Ditching my in sump skimmer for a larger fuge

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by crustytheclown, Sep 10, 2012.

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  1. crustytheclown

    crustytheclown Eyelash Blennie

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    I am thinking about taking down my ASM G1 skimmer that i have set up on my 40 gal breeder. I want the larger area that the skimmer is in to be my fuge. I want a large fuge for LR and macro. I have been keeping a 14gal biocube w/ a 2gal fuge w LR for years with out a skimmer and have been growing alot of sps with great coloration and growth. I do not dose and I do 25% water changes. I dont have a large bioload and feed sparingly. I am also not wanting to keep sps at this time either. I just dont think i need it at this point and want to try what works for me in my nano on my 40gal. Any thoughts?
     
    crustytheclown, Sep 10, 2012
    crustytheclown, Sep 10, 2012
    #1

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  2. rc_mcwaters3

    rc_mcwaters3 Clown Trigger

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    I think it can be done I ran without one forever and didnt have a problem
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2012
    rc_mcwaters3, Sep 10, 2012
    rc_mcwaters3, Sep 10, 2012
    #2
  3. thereefshack

    thereefshack Astrea Snail

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    It can be done, but it is risky. As long as you have enough denitrifying/anaerobic bacteria you need no other filtration. I have seen plenty of fully stocked reefs with nothing on them other than filter floss.
    One experiment was ran with a 300 or so gallon tank. The tank ran for years without any form of filtration. Carbon was added and it threw the whole system off balance. Carbon was then removed and all parameters leveled out.
     
    thereefshack, Sep 10, 2012
    thereefshack, Sep 10, 2012
    #3
  4. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    Yep, use what works for you. :)

    Check out my tank thread...
     
    Mr. Bill, Sep 10, 2012
    Mr. Bill, Sep 10, 2012
    #4
  5. APC

    APC Gigas Clam

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    Does your skimmer pull out a lot of Skimate now? If it is producing a lot, you might not want to remove it. If it is only producing minimally, maybe you can try it without - just keep an eye on your parameters and see what happens. For me, having to be reliant on frequent water changes for nutirent export seems like a lot of work.
     
    APC, Sep 11, 2012
    APC, Sep 11, 2012
    #5
  6. crustytheclown

    crustytheclown Eyelash Blennie

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    i am just trying to simplify and i think a larger refugium is of much more benefit than a skimmer at least IMHO. My fuge is super small right now at least compared to the volume of my tank, so.....
     
    crustytheclown, Sep 11, 2012
    crustytheclown, Sep 11, 2012
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  7. rc_mcwaters3

    rc_mcwaters3 Clown Trigger

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    as long as you can export what your skimmer di as far as undisolved solids then it really should not be a huge issue. you have to also look at having a big enough refugium to handle the total disolved solids in the long run. I have a skimmer on mine now but I also have a space saving madel so I could make my fuge quite large on my tank.

    have you concidered just getting a hob skimmer to save the space in your sump then makeing the fuge bigger?
     
    rc_mcwaters3, Sep 11, 2012
    rc_mcwaters3, Sep 11, 2012
    #7