Would you run a skimmer?

[solitude127]

Would you run a skimmer on a 30g tank? My current way to export nutrients is via a 5g wc weekly. I also run GFO and GAC.

[solitude127]

Also, my current fish load are a pairs of perculas, firefish, YWG, Neon Goby, Tailspot blenny and a McCoskers wrasse as well as a CUC consisting of cleaner shrimp, hermits and a few snails.

[jimbo78]

I would with that amount of bioload

[1Sik1500]

Do you have a sump and not wanting to have one on your display? If you have a sump i would.

[MrIcky]

I would (and I do) but part of the reason I choose to run one on a small tank is that I believe it helps keep the ph more even through the night and the extra 02 can't hurt. Even when I had a crap skimmer, the activity level seemed higher when it was on.

[solitude127]

Do you have a sump and not wanting to have one on your display? If you have a sump i would.

No sump. It's an AIO and on a desk at work.

[solitude127]

I would (and I do) but part of the reason I choose to run one on a small tank is that I believe it helps keep the ph more even through the night and the extra 02 can't hurt. Even when I had a crap skimmer, the activity level seemed higher when it was on.

Thanks for the feed back. Being in an office that usually closed up, you have a good point

[solitude127]

Keep the votes coming. I think I may try the Tunze 9004

[geaux xman]

what kind of corals?

I have a 33g(maybe 28g net) with no sump and am skimmerless. I do about a 5g WC weekly as well.

If I had a sump and my tank was drilled, I would use a skimmer though.

With that said, 5g WC on a 25g tank, probably functions just as well or even better than having a skimmer for removing waste and nutrients.

How does the Tunze 9004 compare to an AquaMaxx hob-1 ?

[solitude127]

what kind of corals?

I have a 33g(maybe 28g net) with no sump and am skimmerless. I do about a 5g WC weekly as well.

If I had a sump and my tank was drilled, I would use a skimmer though.

With that said, 5g WC on a 25g tank, probably functions just as well or even better than having a skimmer for removing waste and nutrients.

How does the Tunze 9004 compare to an AquaMaxx hob-1 ?

Mostly zoas.

[cody6766]

You don't NEED one, but they help. If I have a tank with a sump, I plan a skimmer into the system. I dont' have one on my solana, but plan to add one to my 40g frag tank. They're a good tool, but not absolutely needed on a lightly stocked tank. Bad stuff happens fast in small volumes, so I'd argue that a good skimmer is possibly more important in a moderately stocked small system vs a similar larger system.

[Nivek0bright]

I use to have a 30 gallon with two fish and a few corals and i ran one and it still pulled alot dirt out of the water

[t4zalews]

I would always try to put a skimmer on a tank any size

[Allmost]

why not ?

if skimmers were 10 bucks lets say a CPR HOB skimmer, would you put one on ?

[solitude127]

I have a Innovative marine Skimmer I'm using. I wasn't completely happy with it so I was debating to take it off-line or not. But after some tinkering, I think I got it to where it doesn't overflow after a day.

[OrQidz]

I would. Especially since it's at work, if you notice things going bad you can't necessarily drop whatever you're doing and start hauling buckets of salt water around for an emergency water change. (unless you're the boss and no one will complain lol) I think zoas would be fine without it, but I would just worry if something caused an ammonia spike things could go bad fast.

[NanoReefWanabe]

i have no skimmer on my fairly heavily stocked 5 gallon, and it is over two years old, no issues...a skimmer isnt necessary if you are on top of things...a skimmer wont hurt either...at best it pulls out a bit of gunk at worst it does nothing...(a skimmer DOES NOT directly add any O2 to your system) i really wish people would stop saying it does...all it can do is create water movement which will break the surface of the sump/tank; hence promoting gas exchange adding O2 to the water...the bazillion bubbles rushing through the water dont add squat...

[bigfish14]

i have no skimmer on my fairly heavily stocked 5 gallon, and it is over two years old, no issues...a skimmer isnt necessary if you are on top of things...a skimmer wont hurt either...at best it pulls out a bit of gunk at worst it does nothing...(a skimmer DOES NOT directly add any O2 to your system) i really wish people would stop saying it does...all it can do is create water movement which will break the surface of the sump/tank; hence promoting gas exchange adding O2 to the water...the bazillion bubbles rushing through the water dont add squat...

I am asking this question in the most sincere way. Am I wrong to think that the bubbles from the skimmer help oxygenate the water? It is essentially a giant airstone and as we all know, air stones are used to oxygenate aquariums, mainly freshwater.

[SantaMonica]

Sometimes bubbles are good :)

[solitude127]

I checked in on the skimmer today and it seems like it's working well again. I'll get a picture up soon of the skimmate it's pulled out.

[MrIcky]

i have no skimmer on my fairly heavily stocked 5 gallon, and it is over two years old, no issues...a skimmer isnt necessary if you are on top of things...a skimmer wont hurt either...at best it pulls out a bit of gunk at worst it does nothing...(a skimmer DOES NOT directly add any O2 to your system) i really wish people would stop saying it does...all it can do is create water movement which will break the surface of the sump/tank; hence promoting gas exchange adding O2 to the water...the bazillion bubbles rushing through the water dont add squat...

A quick internet search brought out this article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/eb/index.php

This was testing for something else but it does show that O2 levels rise quickly with airstones or skimmers. There have also been articles (in Coral for instance) where DSB tanks have crashed due to O2 depletion when their skimmer goes off line for an extended period.

Also, I personally have tested ph in the morning with and without a skimmer and with a skimmer the ph in the morning has been .4 higher.

I'm always learning in this hobby though and I'd like to read what you're basing that on.

[solitude127]

Here's a pic of my skimmate. :) I finally found it's sweet spot

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/14/adepyda5.jpg

[NanoReefWanabe]

the bubbles themselves in the skimmer dont add any O2 to the water...the movement created by the bubbles breaking the surface of the water does...the surface of the bubbles are quickly bound to proteins and other organics in the water column before they have a chance to dissolve, hence why they stay as bubbles and dont disappear. before reaching the surface.

in the case of a skimmer being off and there being a system crash i am sure has less to do with the skimmer and more to do with lack of water movement throughout the tank and sump.

as for pH in th emorning that is vastly due to CO2 in the air overnight...it is a widely known phenomenon that your pH drops overnight if you dont run a reverse photoperiod on a refug with macro algae

[Mr. Bill]

If everything you read about this hobby were hardcore science, my tanks would not have lasted a week, nevermind years, as I have always had a full hood or glass top on them and I do not run skimmers or airstones, and yet in my 39 years in the hobby, I've still not had a single crash.

[Michigan Mike]

So a skimmer indrectly adds gas exchange and o2...the bubbles don't add o2 but the movement and breaking at the surface does, I knew that already but it indirectly does add to gas exchange a little so glad that's cleared up.
If your fish aren't gasping at the surface your okay, I've found in my planted tank this was happening at night time until I put an air stone in.

Skimmer wouldn't hurt. I'm not running one in my 29g but I would like to have one.

[SantaMonica]

Ironically, if you have nuisance algae, it is putting oxygen into the water too.