Well, a 100,000 gallon water change here and there is a bigger deal than a 20 gallon water change here an there and a refugium for a whale tank would be the size of a whale tank and hard to fit under it, so different methods are needed. There's more than one way to fry a duck. I'm sure these operations have a lot more equipment than skimmers that we don't need on a small aquariums to avoid major water changes. Why do 747s need auxiliary power units and hydraulics but a Cessna 152 doesn't? They are both aircraft are they not?That's awesome you got it working for you. Thanks for your input
You should consider being a consultant to the Public Aquariums around the world, you could save them 100s of millions of dollars in large skimming equipment
Skimmers take time to break in and start skimming, so you probably wont see much in a week. You are probably going to get bunch of different answers that will add to the confusion. Some say it's harmful, some say not doing it is harmful. However the arguments against skimming seem to be backed by actual scientific studies whereas the arguments for it are more anecdotal. Perhaps it really isn't worth stressing over if the difference is so subtle that people are divided on it. In your case, I might say if it isn't broke, don't fix it.
Yes, which is why I don't skim the good stuff out effectively starving my filter feeders. I tried giving them tofu, but they turned their noses up at it. Some say feather dusters don't do well in aquariums long term, they must have skimmers. Mine do fine.
My doctor doesn't ask if I skim. Should I get a different doctor?
Wow. Apples & oranges. Eating well could compare to… feeding your tank well (live foods only and things that can exist in-tank) compared to feeding your tank…over-processed junk food. And let’s compare a skimmer to a walk-in shower with floor drains and a multi-head shower to..,. getting clean by staying clean as possible and taking a shower in a modest, normal tub. So… maybe you should also say that you MUST use a Radion and not a black box light because the PAR is better if it cost more…. I know, you can only drive in a Ferrari because a Corvette just wouldn’t get the job done.
Do
I keep seeing these responses where people say things like “you can live off junk food BUT…” or “…OXYGENATION!”
The only part of your statement that is correct is the part about increased water flow. But high turnover at the surface is more effective than aeration with bubbles anyway, so i use that method regardless. I do notice that without a skimmer I harvest a lot more chaeto, but that takes like 2 seconds once a week or so. No activated carbon, no HLLE for me thank you. I don't use filter pads, just simple sponge filters at the intake of my HOB, which takes care of all the problems you speak of with nothing but Chaeto in it and a blurple grow light. Rinsing out the sponge filters takes a few minutes once or twice per month. No big deal. I did have some ups and downs with nitrate problems when I had a skimmer though, because it was so temperamental and inconsistent. I now have a much more stable system without it. If I had a large tank that was over stocked with an unusually high bio load, I would feel that a skimmer is necessary. Most of the irrational arguments on this forum stem from people making erroneous blanket presumptions about other peoples systems. Sure, if my system was exactly like yours in every way but did not have a skimmer, I might run into problems, but that's not the case.
I spend less time. Pads same as when with one, activated carbon, what is that? Water changes, 2% a week, dosing? Nope....My tank won't win any awards, but it lives....the rock is 20+ years old, and maybe that is the deciding factor....so no, not most definitely.
This! And yes, surface turbulence is my way of oxygenation. I utilize a simple Aquaclear 50 Hob on a 90 gallon....no sump, no fuge, no skimmer. Rock.
