To skim or not to skim?

[rook]

I have a 29 gallon reef. Lots of corals and inverts.
My filter system is about 50 lbs LR, and an ecosystems 40. And around 5" crushed coral for the substrate.
Should I skim? Would I really see much benefit? I know some say that skimming will reduce the number of water changes. Actually the instructions with the eco 40 say not to water change but I still do about 1/3 once a month.

 

[mlm]

With crushed coral you should definitly skim your tank.

 

[rook]

"With crushed coral you should definitly skim your tank."
Can you explain that?

 

[aileena]

You would be suprised how much crap a skimmer will remove...I have a simple Bak Pak and it will fill half the waste container in a matter of a week with dark green stuff...its well worth it and it makes your job a lot easier too I think...I want to upgrade my Bak Pak to a remora pro.

 

[fishead]

i skim 24/7

 

[nicenakago]

i would reccomend it if you want clear water...
I had a 29 reef with no skimmer... no mechanical filtration at all... just a DSB with LR
never had problems other than particles floating in the water that took away from the clarity.

 

[eelfreakrobi]

I dont know about that one, I have heard of some people talking about that their SPS have thrived more w/out skimming, hope these people could post because I am also very interested why, so dont go skimming yet. And also when you are adding additives to your tank (if you are skimming) shut the skimmer off for a few hours.

 

[travis truman]

I heard skimmers are a hassle because they take out some good additives as well as bad junky stuff.
How much is a bak pak?

 

[rook]

I considered getting an inexpensive skimmer just to do some light skimming. But, I would prefer to do no skimming at all. I would like to have as natural a system as possible.
I am very curious how the crushed coral has an effect on skimming. And, would sand like southdown, have the same effect.
last, would having a mangrove tank in-line with my eco 40 take care of the bad stuff that skimming gets, while leaving the good stuff?

 

[rook]

"i would reccomend it if you want clear water...
I had a 29 reef with no skimmer... no mechanical filtration at all... just a DSB with LR
never had problems other than particles floating in the water that took away from the clarity."
Yeah I have the particle problem too. But I thought that was good to feed the corals and clams????
Can anyone suggest a decent skimmer that is inexpensive and small for a reef tank.

 

[ivanfj]

I'm personally using the Red Sea Prizm and it's pretty small and they are usually pretty cheap. I think it works perfectly for smaller tanks.

 

[newreefers]

I run the remora with the 1200 maxi jet, it's small, hangs on the back, and is quiet. It works great and pull alot of gunk out of my tank. (37 gal) I reccomend it, it is about $160.00 including the ph.

 

[mlm]

Crushed coral can trap a lot of decaying matter that will turn into high nitrates if not vacumed out on a regular basis. A protien skimmer can keep this in check.