Thoughts on a skimmerless nano?

[WestonNanos]

I am in the camp of frequent water changes can offset not having a skimmer myself but I always appreciate other point of views. Trying to keep this tank simple. I've done the controllers, dosing pumps, etc etc and each one added another point of failure. Going to try and keep this one as simple as possible, no skimmer is simpler and with doing 10%-20% changes weekly I think that would work.

Still looking into skimmers too though as I do think they are extremely beneficial. If I can manage both, all the better Welcome to suggestions!

Good luck to you sir! Hope to see a build thread from you soon!

 

[dedragon]

I am in the camp of frequent water changes can offset not having a skimmer myself but I always appreciate other point of views. Trying to keep this tank simple. I've done the controllers, dosing pumps, etc etc and each one added another point of failure. Going to try and keep this one as simple as possible, no skimmer is simpler and with doing 10%-20% changes weekly I think that would work.

Still looking into skimmers too though as I do think they are extremely beneficial. If I can manage both, all the better Welcome to suggestions!

TUNZE. Prob the best and smallest, if you can fit a larger one the icecap internal skimmer is supposed to be good as well

 

[SchrutesReefs]

I have the same tank and I am running an Eshopps nano skimmer. It gave me micro bubbles for around 3 days then “smoothed” out. I turn it off for water changes (I do about 4gal/week). I almost always forget to turn it back on, so I suppose you could say I don’t use it. Although it is attached to me C02 scrubber which I do need, so maybe I should write myself a post-it…

 

[Subsea]

I am in the camp of frequent water changes can offset not having a skimmer myself but I always appreciate other point of views. Trying to keep this tank simple. I've done the controllers, dosing pumps, etc etc and each one added another point of failure. Going to try and keep this one as simple as possible, no skimmer is simpler and with doing 10%-20% changes weekly I think that would work.

Still looking into skimmers too though as I do think they are extremely beneficial. If I can manage both, all the better Welcome to suggestions!

I have skimmerless for 25 years on this 75G tank. I recycle nutrients using algae, bacteria and cryptic sponges and have had zero water changes for the last 5 years.

The second picture shows a 10 month 55G as an ornamental seaweed tank. Skimmerless & sumpless.

 

[WestonNanos]

These are some great examples. Its very rare in this hobby that there is only one way to do a certain thing. Rarely do you NEED a particular piece of equipment to solve a problem. More often there are a million different ways to go about solving that problem, thus you can pick the solution that suits you best.

 

[Reffetsevla]

Had a thought, I initially had plans to run a fuge in each media chamber next to the intake. Basically replacing the skimmer with a second fuge instead of mechanical/chemical filtration.

Would running a second fuge be better than additional mechanical/chemical filtration? I'm of the opinion larger the fuge the better for the most part. But not sure if there is a point at which it is either unnecessary or detrimental to the system. Thoughts?

 

[Hallowhead]

I think it really depends on what type of corals you have. I run zoanthids / euphyllia and LPS which do alright in slightly dirtier water, if I ran sticks I would probably agree that even a skimmer running at 20% efficiency is better than no skimmer.

For instance, I have 2 ~ 30 gallon tanks. I removed my skimmer from the larger thank roughly 40 gallons 6 months ago and it was the best thing I've done. The skimmer kept bubbling over when I was feeding coral foods etc etc. It was never skimming the right level of skimmate and I do water changes every 3 weeks religiously.

My smaller tank has a tunze 9001 that I feel does negative work, which I have decided as I type this to decomisssion. I have power heads pointing at the surface and I continue to do water changes.

 

[dedragon]

Had a thought, I initially had plans to run a fuge in each media chamber next to the intake. Basically replacing the skimmer with a second fuge instead of mechanical/chemical filtration.

Would running a second fuge be better than additional mechanical/chemical filtration? I'm of the opinion larger the fuge the better for the most part. But not sure if there is a point at which it is either unnecessary or detrimental to the system. Thoughts?

I wouldnt, mechanical filtration will help a ton with maintenance and having to clean the glass and back chambers from detritus buildup. Mechanical filtration isnt necessary but helps a lot, physically removing everything before it breaks down

 

[Reffetsevla]

FWIW I still have the main media basket and filtration on the right, and some basic filtering over the UV sterilizer too. The second chamber would just be additional.

 

[X-37B]

My 20g nano cube. 1 month old no skimmer. I run carbon and 10% WC once a month.
Tank is 100% acros.

 

[Reffetsevla]

My 20g nano cube. 1 month old no skimmer. I run carbon and 10% WC once a month.
Tank is 100% acros.

Nice! Haven't tried one without a sand bed in ages hah Curious how it progresses. You have a build thread to follow?

 

[X-37B]

Nice! Haven't tried one without a sand bed in ages hah Curious how it progresses. You have a build thread to follow?

