Protein Skimmer run time and your tank!

[maroun.c]

Dont see why to turn off skimmer. At worse itll stop skimming when/iff water is too clean (never the cade for me with close to 70 well fed fish in system ) even if not producing any skimmate it helps with oxygenating water and i dont like water in skimmer to stagnate.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Two different questions. Would running the skimmer dryer take less things out of the water or is it the same as doing wet skimming?

Organics have varying bond strengths with the bubbles' surfaces. Wet skimming removes organics with strong bonds, some with weaker bonds, as well as removing fine particulates. It also serves as a water change inducer because the skimmed water must be replaced. Dry skimming only removes organics with a strong bond, doesn't remove much in the way of fine particulates, and doesn't cause the loss of much water.

If I want to run the skimmer just for the PH benefit can I do that without it skimming?

Yea, just run it very dry. It will drive off CO2 until it is in equilibrium with the atmosphere.

 

[Dragon52]

Run it all the time except cleaning every 6mths
185gl Tank

Tank inhabitants
Fish
Blue Throat Trigger Male 1
Bonded Pr of Wheeler's Gobies 2
Chevron Tang 1
Convic Tang Need
Coral Beauty 1
Flame Angel 1
Hoevens/melanurus Wrasse 1
Lemon peel Angel 1
Midas Blenny 1
Mimic Lemon peel Tang Need
Multicolored Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse 1
Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse 1
Pistol Shrimp 1
Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse 1
Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse Need
Regal/Hippo tang 1
Red Spot Clown 1


Coral
Green Tipped Torch 2
Tan Tipped Torch 1
Green Hammer 2
Green Zoa 1
Orange Zoa 1
Yellow Zoa 1
Qrange Tree 2
Green Fan 1
Orange Mushroom Recardia 1
Green Mushroom Recardia Colony 1
Green Mushroom Colony 1
Blue Mushroom 3
Kenya Tree Coral 1
Tan Zenia Colony 1


Anemones
Brown Long Tenticle 1
Pimk Tip Long Tenticle 1

 

[Musovski]

-No Skimmer Hours
-Total Tank Volume: 105g
Main Display: 75g
Sump: 30g
-Number of Fish: 10 Fish
-Mixed Reef, Soft Coral Dominant.

 

[Rockyreef]

I removed my skimmer about 2 months ago, very happy I did. I was fighting dinos, cyano, and bryopsis and ready to tear down the tank. I couldn't balance my PO4 and NO3 until I stopped skimming. Now, cyano and dinos are gone and bryopsis is receding. I've even got coraline growing. Other pros: quieter system, lower maintenance, lower power, risk of overflow gone. My pH went from 8.3-8.4 to 8.2 so no big concern there.
150 g display
30 g sump
5 fish
25+ inverts
5 soft corals

 

[Sandbox]

I run 24/7 unless I’m cleaning it out. I have 9 fish in a 130 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump.

 

[Sandbox]

M

I run 24/7 unless I’m cleaning it out. I have 9 fish in a 130 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump.

Softies for now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

24/7

 

[blackstallion]

24/7.

Running a Reef Octopus 200sss on a 220g+ LPS and soft Coral reef, only have 3 fish right now. Nitrates are 0 and phosphates 0.05. I wonder if turning off the skimmer OR dialing it back a little would benefit my system.

 

[Ippyroy]

24/7 45 gallons total. 5 fish and lps and zoas. No filter other than chaeto before skimmer. Chaeto got out and clogged the skimmer, had it offline for 5 days and PO4 went from .1 to .2. It is now cleaned and running and PO4 is falling.

 

[Crashnt24]

I'm skimming 24/7ish.... When I dose my PNS Yellow Sno and PNS Pro Bio I turn off the skimmer for 24 hours.

So I guess it's more like 24/6 LOL

75gal DT
34gal Triton Sump
4 fish
multiple inverts