Running Skimmerless

Rcpilot · 01-07-2008, 10:32 PM

I turned off my skimmer on December 30, 2007. My tank looks FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!!

My zoas are growing like crazy. Their color looks fantastic. Some palythoas that weren't doing so good have suddenly sprung to life. My yellow polyps are squirting out new sprouts like crazy. Coraline growth is really great. My whole tank took on a purple/pink color in the last week. All this action in about 10 days.

I haven't noticed any increase in algae. Nitrates are still zero--same as always. Cheato is growing a little bit faster, but I don't care. I just cut my cheato in half and toss it down the garbage disposal about once every 6 weeks.

My LFS told me to run skimmerless when I first started out. At first, I thought she was crazy. Almost everything you read on the net says a skimmer is completely necessary. 6 months into it, I finally decided to give it a try without the skimer. So far, tank looks great. Fingers crossed.

vdituri · 01-07-2008, 10:36 PM

Use a turkey baster and see if any of that purple/pink color washes off.
Could possibly be the start of cyano. Not that it is, just a possibility.

My only comment would be watch the nitrates. The corals are probably responding to the added nutrients being left in the water that the skimmer was removing. Glad to hear you are seeing immediate and positive responses.
How much bigger is your skimmer rated over the size of your tank?

ReefGuy69 · 01-07-2008, 10:37 PM

Very nice. can you list your whole setup and maybe its a combination of things. Keep us posted because it would be interesting in seeing how this plays out. Also overfeeding and overstocking would make a difference if you used or didnt use a skimmer. so it seems so far you have a perfectly balanced system. Most dont. thats why a skimmer is recommened.

Rcpilot · 01-08-2008, 01:18 AM

The purple is not cyano. I've had that when the tank was new and I know what it looks like. This purple growth is definitly coraline. The growth on my side and back glass has exploded. Rocks that used to be natural color have suddenly turned a nice shade of dark pink.

Here are the goods on the system:

30g high tank. 24" x 12" footprint. 24" tall.
5" DSB in the tank
61lbs live rock in the tank
144w T5 unit on the tank 6 bulbs--3 lights 10K & 3 lights actinic
Actinics run 12hrs/day
Daylights run 8.5hrs/day

CPR large HOB refugium.
4.6g capacity.
6" DSB with large clump of cheato
24w PC light from CPR on opposite light cycle from tank. 12hrs on-12hrs off
This refugium has the built in skimmer. The entire refugium is powered by a MJ900 @ 235GPH

1000GPH flow in the tank. 235GPH in the refugium. 1235GPH total water flow in the system.

Corals in the tank:
3 or 4 mushroom colonies
9 small zoa colonies (20-50 polyps each colony)
2 featherdusters
1 polythoa colony (10 polyps)
1 SPS Acro frag 2" tall

Fish in the tank:
1 6-line wrasse 2.5"
1 diamond watchman goby 3"
1 occelarius clown 1.5"

Clean up crew in the tank:
14 astrea snails 1" each
4 margarite snails 1" each
3 red leg hermits 1.5" each
12 blue tip hermits 1/2" each
2 nessarius snails 3/4" each

No clean up crew in the refugium. Some hitchhiker bristle worms--but who knows how many? Lots of pods. I have 2 amphipods hiding under a rock that is covered by zoas. Hoping they will breed. They look like little gray shrimp without any claws. About 1/2" long.

Changing 5g every Sunday. Dosing Seachem Reef Buffer for Alk and pH. 1 teaspoon twice a week keeps Alk at about 4.2 and pH at 8.2. All other parameters stable. No signs of nitrates, nitrites or ammonia. Calcium at about 480-500.

01-07-2008, 10:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rcpilot Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Arvada, CO. Posts: 297 View Gallery Karma Komment	Running Skimmerless I turned off my skimmer on December 30, 2007. My tank looks FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!! My zoas are growing like crazy. Their color looks fantastic. Some palythoas that weren't doing so good have suddenly sprung to life. My yellow polyps are squirting out new sprouts like crazy. Coraline growth is really great. My whole tank took on a purple/pink color in the last week. All this action in about 10 days. I haven't noticed any increase in algae. Nitrates are still zero--same as always. Cheato is growing a little bit faster, but I don't care. I just cut my cheato in half and toss it down the garbage disposal about once every 6 weeks. My LFS told me to run skimmerless when I first started out. At first, I thought she was crazy. Almost everything you read on the net says a skimmer is completely necessary. 6 months into it, I finally decided to give it a try without the skimer. So far, tank looks great. Fingers crossed.

