Do I need a skimmer?

Okay, well my LFS has a "just add water" reef that's been going for like 8 years. No skimmer, no water changes, just adding *TAP* water every day via an ATO. The sump is about 6" deep of crushed coral. This tank is 300 or so gallon 8 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet (maybe taller not sure). There are all sorts of softies, including fish eating dinner plate size green hairy mushrooms, only 1 chromis because of said mushrooms, lots of LSP and montipora and acropora SPS corals all doing well and growing nicely.

So this makes me wonder, can I get away without a skimmer in my 56 gallon as long as I'm changing 5 gallons a week religiously and only using RO/DI water for new mix and for top offs? My sump is full of rubble rock and about a gallon of bioballs floating around in there too.

If you've seen my other thread, my plan is for about a dozen damsels and a pair of maroon clowns (and my *its not an eel honey* engineer goby). Bit by bit I plan to get all kinds of coral, lest my driving all over the county for metal halide parts from construction sites be in vain (running a 14K that seems whiter 175W bulb from ebay).

Thanks for the advice folks. Oh and where my water dumps in my sump I'm sure I'd see some foaming if a skimmer was needed wouldnt I?

 

If they only have 1 fish this is why they dont need a skimmer


The best way to know if you need a skimmer would be to test your water-
Ammonia/Nitrites and Nitrates

But if your going to have 13 fish your going to have to do more then a 5 gallon a week water change to keep your Ammonia/Nitrites and Nitrates down.

How much Live Rock you plan on having?

 

Hi Chris,
I should start by mentioning we are pretty new to the scene ourselves. May I ask why you do not wish to have a protein skimmer? I've seen a few (key word here) setups somehow manage to get by without one...but FWIW none were in our range (ours is a 60g DT + 20g sump)...they were all much larger. I'm not exactly sure if there is a reason why or if it was just coincidence. Also, how much experience do you have with marine reefs? I would think the skimmerless setup should be tackled by the more advanced aquarist. Also, your stocking list really seems pretty full to me...that amount of waste makes the skimmer even more important. Personally, I wouldn't risk it...I'd keep the skimmer...definitely like the added rubble rock in the sump...and I'd lose the bioballs instead. JMHO, but I am certainly curious why you want it gone...

Matthew

 

Damsels are horribly mean and extremely dirty fish... with 12 of them you will need a skimmer no doubt!!!.
I would recommend looking into some reef octopus or maybe ASM skimmers as they are priced nicely for their good performance. Also, you may want to re-think your choice on damsels and go for more peaceful fish in your tank... (just my opinion tho)

 

matthew.....we have the same name!

I don't think he wants to get rid of HIS skimmer, I think he is trying to avoid buying one. You do not need a skimmer to run a successful reef. People are brainwashed to think so. They are very beneficial and I'm sure you know why, but not 100% needed. You can get by without them but you are going to put more work into maintenance and water changes without one. Especially with that HUGE bioload.

I'm currently running skimmerless on my fully stocked 72g with 20g fuge and plan to do so for quite some time until I get some extra cash for something nice.

56 gallon...12 damsels and 2 maroons. Maroons are agressive and get up to 5inches. Damsels will grow to about 3" depending on species. So if we are using the old rule of an inch a gallon (that inch is fully grown)......36" worth of damsels and 10" worth of maroons. 46" worth of fish in a 56gallon. There is going to be some major fighting in that tank.

 

How bout that! Good to see Matthew's are well represented on 3reef. I also saw that Dingo's also representing the great state of PA...wonder if anywhere near my neighborhood...

 

I agree with this, the amount of work you will need to do is much greater then if you had a skimmer, but you can run a tank skimmerless. However, keep in mind that there will be some consequences. Most hard corals will have slower growth, some like gonipora like dirty water. Also, I would limit how many fish you have in there. For example, if you ran a skimmer, say you can have 6 fish, without a skimmer I would only add 3-4 fish. And if you are new to this hobby, a skimmer is a must IMO. You will also really need to watch what you feed and how much. That will be critical to prevent a build up of pollutants.

I don't necessarily agree with this. I don't believe there is a direct correlation between ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Skimmers don't remove these compounds. They basically remove proteins that stick to the bubbles. Without a skimmer, I would check these parameters more often, but having nitrates doesn't mean you need a skimmer. Many people with skimmers have high nitrates.

 

So if someone posted that they had elevated ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and didn't have a skimmer.
What would you recommend for them for the long term?
I agree all these can be elevated with a skimmer.

 

unfortunately not really...
I live in New Freedom for the summers and State College for the semesters :-/

 

I would like to hear more about your lighting