Skimmer question

[JJIM]

I have just set up my JBJ 28 gallon Nano LED and wondering if having a skimmer going early on is a good idea. I have read some conflicting information that a skimmer should not be used early on due to it pulling out necessary "good" valuable nutrients, and I have read much on the benifit of it from the onset.

Please adivise as I will be getting my Tunze 9002 skimmer in the next day or two.

[fishoutawater]

I think it would help shorten your cycle to run it asap. Nothing I have ever dumped out of my collection has looked or smelled good.

[richardhmc]

With a 28 gallon, you can pull off not having a skimmer if you do frequent water changes and your system is well set up.

[bertoni]

A skimmer will reduce nutrients in the water column if it can skim at all. That can be good or bad, in theory, depending on what's in the tank, but most of our tanks have a far heavier nutrient load than a clean reef. I think running one from the start is a good idea. If you want to experiment with different approaches to nutrient control, you could try that when the tank is established and you have a lot of experience with it.

I ran a 29g without a skimmer for a while, and ended up adding a skimmer so that I could keep a wider range of animals. The system was fine for a fair range of soft corals without the skimmer, but I had allelopathy problems, I think, and some corals were unhappy. I didn't want to do a lot of water changes and run fresh carbon frequently, which likely would have helped. Personal choices!

[juniorjose]

i had the same question on my 29 gal

[gtaylor67]

I would say you could start it as soon as it get in. You might have to wait an extra day for cycle but gives you time to set in skimmer...

[mmopinc]

Skimmer highly recommended from the start