Heavy Protein Skimming With Soft Corals

[triton]

I had a discussion today with a veteran reefer. He suggested that soft corals do not do as well in aquariums with heavy protein skimming. He thinks that slightly dirtier water provides a better enviornment for them.
His suggestion that really heavy skimming creates an ideal enviornment for LPS and SPS corals, but not softies.
Could some other veteran folks give me their thoughts?
Thanks

 

[natclanwy]

I have heard this but I have never seen any evidence to back it up and I have not had the same experience in my own tank. Softies do just as well in my tank as my SPS and LPS corals, in fact my xenia and kenya trees spread so fast I end up pulling huge colonies out and throwing them away. That being said most softies will do well in a dirty tank as well but like I said I have never seen any evidence to show that they do better, I think they are more tolerant to a variety of tank conditions than LPS and SPS corals are.

 

[old joe]

Nonsense... both of my reef tanks are skimmed and I have fanastic success with keeping both soft, SP's and LP's. Furthermore, on display in a salt water sales local pet store ( from whom I've purchased for the last 20 years ) is a leather coral the size of 2 1/2 pizzas in a 75 g. with one rather large LP... the tank is ' heavily skimmed. ' The leather is 21 years old.
Theres a great video which a fella created which shows his tank down in Tampa... all he uses for filtration is a few circulating pumps and a skimmer... nothing else. Everything in the tank is collected from his aqua farm in Tampa Bay. The idea is there are a lot of conditions under which sea life will thrive in captivity and success depends solely on the aquarists dedication to the hobby.
Remember that our aquariums are closed systems and can turn toxic very fast without proper filtration of which skimming is a part.

 

[small triggers]

im probably the same exception to the rule, but my soft corals and yes even my anemones do better when my water is 'greener'. I just upgraded my skimmer (majorly) and they are not doing AS well, still good but not splitting as much. But again, i am probably an exception, my tank is kinda a do or die or be eaten in the process kinda place.

 

[loopy101]

i think the key to this question is to define HEAVY protien skimmer.
i have several different skimmers that are rated for tanks 2 -3 times larger then the tanks i have them on am i over skimming??
i dont think so...
these are cheaper skimmers. now if i had a quality skimmer rated for a 200+ gal tank thats on a 40 gal tank then more then likely your over skimming.

 

[fishtaco]

I would think if you have enough soft coral growing you would not need a skimmer?