skimming or turf scrubber?

Has anyone here done a comparison? There is another forum that I used to frequent where a guy was using a scrubber on his 100 gallon and he said it vastly reduced his nitrates and completely substituted it for his skimmer. But he used a method to get the stringy algae instead of the turf style stuff. I will try to find the videos he did showing the result. I was wondering if it was viable or a bunch of snake oil.

 

It may be possible that a large enough algae scrubber would be able to keep the nitrates down with a skimmer, but here's the problem. A skimmer takes out nutrients before they can become nitrates. Once those nutrients become nitrates a small portion on them can leech into the rock before the algae scrubber could take them out. A skimmer is just a way to lessen the impact on your bio-filtration, so there is really no reason ever to take it off. I think a lot of these stories of people doing weird things like this are done simply for the sake of doing something that appears to break ground when really it doesn't. Skimmers have been around for a long time and are not loosing steam, so I wouldn't be quick to skip it in your set-up.

 

That is very true but it also takes some needed nutrients out of the system. I wonder because I am setting up a 55 gallon tank currently and it only has one zoa frag. I know certain corals such as xenias like less than perfect water. I will also need to dose phoyto because I am setting up a pod culture in my sump. Just wondering which would be the better option for my purposes.

 

I built my 75 with a skimmer when I set it up. My screen is 13 x 10 in, vertical with 2 x 6500k lights with lowes shop light reflectors. It's works greats almost always zero trates. Fast forwards to a couple weeks ago I found a eshopps psk-75 in the local want adds for $50 brand new still in the box. I figured what the hey' and put it in. While all my tests before were picture perfect the water now just seems clearer and I have imo seen more coral growth.

My set up goes tank -> overflow -> ATS -> sump (skimmer chamber) ->fuge ->return.

So me personally I say if you have room go for both go for it and get the best of both worlds.

 

The 2 devises actually deal with nutrients in a different way. A skimmer would remove organic matter from the water column prior to it breaking down into ammonia then Nitrate. While the algae scrubber is pulling Nitrate and nitrite out of the system. Both of course are quite effective

 

What are your thoughts on hob skimmers? I'm thinking if these are actually useful, I'll be able to run both while being able to keep a copepod culture in the sump.

 

So no opinions on them then?

 

A skimmer is still a skimmer regardless if it is on the back or in the sump. HOB's just arent favored as much cause they are mainly got smaller tanks, and they are as pleasing on the eyes since they are visible.

The one on my 75 is a PSK-75 in sump, and I am setting up a 30g mantis tank now that will be using a aquafuge w/skimmer (HOB) built into it. Only reason I went that route? Craigslist.

 

Sorry some how I missed this thread.

Khowst took the words out of my mouth.