Can turning your skimmer off benefit your reef?

[Belgian Anthias]

There was a video on YouTube from Reefdudes speaking with Lou Ekus from Tropic Marin. He explains that the corals are not good at taking up phosphate from the water column directly. However beneficial bacteria could take up the phosphate and then the coral would get phosphate from ingesting free floating bacteria. If that is accurate then possibly even if 95% of bacteria is on surfaces the corals are competing with the 5% that is free floating with a skimmer to get phosphate. I don't know if this accurate but seems to make sense.

Corrals contain a huge mix of live together with the symbiodinium called " the coral holobiont" Most nutrients used by the coral are organic and retrieved from the holobiont and the surrounding water. Corals are able to manage the growth rate of surrounding life and its holobiont by releasing mucus, containing organic carbon and phosphate. Such mucus may contain 200x the phosphate present in the environment. . ref: MB Anthias 2019

 

[Billldg]

I voted maybe, but only because of the not sure part added to the maybe. It can benefit aquariums sometimes. Right now I am dealing with Dino's.

Thinking now, I will change my vote to No. I would never turn off my skimmer. Why would you? The question as to why you would turn off your skimmer needs to be asked. Is it to raise N03 and P04? I will change my vote to No for that exact question I asked myself and already know the answer to. The amount of oxygen added to the tank thru skimming is priceless, so why would you turn it off. Again, I am going thru a Dino's issues and needed to raise my N03 and P04 from 0,0. I didn't turn off my skimmer, I just simply removed the plug and allowed it to dump back into the tank.

 

[Belgian Anthias]

I voted maybe, but only because of the not sure part added to the maybe. It can benefit aquariums sometimes. Right now I am dealing with Dino's.

Thinking now, I will change my vote to No. I would never turn off my skimmer. Why would you? The question as to why you would turn off your skimmer needs to be asked. Is it to raise N03 and P04? I will change my vote to No for that exact question I asked myself and already know the answer to. The amount of oxygen added to the tank thru skimming is priceless, so why would you turn it off. Again, I am going thru a Dino's issues and needed to raise my N03 and P04 from 0,0. I didn't turn off my skimmer, I just simply removed the plug and allowed it to dump back into the tank.

Skim-mate contains a concentration of fenoles and toxins, certainly in a tank dominated by dino's, dino's produce a lot of marine toxins. Draining skim-mate back into the tank? no thank You.
Symbiodinium are dino's! A lot of Dino's are active heterotrophs and benefit from the presence of TOC, a lot are bacterivores. it is known they are very competitive in phosphate limited conditions , able to retrieve phosphate from organics, wich most algal competitors can not.
There are other and better ways for oxygenating the tank. Skimmers in a closed loop have a poor gas exchange rate due to the limited contact area with open air. Switching of the skimmer will increase remineralization ( heterotrophic bacterial growth) and increase the availability of phosphate and other nutrients usable for competitors.

 

[BiggestE22]

For those of you with a canister filter or hang on back filtration. Use a hang on skimmer to help skim you fish deposits.

I use a CO2 scrubber but I have a algae reactor too. After a Dino attack I started turning it off and night and also running the skimmer and algae scrubber to get Pah back up before the lights come on.

 

[Treefer32]

I tried turning my skimmer off for about 2 months. It was not pretty. My corals all looked less healthy, not as bright colors, dulled, some receeded. Some physically died off. It was not good. I turned my skimmer on and within 2 weeks it was noticable difference. However, I have 26 fish in a 340 gallon. So, closed system with 26 fish pooping all over... It's probably a necessary evil for larger tanks and/or based on fish population. If I had under 10 fish, maybe it wouldn't be as detrimental.

Also, with running a algae turf scrubber, filter socks, vodka dosing and skimmer, I still have nitrates between 20 and 30. I am unable to lower nitrates despite increasing my vodka dosing routine.

I get around 1-2 cups of dark, nearly black wet skimmate per day, and lots of encrusting dry stuff in the skimmer cup itself. It seems at night, I get more skimmate than during the day. I'll empty my skimmate cup right before bed, and will have a cup or two by morning, then nearly nothing all day, then at night again it starts filling up. So, not sure what changes during the night vs. daytime... Bacterial blooms being skimmed out? Don't know.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I'm about 10 months or so straight without a skimmer. I don't feed much as I only have about 7 fish in a 400g so that plays a role. My tank looks great!

 

[Treefer32]

I'm about 10 months or so straight without a skimmer. I don't feed much as I only have about 7 fish in a 400g so that plays a role. My tank looks great!

HA! When I had the catastrophic loss of 16 fish, I went 8 months with 1 fishin 340 gallons. I left the skimmer on, but I'm pretty sure, I had some corals die off due to lack of nutrients. How do you maintain enough nutrients for corals with such few fish?

 

[ColoredRock]

Maybe not sure wins if you tally the yes and no's also!

 

[X-37B]

HA! When I had the catastrophic loss of 16 fish, I went 8 months with 1 fishin 340 gallons. I left the skimmer on, but I'm pretty sure, I had some corals die off due to lack of nutrients. How do you maintain enough nutrients for corals with such few fish?

I would then dose no3 and po4 to make sure my system was in range.

 

[Belgian Anthias]

Switching of the skimmer does not restore the existing nutrient unbalance it has created during the period it was used. It increases the total DOC availability which has to be reminerelized before it can be reused for new growth.
A coral holobiont will produce CO2 and other inorganic nutrients used by the symbiodinium due to remineralization of avaialble DOC.
Fish are fed and release +- 85% of the nitrogen content of the food in the environment. To remove this nitrogen of which +- 15% will escape due to natural denitrification most TOC and DOC released by the fish has to be reminerelized and reused to be able to use up the by the fish released inorganic nutrients. That is why a skimmer creates an unbalance.

If the skimmer is witched off more DOC is produced and more DOC must be remineralized, more new growth must be harvested to keep the bio-load within limits. But the nutrient balance can be restored.

For this self made filter columns can be used, in combination with AAM, active algae management.
One can NOT keep a fish in a small closed environment without exporting what is left over from the food added. A skimmer only removes +- 35%. If everything goes well the total bio-load will increase, but the unbalance created by the skimmer will make it impossible everything can be used up by growth and can be harvested as needed,. Certain nutrients and trace elements this way may build up to reach a toxic level.

 

[Little c big D]

Relatable story. So 2 weeks ago I devise a plan, I have a wonderful supportive fiancé ny the way.... to go to the Michigan, Ohio state game. We live in Florida now. So it was no small task. I played in the snow while watching the wolverines finally crack that buckeye into pieces (go blue) I stormed the field(go blue). Perfect weekend! I had her just feed those 3 days I was gone. Proportioned and she knew what to do. The day prior to leaving to do a water change. I forgot to turn the skimmer back on.

I came home to alot of dead tissue on an acan (recovering ok I think) and closed zoas. Also a closed hammer. My ASD rainbow and green slimer were as happy as ever. The skimmer was put back on after 3 days. Now can I say the skimmer was the cause? No. But it was the only variable. I feel it was connected, however. I never did really know what happened but all is well now.

Also, if any buckeyes are reading this, enjoy the rose bowl muahahahahahaha