anyone running skimmerless?

[chadman]

i am wondering whether there is anyone else out there who does not run a protien skimmer....i am totally strapped for space in my tank due to all the lr and coral and such...i do at least one water change a week and my levels are perfect with the exception of very slight nitrates...has anyone had a tank set up over a long term withough running a protien skimmer?

 

[j-spot]

I don't myself, but some corals may actually thrive on the extra nutrients in the water from not running a skimmer.

 

[pclown]

I have a Aquapod 24g tank that is skimmerless and everything is great. I do use a product called Purigen.

 

[blackstar]

yes,i do but i do 2water changes aweek and both are about 25 percent. i have a 75gallon tank.

 

[arsen_36]

Originally Posted by PClown
I have a Aquapod 24g tank that is skimmerless and everything is great. I do use a product called Purigen.
whats purigen? and whats it for?

 

[chadman]

Originally Posted by J-Spot
I don't myself, but some corals may actually thrive on the extra nutrients in the water from not running a skimmer.
what are some examples of those which thrive under those conditions...i will try to get them then i suppose

 

[blazehok68]

i have a seaclone 100........ its very crappy.....i guess you could say i run skimmerless.
as for corals that thrive with the extra nutrients, i believe xenia is one of them.

 

[mudplayerx]

I would get a skimmer asap, even if you have to buy a sump to put it in. It is possible that you will have a healthy tank without a skimmer, but the addition of one will be a boon to the livelihood of your tank.
My father had a saltwater tank about 25 years ago.... back when salt mixes were just becoming widely available to the public at an afordable price. They didn't even have skimmers back then. 99% of the petstores did not even stock corals because before the availability of the skimmer the because the failure rate on reef tanks was just too high.

 

[yimmy]

I have a 95gal FOWLR and its been up for almost 5 months. I've been running skimmerless, in the tank though are only 2 clowns and a royal gramma. I am definatley going to get one though once I have more fish and the $. I have an awesome canister filter and a UV sterilizer. I think you should get one but if you can't, its not impossible to run a SW tank without one just more of a pain.

 

[pclown]

Purigen is a product that removes alot of waste from your tank. It does not take a place of a skimmer but for someone who does not have a skimmer it helps out. I know someone with a 210g tank that has a huge skimmer that also uses Purigen. I replace mine every month. You can recharge it up to 6 times but I dont.

 

[tampausmc]

I'm debating on running without a skimmer.....some forms of parazoanthus are said to do better without skimming as well as flowerpot corals and some xenias...you may need to do some real book research to find the specifics.......i'll do some more research on this for you when i get a chance.....

 

[pclown]

Originally Posted by PClown
Purigen is a product that removes alot of waste from your tank. It does not take a place of a skimmer but for someone who does not have a skimmer it helps out. I know someone with a 210g tank that has a huge skimmer that also uses Purigen. I replace mine every month. You can recharge it up to 6 times but I dont.
1

 

[volcom69]

if u run skimmerless then check out doing the ecosystem method many people have had great tanks using this method some of the nicest tanks come from people using this.

 

[elfdoctors]

Originally Posted by mudplayerx
My father had a saltwater tank about 25 years ago.... back when salt mixes were just becoming widely available to the public at an afordable price. They didn't even have skimmers back then. 99% of the petstores did not even stock corals because before the availability of the skimmer the because the failure rate on reef tanks was just too high.
There have been many other advances since then. I had a saltwater tank 18 years ago (which died during an extended blackout). Back then they didn't use live rock like we do today. Live rock handles many important filtration functions.
My skimmer broke several months ago. I had been negligent in getting the parts (and when I got the replacement part, the skimmer still didn't work). As my tank has still been doing well, I am not convinced that skimmers are necessary. My tank is lightly stocked (only 7 fish in a 75 gallon tank) but my corals are doing great now!
IMO, I believe that skimmers are necessary for more heavily stocked tanks or for tanks without much live rock. However, because most newbies tend to overstock, skimmers should probably be considered a recommended item.

 

[pyro]

My dad aswell had a saltwater setup since he got out of high school (in late 40's now). I'm actually using his tank with my setup =P.
One of the major things that used to take their toll on reefs was the poor lighting. Not many people had a grasp on how much lighting was required to successfully maintain the corals.
I run my 30g reef skimmerless. I've always wanted to get a AquaC and put it HOT even though I have a sump. But, my money has held me back. I haven't had a problem until lately I've had a cyano problem that I'm still fighting. A skimmer might have prevented it, but so would have more water changes I'm sure.
Either way, As long as I keep my filter pads clean and free from decaying stuff and make sure my macro's in my sump are growing, I can't read any NO3's or PO4's, so I can't complain. My corals are still doing great minus a leather that died due to some type of tissue disease.
I would avoid using cyclop ez or any phytoplankton or rich supplements of the sort though. I'd definitly feel more comfortable using them with a skimmer to help remove the high waste output from them.
My $.02