01-07-2008, 10:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
vdituri Excellent Guesser :D Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sacramento California Posts: 6,244 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Running Skimmerless Use a turkey baster and see if any of that purple/pink color washes off. Could possibly be the start of cyano. Not that it is, just a possibility. My only comment would be watch the nitrates. The corals are probably responding to the added nutrients being left in the water that the skimmer was removing. Glad to hear you are seeing immediate and positive responses. How much bigger is your skimmer rated over the size of your tank? __________________ Victor ----- People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

01-07-2008, 10:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
ReefGuy69 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 934 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Running Skimmerless Very nice. can you list your whole setup and maybe its a combination of things. Keep us posted because it would be interesting in seeing how this plays out. Also overfeeding and overstocking would make a difference if you used or didnt use a skimmer. so it seems so far you have a perfectly balanced system. Most dont. thats why a skimmer is recommened. __________________ Dennis ________ http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...journal-3.html 55gal AGA w/ built in overflow 15 gal acrylic DIY sump/fuge 75lbs Fiji Live Rock 45lbs of Live Sand 1-1/2inch (1) 96 watt Super Blue Actinic Power Compact (2) 96 Watt 10,000k Power Compacts (2) Ebo Jager 200 watt heaters Seaclone 150 Skimmer (2) Hagen 50's Power Heads for flow (2) Hagen 70's Power Heads for flow (1) Hagen 70 Return Pump DIY ATO system (5 Gal) Algae Scrubber w/(4) 9watt 67k Bulbs TLF 150 Phosban Reactor 12X turnover rate 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, 1 Firefish, 1 Blue Hippo Tang, 1 Black and White Goby, Neon Green Hairy Mushrooms, Red Zoanthus Polyps, Sand Sifting Starfish, Emerald Crab, Various Snails and Hermits

01-08-2008, 01:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rcpilot Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Arvada, CO. Posts: 297 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Running Skimmerless The purple is not cyano. I've had that when the tank was new and I know what it looks like. This purple growth is definitly coraline. The growth on my side and back glass has exploded. Rocks that used to be natural color have suddenly turned a nice shade of dark pink. Here are the goods on the system: 30g high tank. 24" x 12" footprint. 24" tall. 5" DSB in the tank 61lbs live rock in the tank 144w T5 unit on the tank 6 bulbs--3 lights 10K & 3 lights actinic Actinics run 12hrs/day Daylights run 8.5hrs/day CPR large HOB refugium. 4.6g capacity. 6" DSB with large clump of cheato 24w PC light from CPR on opposite light cycle from tank. 12hrs on-12hrs off This refugium has the built in skimmer. The entire refugium is powered by a MJ900 @ 235GPH 1000GPH flow in the tank. 235GPH in the refugium. 1235GPH total water flow in the system. Corals in the tank: 3 or 4 mushroom colonies 9 small zoa colonies (20-50 polyps each colony) 2 featherdusters 1 polythoa colony (10 polyps) 1 SPS Acro frag 2" tall Fish in the tank: 1 6-line wrasse 2.5" 1 diamond watchman goby 3" 1 occelarius clown 1.5" Clean up crew in the tank: 14 astrea snails 1" each 4 margarite snails 1" each 3 red leg hermits 1.5" each 12 blue tip hermits 1/2" each 2 nessarius snails 3/4" each No clean up crew in the refugium. Some hitchhiker bristle worms--but who knows how many? Lots of pods. I have 2 amphipods hiding under a rock that is covered by zoas. Hoping they will breed. They look like little gray shrimp without any claws. About 1/2" long. Changing 5g every Sunday. Dosing Seachem Reef Buffer for Alk and pH. 1 teaspoon twice a week keeps Alk at about 4.2 and pH at 8.2. All other parameters stable. No signs of nitrates, nitrites or ammonia. Calcium at about 480-500.

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