Should I replace my skimmer with a refugium??

[Carl Salamone]

I was under the impression that skimmers remove protiens from the water while macroalgae removes excess nutrients and phosphates. Two similar but slighty different functions. I run both on my tank but had to really cut back on the light cycle for the refugium because it was stripping everything from the water.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I was under the impression that skimmers remove protiens from the water while macroalgae removes excess nutrients and phosphates. Two similar but slighty different functions. I run both on my tank but had to really cut back on the light cycle for the refugium because it was stripping everything from the water.

Most of the excess nutrients in an aquarium are from the breakdown of larger matter. The skimmer or any filtration method removes these sources before they breakdown down to their final forms. Why some aquaria can run with one or the other and some use both. Just a matter of the means of removal matching the initial input of the system.

 

[Mark]

I think you should be fine. In place of the skimmer, run carbon in smaller quantities but replace weekly/biweekly. Check out David Grigor's 180, though he uses an ATS:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/unconventional-triton-tank.255568/

https://davidgrigor.weebly.com

 

[shred5]

I think you should be fine. In place of the skimmer, run carbon in smaller quantities but replace weekly/biweekly. Check out David Grigor's 180, though he uses an ATS:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/unconventional-triton-tank.255568/

https://davidgrigor.weebly.com

Wonder if that is the same tank I saw like 15 years or 20 years ago... He never ran a skimmer even back then..

 

[hart24601]

I often hear about the benefits of gas exchange with a skimmer, but I doubt with a decent turnover in tank it matters for most systems. I have had plenty of tanks without skimmers and can't think of a single time I had any issues related to lack of oxygenation and FW systems don't use skimmer and many now don't use airstones either, just powerheads with much less turnover than reef tanks. Now FW does have a bit better oxygen solubility from what I understand but I would really be curious to measure display dissolved oxygen with and without skimmer since most have returns pointed at the surface anyway and most people have skimmer returned to the sump, not the display so the oxygenated water is somewhat limited by what the return can do.

 

[Mark]

Don’t forget that reef ready tanks essentially have a small waterfall oxygenating the tank. I could see a skimmer helping with oxygen on a sumpless tank though.

 

[gcarroll]

I’m one of this weird guys

True but that's what makes you special!!!

I say give it a try. If it were me, I would use a powerful light in that fuge. BRS tests showed that the more power the light, the more ph benefit. I would run it on reverse light cycle from the tank. I would also feed my calcium reactor effluent into the fuge.

 

[Maximus]

You guys rock! Ideally, I’d love to run both but practically speaking, it’s going to be tough. Another option I have is to plumb in a 18x18 sump I have that is sitting around and use it as my refugium. I would put the sump higher and gravity feed it back down to my main sump. Any thoughts?

 

[Rolrod39]

I have a sump with refugium and a skimmer. It works great for me. Plus I have a thriving pod population which my coral and fish enjoy. I would run both not just run one or the other.