Can I Not Have a Skimmer

[jw1977]

I have a 90g tank with a 30 gallon sump. I'd like to buy a skimmer, however i've been reading that if you don't have a consistent water level(No ATO) your skimmer won't work well and may either flood or not produce bubbles. Is this true? I don't have room for an automatic top off or anywhere to put a container. Thanks.

 

[monsinour]

if you have the standard 3 part sump/fuge then you put the skimmer in the first section, the intake. the return would be next and the fuge goes on the end. The water level is always consistant in the intake section and the return section is where the water level varies.
As far as having a system without a skimmer, I am sure it can be done. I wouldnt do it though.

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3338741
if you have the standard 3 part sump/fuge then you put the skimmer in the first section, the intake. the return would be next and the fuge goes on the end. The water level is always consistant in the intake section and the return section is where the water level varies.
As far as having a system without a skimmer, I am sure it can be done. I wouldnt do it though.
LOL...yeah....not everyone has ATO....some people actually add their top off manually....I do in my 10g, 20g and 54G, altho they do not have sumps
BUT I did have the sump for a while before the ato and I just added my daily top off right to the sump

 

[geoj]

Yep, but you don't need a ATO you need a constant water level and you can do it by having a baffle put in.
Here is my sump the short piece of glass that separates the skimmer from the return pump sets the height of the water and keeps it constant.

 

[jw1977]

My LFS set up my sump and the 1st section is where the water comes down from teh overflow, the 2nd is the fuge, and the 3rd is the return. Is that set up wrong?

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jw1977 http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3338827
My LFS set up my sump and the 1st section is where the water comes down from teh overflow, the 2nd is the fuge, and the 3rd is the return. Is that set up wrong?
That's how mine is.....so I would have to say no....LOL
my skimmer is an external skimmer, but it feed from teh first section too...and returns back into the first section

 

[deejeff442]

i was going to say you can get an external skimmer or a hang on and put it on the side of the sump.
hey meowser you a mod now?

 

[btldreef]

A consistent level is not that hard to achieve without an ATO. Only recently did I add an ATO to my largest tank, which also has the most evaporation. Just keep an eye on levels, I glance at mine daily while feeding, etc.

 

[jw1977]

I do check on mine everyday. I lose around 6 quarts per day. Is that not enough to worry about? It's probably about 3 or 4 inches of water.

 

[drewsbrews]

I have a 20gal tank I converted to a sump w/ refugium. It's an intake>fuge>return design w/ a 3 baffel bubble trap between the intake and fuge. I just picked up some acrylic from the hardware store, cut it with my table saw (1/8" smaller than the internal tank dimensions on sides and bottom) and set them in with pure-silicone calk. The only time the water level changes in the intake chamber is if the water level in the return side goes above the baffel.
To use an intake>return>fuge design either the drain or return must be split with valving to get some flow to the refugium.
Or just split the sump into 2 sides if you don't want a refugium. Either way, a baffel is all you need to do the job. You will just haveto dry and clean the sump out so the silicone can set properly.
If you make the side with the return pump small enough, it can act as a failsafe incase your drain ever fails. The pump will drain the water level in it's chamber until air hits it and no more can be pumped... saving you from overflowing the display tank.
ATO systems can be bad to if there is a failure. If it fails to turn off, how much water will overflow your tank before you get back home? Given enough time failures WILL happen.

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jw1977 http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3338880
I do check on mine everyday. I lose around 6 quarts per day. Is that not enough to worry about? It's probably about 3 or 4 inches of water.
IMO, that's a little high, but not a crazy amount. If you know how much your tank looses and compensate for it, you should be fine.

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jw1977 http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3338880
I do check on mine everyday. I lose around 6 quarts per day. Is that not enough to worry about? It's probably about 3 or 4 inches of water.
I use to lose about 2gs a day in my 225G.....6qts may be alot for a 90, BUT...there are a lot of factors to consider....open top? Fans? temp? all of those will either aid or deter water evap
(the ones I listed will probably aid it though)
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3338834
i was going to say you can get an external skimmer or a hang on and put it on the side of the sump.
hey meowser you a mod now?
YEAH...LOL

 

[bostonjoey]

A while back I was having problems with my protein skimmer .. so I got a new one ... still problems
So I researched for a couple of days
I come to the conclusion that I dint need one
I don't remember exactly what made me decide to go skimmerless
Something about their is beneficial bacteria that gets skimmed off along with the bad
I been nine months w/o a skimmer no problems
Keep up a good weekly 5-10% water changes and you should be good
I always try to take water from just the top layer of water Idk if that helps or not
Just a tip I picked up when I was debating on weather or not to go skimmerless
How many fish you have? The more you have the more waist
If you have a fish only I wouldn't recommend skimmerless
Or something like an eel produces a lot of waist too
It all depends on what you got in your tank

 

[monsinour]

I only stated the intake / return / fuge design as that is what is recomended. I have mine setup in the intake / fuge / return design. It was easier and I didnt have to split my drain lines. I honestly dont think it really matters what way you go just so long as you have all 3 down there.

 

[jw1977]

So is the water level not a big deal then if i'm losing 3 or 4 inches of water per day?

 

[drewsbrews]

I imagine the bubble level rises and falls proportionally to the water level.
My skimmer cup starts overflowing if I turn my return pump off before the skimmer since the sump water level rises 1 - 1.5"

 

[geoj]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jw1977 http:///forum/thread/382520/can-i-not-have-a-skimmer#post_3339562
So is the water level not a big deal then if i'm losing 3 or 4 inches of water per day?
A internal skimmer does not function if the water level that it sits in goes up and down all the time, you would have to be making constant adjustments. If you did not make the constant adjustments the skimmer would overflow or not skim at all.