Skimmer or Refugium

[Nixperience]

I’ve just set up my UNS 90LA and the back compartments are tight. I have the media tower for floss on top, biocubes middle, and carbon/gfo on bottom.

In the middle compartment I can only fit a skimmer or refugium.

Which do you think would be the better choice for stability and nutrient export? I can only have one.

 

[Fish Fan]

I vote a skimmer, if nothing else for better gas exchange, even if it's not a very efficient skimmer. I don't believe the very small refugiums in AIO tanks are that effective, but I've never tried one myself. Water changes can be a big help on smaller tanks like these.

Good luck!

 

[Fish Fan]

#reefsquad what do you guys think?

 

[X-37B]

I would get the biggest oversized skimmer that fit.

 

[exnisstech]

I'd go skimmer over fuge. Fuge has been good for growing pods but has been useless for nutrient reduction when I ran them. That said I've run tanks with neither that did fine.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Skimmer gets my vote

 

[Rocks reef]

I would get the biggest oversized skimmer that fit.

^This

 

[Nixperience]

I guess it’s unanimous! Skimmer it is, when the time comes.

 

[Privateye]

Skimmers have the added benefit of pulling things out before you may see them. For instance, if an organism dies it could start mitigating the waste quicker than a refugium. Or if an angry critter releases some sort of toxin. You can also use it to help remove certain medications and chemicals from the water.

I think you asked a good question and made a good choice!

 

[Lasse]

You can also use it to help remove certain medications and chemicals from the water.

Which medicines and chemicals do a skimmer remove?

My answer is not as the others because they are both good but for different things. The question is what is the most important for you - to promote gas exchange and oxygen import or reduce nutrients?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Nixperience]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I’ll go with the skimmer and I can always do a chaeto reactor later if I want the benefits of a refugium.

 

[Privateye]

Which medicines and chemicals do a skimmer remove?

My answer is not as the others because they are both good but for different things. The question is what is the most important for you - to promote gas exchange and oxygen import or reduce nutrients?

Sincerely Lasse

I don't know a complete list (Jay would know better than I do) but Melafix is one that immediately comes to mind.

Pretty much anything that makes a skimmer go crazy, unless it's happening from dying organisms targeted by the chemical. Soap would be an easy example, but not one we'd add intentionally. If I spilled soap in my tank I'd prefer a skimmer!

 

[Lasse]

Pretty much anything that makes a skimmer go crazy, unless it's happening from dying organisms targeted by the chemical. Soap would be an easy example, but not one we'd add intentionally. If I spilled soap in my tank I'd prefer a skimmer!

That a skimmer go crazy does not mean that just the chemical will be removed - its only means that the chemical in question has altered the surface tension of your water, thereby pumping a large amount of water into the skimmer cup.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Privateye]

That a skimmer go crazy does not mean that just the chemical will be removed - its only means that the chemical in question has altered the surface tension of your water, thereby pumping a large amount of water into the skimmer cup.

Sincerely Lasse

This might be a learning opportunity for me. Maybe I'm thinking of the process incorrectly.

In my mind, the way I see foam fractionation working is that bubbles rise through the water, picking up hydrophobic molecules on their surface. As the foam collects, the more-coated the bubbles are and the stronger their surface tension. This makes them harder to pop. This is why we see foam accumulate over time as opposed to immediately frothing into the cup when the skimmer is first turned on (and tuned). The concentration of these molecules has to build-up.

I typically think of soap as an example. The higher the concentration of soap in the bubble, the less likely it is to pop, and the more likely it is to remain until it spills over into the collection cup. So I figured protein skimmers worked by concentrating and removing molecules that alter the surface tension of the water.