Build Thread - 18" AIO Nano Cube Stag System

New nano build thread for 2022. I have had this tank and stand for 6 months now and use the stand for my frag systems electrical. Tank- used Aquatop AIO 18" cube. Around 20g's total before rock, baskets, coral. Stand Aquatop Return pump Sicci 1.5 Lighting AI Prime 16hd 3 basket system Bottom 2...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Reffetsevla]

I may have to add a skimmer back. Lights finally kicked on for the day and one day without a skimmer and the water is noticeably less clear. Tank is still establishing (setup 1/1/22 with all new rock, one small piece to seed) so I'm not sure if it's a bloom of sorts or just the skimmer no longer pulling out waste. I was emptying the cup every other day so it definitely was pulling out some stuff. Going to watch it closely throughout the day and gauge. I replaced all the filter pads yesterday, so I don't think that's it. I am still doing so regularly as I'm fighting dinoflagellates. I had a hair algae outbreak during the initial cycle then when trying to lower the PHO and NO3, I got them both too low. Last water change was 2/25/22.

Any other thoughts why the water would change clarity? It's not awful, but I can tell a difference.

 

[X-37B]

I may have to add a skimmer back. Lights finally kicked on for the day and one day without a skimmer and the water is noticeably less clear. Tank is still establishing (setup 1/1/22 with all new rock, one small piece to seed) so I'm not sure if it's a bloom of sorts or just the skimmer no longer pulling out waste. I was emptying the cup every other day so it definitely was pulling out some stuff. Going to watch it closely throughout the day and gauge. I replaced all the filter pads yesterday, so I don't think that's it. I am still doing so regularly as I'm fighting dinoflagellates. I had a hair algae outbreak during the initial cycle then when trying to lower the PHO and NO3, I got them both too low. Last water change was 2/25/22.

Any other thoughts why the water would change clarity? It's not awful, but I can tell a difference.

Do you run carbon? Carbon should clear it up. Doubt if its from not running the skimmer.
Pics?

 

[Subsea]

I may have to add a skimmer back. Lights finally kicked on for the day and one day without a skimmer and the water is noticeably less clear. Tank is still establishing (setup 1/1/22 with all new rock, one small piece to seed) so I'm not sure if it's a bloom of sorts or just the skimmer no longer pulling out waste. I was emptying the cup every other day so it definitely was pulling out some stuff. Going to watch it closely throughout the day and gauge. I replaced all the filter pads yesterday, so I don't think that's it. I am still doing so regularly as I'm fighting dinoflagellates. I had a hair algae outbreak during the initial cycle then when trying to lower the PHO and NO3, I got them both too low. Last water change was 2/25/22.

Any other thoughts why the water would change clarity? It's not awful, but I can tell a difference.

At 1 month old, the bacteria in your tank are getting established. Nitrification bacteria are a minute part of the microbes in a reef tank. With a bare bottom tank the bacteria don’t have the same surface area to colonize. From reading your first post, I understood you started out skimmerless and your 20G nano was 1 month old. When you say you are using carbon, does that mean GAC? I would almost always recommend GAC for water clarity. I don’t like protein skimmers because they remove free swimming bacteria from the water column. In every marine aquarium that I own, those bacteria are food for hungry mouths.

 

[Reffetsevla]

Do you run carbon? Carbon should clear it up. Doubt if its from not running the skimmer.
Pics?

I actually just replaced the carbon last night too when I did the pads. It had been about 3 weeks.

 

[Reffetsevla]

At 1 month old, the bacteria in your tank are getting established. Nitrification bacteria are a minute part of the microbes in a reef tank. With a bare bottom tank the bacteria don’t have the same surface area to colonize. From reading your first post, I understood you started out skimmerless and your 20G nano was 1 month old. When you say you are using carbon, does that mean GAC? I would almost always recommend GAC for water clarity. I don’t like protein skimmers because they remove free swimming bacteria from the water column. In every marine aquarium that I own, those bacteria are food for hungry mouths.

Think you got my tank and a posters tank crossed. Mine has 2-3" substrate bottom and is just over 3 months old now. I haven't put up pics just yet.

 

[GarrettT]

Highly doubt a skimmer has anything to do with the clarity. Now if we're talking about a filter sock or UV sterilizer, then yea I'd say there would be a difference.

 

[Reffetsevla]

Just trying to review changes made recently. Only other thing I did was change out the carbon and filter pads. Tried a new carbon brand (Fluval's Aquaclear) but I obviously rinse it thoroughly before using regardless of brand or make.

I could also just be entirely too anal about this and need to wait it out. Downside to working from home I suppose, I can monitor stuff way too closely lol

 

[Subsea]

Think you got my tank and a posters tank crossed. Mine has 2-3" substrate bottom and is just over 3 months old now. I haven't put up pics just yet.

My bad. I went to your tank thread. Your last post there on Feb 22 said you were using uv sterilizer?