are skimmers bad?

i have never used skimmers on any of my tanks, besides one. because i find that you dont necessarily need one to have a healthy reef tank. but i have seen several posts and threads in different forums and i think even in this forum that say that protein skimmers can do more harm than good. what are you guys' thoughts on this?

 

I think after the seeing the gunk my skimmer pulls, it is a pretty easy decision to not want that gunk in my tank. But, everyone's tanks are different and have different requirements so it is personal choice.

 

I think both choices have their pros and cons. My one tank uses a skimmer, my oldest tank does not. Just weekly 20% water changes.

 

I think you will find that 85 percent of folks in the hobby today will say a skimmer is awesome and they wouldnt run their tank without one.

 

Weekly 20% water changes is a lot. A skimmer cuts down the need for so frequent water changes, with imo no down sides. Plus it increases the oxygen levels.

posted with tapatalk please ignore bad spelling and grammar

 

I said it in another post and ill say it again. Skimmers are not bad. Its not like putting one in your tank will make the thing die. It varies from system to system. Look you obviously have had success with out a skimmer. But look at the majority of ppl using them on theirs and look at the tank. it speaks for itself. I find myself browsing through forums daily. Im a student so on my down time from assignments im on here. I have yet to read something that said skimmers are bad. Maybe you read there was a bad skimmer... like the thing sucked, didnt work well what have you. But skimmers are probably one of the best advancements in this hobby to date. They only help us, they dont hurt a system.

Look at mother nature....

This is all a skimmer is replicating. Now of the 100's of hobbiest i talk to both on this forum, another forum, and in person we want to replicate nature as best as we can. I personally dont think i would ever set up a tank without them. theyre too valuable of a filtration method. Thats why companies shell out large amounts of money on the marketing, advancement, and research on skimmers.

 

there is no need to be rude about it, i didnt say they were necessarily bad just ive read they arent necessary for a tank. i just dont like the thought of spending 200 dollars on something that isnt needed for my tank.

 

A skimmer is just another piece of kit for the hobbyist's toolbox. It isnt an end all be all must have stuff will die item. I ran my tank for months with just an ATS without any ill side effects. The only reason I run one now is cause I found one brand new on CL, and the price was what I wouldve paid for shipping buying it online. It does remove alot of gunk from the water, and I can see the benefits. On the downside I recent started feeding oyster feast here and there, and I have to leave the skimmer off for quite sometime or the overflows and explodes everywhere.

An ATS, skimmer, canister filter, HoB, even UV filters are all pieces to the puzzle and its just a matter of piecing them together & finding out what works best for you.

 

I dont think ppl are being rude. I for one am not. You dont wanna see my "rude" side.Your throwing out this outlandish claim that skimmers are bad, look at the title of the thread. are skimmers bad? lol. You are very correct in that they are not necessary at all. with that being said either are phosban reactors, calcium reactors, powerheads, are any of those things bad to have, hell no. You may not thing its a wise purchase, as do a lot of folks, but that 200 dollar price tag really pays for itself in the quality of water produced by skimmers.

Take it how you want to, your gonna be swarmed by those who stand by skimmers, but then old skool reefers that have been around pre-skimmers era, will say there are other methods of keeping a successful tank.

 

I would say read this article ( What is Skimming? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com )

and this post by Powerman ( http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/all-about-skimmers-skimmers-skimmer-85389.html )

and decide for yourself. I literally spent atleast 6 hours reading and taking notes from these two pieces of writing before I bought my first real skimmer. It should let you decide whether or not skimmers are worth it for yourself. ;D