Running for 2yrs w/o skimmer

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum (or any forum for that matter). I have been running a Red Sea Max 130 for about 2 years now. I have had troubles with my skimmer from day 1. This was my first aquarium ever (starter system). So I really didn't know much about anything. So I just turned it off and kept it off.

I started by cycling my tank with two blue damsels, and proceeded to slowly add fish. In two year, the only fish I ever lost was a Sally Lightfoot crab and one turbo snail. Otherwise, I have the following fish in my tank:
Blue Spotted Puffer; Clown Fish; Longnose Hawkfish; Blenny; blue damsels. I've also had a Picasso Trigger in there for about a year, but then she grew to large and agressive so I sold her back to the petstore.

So here is my question... I'm lookin to upgrade to a larger system and I've doing a lot of reading... from everything I've read, the Protein Skimmer seems like one of the most critical parts of the system. I've been running for two years without one... ??? what gives? Is it really that important?

I understand that corals and inverts are more delicate/sensitive and would require a skimmer, but for a fish only tank, is it really all the important?

 

You can get away with a lot more with a fish only tank than with a reef tank. Is that what you are planning on upgrading to? If you decide to keep larger fish, tangs, triggers, lion fish etc., they produce much more waste than smaller fish. I would recommend a skimmer on any system, it will help with algae issues, fish health and overall aquarium appearance and health.

 

A system can run just fine for a little amount of time without a skimmer as your LR and Sand are absorbing all of the filth in your system. The problem is, what goes in, must come out so it will eventually start leaching and then your life will be hell. Once it starts leaching, you start getting those cool cyano blooms, hair algae blooms, uncontrollable nitrates and stuff like that. That is when we start seeing the "I can't get my nitrates below 60" post.

 

Skimmers are for dissolved organics... they are important IMO on any setup.
They are equally as important on fish only in my opinion. The poo gets skimmed up.

 

I think that skimmers are very important. However, if you have a FO or a FOWLR set up and bio-load isnt a big impact, you can get through without a skimmer. For how long? I cant answer that b/c every system is different. Now, once you get yourself into a Reef tank, thats where you will need to impliment a skimmer.


Luna

 

honestly with the amount of disgusting material that my skimmer pulls out on a daily basis my system would be very dirty with out a skimmer.....i honestly could not imagine my tank with out one...what size system are you upgrading to?

 

LMAO.... Cyano blooms, hair algae blooms, and uncontrollable nitrates are definitely COOL!!!

Only COOL people have those....

 

Scared to speak up on this but I will anyway.

My system has been running for two years with no skimmer and three water changes. Its a mixed reef with everything from acros and monti to zoas and hammer coral. I am disgustingly overstocked and I overfeed. I have had my algae wars but its under control and all my live stock including a sebae anemone are living and growing very happily. I have never been able to detect any nitrates.

On the flip side of things. Im now running a fuge with two mangroves (5 gallons), this spills into a chamber full of chaeto (10 gallon) then overflows into a fuge holding 25 gallons of water packed full of chaeto. to top that off I have a second tank (20 gallon) that is looped into the same sump with 20 mangroves in it.


Like others have said though what goes into the rock must come out. I may not of hit the age yet where my rock starts leeching nastys or I may have and my overkill fuges are keeping it under control. My opinion is you should get your skimmer figured out. With so many people recommending them it cant be a bad idea.

 

systems can run without a skimmer whether their either fish only or reef without a skimmer if set up correctly, but not recommended.

 

Thanks guys! that makes a lot of sense! I have had a battle on my hands with Red Slime Algae the past few months and I've had a hard time getting my nitrites down even though I'm doing water changes just about every week or two. I think I might just have to bite the bullet and get one of those nano skimmers.

I'm looking to move up to a 65 gallon tank and should learn how to use the skimmer on this one first.

Thanks again for all the feedback!