Skimmers are cool...?

I am looking into possibly getting a skimmer. I am on the fence when it comes to skimmers. I have read about the concept of a skimmer but are they actually beneficial? Does anyone have any conclusive proof that this does anything other than give another piece of equipment to take care of, add heat and noise to the system and leave a big hole in the wallet? I know I do not really need one but if I get one, I would like to have some sort of solid basis for spending the money. Thoughts?

ps. don't flame me for this post just want to make an informed decision

 

Skimmers make a world of differance. I was running a Fluval 305 canister filter, marine land bio wheel, and a Octopus NW150 skimmer. My Octopus by far pulls more garbage than the other 2 combined. I pulled my Fluval and marine land about a month ago and my water is just as clear as it was running all 3. Now I just run my skimmer, a phosban reactor, and chaeto in my fuge. My water is cleaner than ever. The only cleaning I haft to do is run my magnet cleaner over the glass once a week and there isnt a spot of algae

 

Come get a cup of my skimmate and dump it in ur tank

 

Daniel, you get an A for effort but a D- for content...note the request for "solid basis" lol

-1 k...j/k

 

pavelow

basically a skimmer removes protien based waste before it gets broken down and makes a contribution to your nitrogen cycle it takes the burden to some degree away from the bacteria and a tank stocked to normal levels benefits from its presence and an over stocked tank may well crash without it being there.

skimming removes things that carbon cannot remove

a well chosen and well run skimmer coupled with live rock and lots of water movement are the basic ingredients of many succesfull reef tanks ( and for sure they are present in unsuccesful ones also but the equipment is only as good as the person operating it)

a skimmer is a piece of equipment that you can physically see the benefit of
you cant see the good work done by your biological filter , you can measure it of course
but with a skimmer, you can see the gunk removed and know that your tank is better of for having had it removed

Skimmers do have some negatived - they remove coral food for example - thus a person with a very effective skimmer is removing and then having to supplement , but to many thats a small price to pay for achieving better water quality

someone else can give a more scientific based reason
I can only submit the experience I have from choosing to use one

Steve

 

Theres really nothing to add to this, short and sweet and straight to the point and in plain english.


Luna

 

skimmers get you chicks man! CHICKS!

 

haha i dont know if anything in this hobby gets your chicks..my girlfriend thinks i'm a complete nerd at least!

As for skimmers...they're a must! Good waste removal without building up your nitrate like canisters

 

looks like the bama guys are up...lol I used to live in LA

 

i am sold!