can I get by without a PS?

[psariandras]

Is it possible to have a successful reef tank without a PS? I have a 55 gallon w/DSB and plently of rock and I am going to make sure that the tank is understocked(it is cycling atm).

[BeelzeBob]

yea. that topic is like religion in the reef hobby.

you'll get a lot of opinions.

a protein skimmer is about waste REMOVAL

DSB and LR + flow is waste PROCESSING

both help.

[Reefscape]

Ooooooooooooo...contraversial subject....love it....

Simple answer is yes, in my opinion...However, it all depends on how well you manage your tank.... :)

Niko

[rodgeryng]

Yes, I think you could have a successful set up but I think almost any setup would be more successful with skimming. Put another way, I don't know of a positive reason outside of cost not to have a skimmer but I would love to hear opinions; I have wondered about this myself.

[Reefscape]

Speaking of setups without skimmers...here is something that shows that it can and does work fine without a skimmer for anybody who is sceptical or states that tanks "HAVE TO HAVE" a skimmer... :)

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105390

Niko

[TomToro]

I don't use a skimmer on my nano, but I sure do on my larger one. Lots of poopers in that tank.:silly:

[Fishieness]

it is definatly possible to have a tank without a skimmer. However, after doing it, i will never do it again. so much easier and such a nicer tank with one... At least that has been my experience.
The only time i would not recomend having a skimmer is if you were keeping something like a spounge or nonphotosynthetic coral tank... lots of phytoplankton and nutrients are needed for them all to eat!

[SHK_ATK]

I dont use a skimmer (I do have a HUGE down draft skimmer rated for 500G) and my tank is (as niko would say) spot on, MY ates stay 15 or lower, no film at the top of the surface (as it goes down the 2 overflows) no debris as my clean up crew takes care of that, I do water changes 25-30 once a week, add supps and feed corals very well. None of my corals have died and all my fish are healthy and happy. So YES you can have a healthy reef w/out a skimmer.

[psariandras]

somewhere I read something that was saying that if the surface is agitated enough from flow that in a small way some skimming action occurs, not to the same level as an actual protein skimmer of course.

You mentioned that you use one on your larger tank, if the larger tank did not have a lot of "poopers" would you not use the skimmer? My plan was to understock my tank.

will increased water changes assist in waste removal to replace the loss from lack of skimmer or are increased water changes without a PS not necessary?

[Pufferpunk]

Once you see the nasty crap a skimmer removes, you'll never go without it again. Who want's that crud in their tank? I even run one on my 15g Mantis shrimp tank.

[Subliminal]

Skimmers...bah! Who needs one of those. I have one. It works great in my closet...holds up some of my other stuff. ;)

[archer772]

Like most everybody else has said absolutely you can have a succesfull tank with out a skimmer, do I recomend it no way but that is just me. The best way IMO to do it is to have a large refugium, 1-1 1/2 lbs of good LR and good flow and a DSB but again that is JMO

[Riverserver]

I have a 1.5g tank that I do weekly 50% water changes on. No protien skimmer and I haven't lost any inhabitants.

[Pufferpunk]

What do you keep in a 1.5g tank?

[Grins]

I'm curious about that as well.

[Subliminal]

Probably water rock and sand. Maybe a snail. A tang or two. Nothing big. ;)

[sps_newbie]

A tang or two. Nothing big. ;)

LMAO:grinyes:

No skimming here. just refugium with various caulerpa. My opinion is that nothing beats good lighting, good water flow, and regular water changes

[Catpicklesdog]

I ran a tank for 3 years without a skimmer. Now I have one on my large tank but not on my 34 gal.

[BeelzeBob]

when it comes to nano tanks id say like a real badass sump/fuge w additional LR, marcro algaes, and maybe even a remote DSB accompanied by frequent WC's is a great alternative to a skimmer.

what i dont get about this whole argument is that no body has ever said that you need a skimmer, period.

the issue is waste removal.

a skimmer just physically removes the nasties that are not / can not be processed by your system quickly.

additional LR, fuges,sumps, remote DSB's, macro algeas, etc are all additional sources of waste PROCESSING. means the nasties dont have to leave your tank because your lil tank cannot produce more waste than what all that crap can easily and efficiently push through the nitrogen cycle.

you ever take a peek at like the TOTM on reef keeper mag? super dooper tanks like 150gals plus that have 25K+ of livestock always have ginormous skimmers. and a fuge w/ a remote DSB, and macro algae and all that jazz.

BUT HERES THE GIG;
every time this post topic arrises, 9/10 times its someone just setting up a smaller nano system <40gals , crunching numbers in their heads, and realiziing that their skimmer will cost as much if not more than their rocks.

then someone says, hey you dont need a skimmer...

$*!#, yea, you dont.

but you will need a way to remove or process waste all the same. so if you dont want a skimmer, then go buy a fuge, a sump, a return pump (DONT FORGET TO DRILL YOUR TANK!), tubing, PVC, more LR and junk.

so if your starting up a nano people, ask yourself, do i want a skimmer, or all that other jazz.

and wonder why you never much here of someone with a 100+gal tank asking if they need a skimmer

[Pufferpunk]

I said this before, I will never go w/o a skimmer, after seeing all the smelly crap it removes. I have one on my 90, 40 & 15g.

[clown-lover]

Here is a link to my blog that has pictures of a 180 gallon that runs perfectly without a skimmer and hasn't for the last 10 to 12 years. The foundation rock is agrocrete rock (concrete rock). It is one of the best tanks I have seen in this area.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=205