Sump?Skimmer?

I am new and thought skimmers wher the key to a good reef, and then I went to the LFS and saw what he was using for his own display tank just a sump with live rock crushed coral and a carbon sock and in his reef tank he said he has never had a skimmer....care to explain??

 

lots of maintenance and luck. I've seen some of the old school guys that just won't use them. It is not, in my opinion, a coincidence that we were able to start keeping more sensative sps right about the time that the skimmer was invented and brought to the hobby. Some corals will thrive without a skimmer in a more organic rich environment and some won't. I don't chance it. I think the skimmer is the most important part of the reef tank right up there with good lighting. There are exceptions to this rule tho.

 

+1

I am also new to reef keeping but not tanks as I have kept african cichlids for years now.

I guess you could run a reef without one but once you see the junk it pulls out, why chance it.

 

I'll tell you what. I see the stuff that my skimmer pulls. I would never ever dump that back into my tank

 

True story.

 

buy the time you do the water changes, with out a skimmer you will of paid and paid the power company for the use of one. eaiser to use a skimmer then to do water changes every other day and or every week! I seen tanks with no water changes and no skimmer and will work out purfect for them but they do not have 2 or 300 dollar frags and o corals other then softies in there.

 

Good explanations above.

If you keep corals that are more forgiving, and come from nutrient rich waters, they are less apt to suffer in a tank with no skimmer. There are a few corals that we keep that come from mucky, muddy waters such as grassy reef flats, lagoons, where there might not be a lot of water movement either, but there they thrive.

The elegance coral is an example. I was shocked to find this out, but I read about it and there you go. Sometimes, we even unintentionally kill corals because the quality of our water is too good. Corals that are used to nutrient rich water, might not fare well in a tank with pristine water (i.e. zero nitrates), or too much light. To such corals, protein skimming can remove some of the elements on which they rely, and kill them in the process.

For the most part, though, protein skimming is considered an absolute must in the hobby. I don't think it's possible to have a tank heavy with acro's without a top of the line skimmer.

The OP just happened to have spoken to someone who favors the the exception, rather than the rule. Stranger things happen.

 

Good replies on this thread. I like what Sparky wrote about the elegance coral. I too was a bit shocked over the years when I learned that some corals prefer a “dirty” tank to a clean one.

Lets take Xenia for example, I often read “Xenia is taking over my tank” and the same posters will often have some other “issue” at hand – be it hair, bubble, or what have you.

When I look at my tank I remind myself I am attempting to copy mother nature – a particularly tough act to follow. However, you have many choices in which to copy her. For instance, in my experience the addition of an Ozinator made my skimmer obsolete – tho I still use the skimmer and only empty a couple of inches a couple times a year. Recall walking along the beach and seeing the foam pushed up on the beach from the waves – that’s mother natures skimmer. I figure, the ocean had the past 4.5 billion years to find the best way of sustaining life, who am I to argue my meager 12 years against that !

I think the best and truest statement made was made by Daniel – see what the skimmer pulls out and ask yourself if you would put it back!

People who migrate away from skimmers (or a reliable alternative) are permitting their system to be susceptible to crashes from various events. Imagine an anemone getting sucked into a power head – your LFS would put a skimmer on his tank might quick then.

 

Good reply CG. I would also say this. Aragonite will absorb phosphates all day long but like a sponge soaking up water it will eventually get full. DOC's (disolved organic compounds) are the creators of phosphates in our water. If we don't export these DOC's, our live rock will get to a breaking point to where it has to start releasing some of those phosphates which is usually done in some sort of unwanted algae. Now with that being said, a refugium can help with this but I don't think(unless it is huge) that it can absorb the phosphates faster than the rock can leach them which will still allow for nastiness in your water. I personally like I said above feel that a skimmer is essential to 90 percent of our corals. BTW Like crimson ghost said, if I can grow xenia, I start looking for problems

 

Thanks for all the good input.....I trully apriciate 3reef and everyone here...nothing but good things and I'm glad I found this community....Thanks again