Skimmer necessary?

[Sly_Marbo]

I was at my LFS store today, grazing through their saltwater tanks. I noticed the bigger tanks that had been up for years had no sump and no skimmer. When I asked the employee about not having a skimmer ( I was under the impression that you needed one) They said you really only need one if you have corals and anenomoes. Is this true? BTW, the fish and all the inhabitants seemed really healthy and happy, they follow you around.

[Pineapple]

The best decision is to skim. You can setup coral also with no skimmer. Eric Borneman has his aquariums skimmerless, I think, but he is an expert.

[van]

I would say that you can't go without a skimmer.I've done a lot of research on whether to get one or not and you should get one.The biggest one you can afford.Do not use it for the first 16 or so days after your new tank is started up and then switch on.

[Gealcath]

A skimmer isnt required, however if you go without a skimmer you have to stock lighter, and pay more attention to water quality, and is less forgiving of mistakes then compared to using a skimmer.

[Pineapple]

I want to tell you a story in why I think a skimmer is a good idea.

That is the title. I hope you like it.
When two woman get together and I’m sure you know how much we can talk. :thud:

When we do talk all other skills fly out the window. It only takes a flash.

You don’t know how to 7 year old proof the house, kibble ends up in your tank, and all your fish get bloat. They’re so round they sink for 3 days. You don’t have a lock on the stand and you have hours of water changes to do. Everything survived and my skimmer was full of dog food. I guess the little girl thought the fish ate this stuff. That’s what she told us. I think it was really a conspiracy. :joke:

I really appreciate my skimmer.

The end.

[reefrash]

Pineapple, I love a happy ending you made my day.... Oh yeah there's a thousand ways to skin a cat. Skimmers just happen to be one of the best tools.

[scherebh]

I just set up a new tank (first time). Why should you not turn on the skimmer for 2 weeks? I filled it up and turned on all the pumps, etc. except for the lights. I can easily turn the skimmer off but wanted to understand why it shouldn't be used for the first 16 days.

[Liz]

I think skimmers remove "beneficial bacteria" -y stuff, or something. I've heard they remove the bad AND the good. Or at the least, if you don't have enough waste to get your tank through the initial nitrogen cycle, that's bad. So maybe you want to get your tank a little established first?

[OrionGirl]

No, they don't remove any of the 'beneficial' bacteria in terms of those that process the nitrogen wastes--that set of bacteria are not free floating in the water column so do not get exposed to the skimmer. The reason to leave the skimmer off for a few days on a new setup is that there really isn't anything in the water that NEEDS to be removed--the ammonia and other wastes are needed to feed the bacteria colonies, removing their food source is counter productive. Running a skimmer will not prevent the cycle, but it will result in smaller bacterial colonies--they will still form. Of course, if you're cycling with live animals, then running the skimmer is a good thing--reducing the toxins they are exposed to is best for their health, and the bacteria colonies will still develop at the same pace.

Skimmers are basically a good safety net. You shouldn't stock more fish because you have one, and you shouldn't reduce water changes. Skimmers are a tool--not the miracle tool for a poorly maintained, overstocked tank.