Nano : To skim or not to skim

I've tried getting some input on this before without luck, but wanted to see again if there's some crusty old reefer that's got experience on this one.

I started a "real" nano - 10 gal, no sumps or other external volume expansion. After poking around various resources, I decided to try running it without a skimmer.

So far (only 89 days as of today) it's doing well. I do 1 gal change every week. After 3 weeks all nitrogen params are and have stayed at 0. I'm getting to the end of the brown diatom bloom, and have a happy cardinal fish, small zoa cluster, small monti frag, xenia that's already spreading, and a peppermint shrimp. yippee.

I did have a spell - around when the diatom bloom began - that everybody looked unhappy in the tank - params were ok, but creatures (esp. xenia) just didn't look good. I realized that without a skimmer, I wasn't getting alot of O2 in, so I added a 3" airstone, and since then everyone seems happy again.

Anyway, the question is this - Does anyone else out there run a small system without a skimmer, and how well has it done? And the converse - Has anyone had a bad experience trying to run a small system without a skimmer?

thanks for the input!

 

My nano has been up and running for about 4 years now. Its a true 12 gal nano cube. Never had a protein skimmer for it and have been very successful so far. Ive kept a variety of things in there. When I firsted started it, I had star polyps, bubble coral, two anemones, about 4 different kinds of shrimp, feather dusters, snails hermits, clowns, clown gobies.
Currently I have a sebae anemone, 2 clowns a royal gramma, cleaner shimp, 1 turbo snail. He's actually been in the tank since it started. Hes made it through a lot. One time we went on vacation, didnt turn the air on, and we had a crazy heatwave, everything in the tank fried except for that one snail. Hes still kicking. Hes actually like my little pet...

Anyways, sorry for the long story, but I have successfully kept my nano without a skimmer.

 

totter - thanks! what do you do for O2 and for maintence, also for flow? how much LR? 3 fish seems like alot for 12 gal from what i've read - any trouble?

 

No trouble thus far, my clowns are fairly small along with the royal gramma.

Maintenance, I hardly do any on that tank any more. I run carbon and a phosphate pad in the back holder. I dont use the bioballs, I had trouble with them when I first started.
As for flow, I have whatever came in with the nano. I tried upgrading once, but I had a hard time finding a powerhead that wasnt too powerful for a nano. So I left it alone.

I do water changes about once a month in that tank, and water top offs as needed.
I think I have about 20 lbs of live rock in there. Its been so long since I bought it, I honestly cant remember. But I will tell its very roomy in there. I dont have wall to wall LR. 2 big chunks, and some smaller ones that I move around to make caves and what not.

Like I said, its practically maintenance free now. Everything seems to be doing good too.

When I first started, I had a lot of trouble cycling, and I think I jumped into everything too fast. It was my first tank. So I had red algae problems and cloudy water problems. But after experimenting for a couple months, got it all figured out.

Oh, usually once every two months, I take the sponges that are back in holder(they came with my tank). and ring them out in the water change dump bucket. That why their are not losing to many nutrients. Sometimes they can get pretty clogged.

 

im about to set up a 10gal nano with a skimmer i guess i see how it does. its gonna be a old 125 coralife, can you say over skimming lol
im mainly using the skimmer for increase oxygen.

any way i used to have a 15 gallon without a skimmer using only a hob filter. it did get kinda dirty some times.

 

I don't really see a reason for running a skimmer on a nano as they are perfectly managable because of the small water changes that need to be done. I think you can do fine with the water changes that you are doing. Most of the people who are really serious into their nanos don't run one due to microbubbles in such a small tank. Also a skimmer small enough has the flaw that they don't have any dwell time in the small chambers.

 

I have run a 10g nano with and without a skimmer. The skimmer I am using now is a Rio Nano-Skimmer. Before the skimmer, I used a HOB filter. The difference? None that I can see. I have yet to decide what is better for the fish. In a month or so, I will know based on params. I don't think there is going to be a measurable difference to tell the truth.

 

i run my 10 gallon with no skimmer just an oversized hob filter it's been running 6 months with no problems

 

if you have LR in the tank, what's the HOB for?

 

mechanical and chemical filtration