for four hours. I dosed aminos last night as a matter of fact.

I keep the skimmer running as dry a foam head as I can.

 

[VA5]

Question, why would you not skim 24/7. Also recently learned to aim output flow from nps bioplastics near skimmer input which has greatly increased skimate

 

[brandon clow]

24/7 here, only really dark though.

 

[mucky1957]

On a timer for 16 hours a day ( 10pm - 2pm ). 240lt tank .. far too many fish...far too many coral...Nitrate is 2 and phos is 0.025...and stays that way thanks to dosing nopox.

 

[Cory]

I don’t skim at all probably never going back

What did you notice?

 

[dantimdad]

I run 24/7 on my 93 cube. Curve 7. Now, whether or not the collection cup stays on all the time will remain to be seen. But, it will run for oxygenation if nothing else.

 

[Nick Rose]

We have a 90 and 40 gallon. The 90 is the only one with a skimmer. It is run 24/7/365. We have 10 fish(Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, 2 Clowns, 6 cromis). They are fed 2 cubes in the morning and 2 at night.

Two different questions. Would running the skimmer dryer take less things out of the water or is it the same as doing wet skimming? If I want to run the skimmer just for the PH benefit can I do that without it skimming?

 

[sde1500]

Just took it offline, hauled it out of the tank, installed a grow light, rock rubble and macro. To heck with that stupid finicky thing that I don't really think ever provided much value. So my answer last week would have been 24/7/365, now it is finally 'never'.

 

[Backreefing]

What did you notice?

Nutrients don’t bottom out anymore, improvement in colors.
I stopped when a acropora frag went RTN . Dispite good water parameters , and at the same time I noticed that all alge died to .
Since then I don’t use a skimmer and everything growing good .

 

[Jon Fishman]

Curve 5 Elite, 75g tank, 30g sump, 3 fish, just a few "starter" corals, run it 24/7 trying to get a pretty dry skim.

 

[mdbronco]

My tank is still way too new to comment (10 months), but my skimmer is by far the loudest thing in the tank and one day the motor seized while I was on vacation for a couple of weeks and my wife was basically keeping life support duties. When I came back, everything looked much, much better and growth was evident in my SPS. Zoas that had been shrinking were back, and my LPS were looking great. Now I've turned it back on 24/7 - basically because current know-how says this is the norm and a "must". So I would absolutely love for someone to prove that skimmers were not needed for mixed reef and I could launch mine into outer space.