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wickedsnowman 
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 Posted: February 10 2011 at 2:43am |
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Well I will chime in I have been in this hobby for just over a year and I didn't run a skimmer until just a few weeks ago. My tank was heavily stocked as well. I didnt feel it was a necessity and I still dont. I chose to buy a skimmer cause I figured with the amount of money I was spending on stuff it was wise to have that increased margin of error. However I personally never saw any foul effects of not running one.
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kellerexpress
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 3:46am |
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Something else to consider is what kind of tank you plan on running. Sps dominated systems need cleaner water. A tank with more softies and lps tolerate dirtier water.
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IM 30L
Kessil A160we x2
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 4:07am |
 kellerexpress wrote:
Something else to consider is what kind of tank you plan on running. Sps dominated systems need cleaner water. A tank with more softies and lps tolerate dirtier water.
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Amen to that. If you plan on keeping a lot of SPS, specifically acros; you need a good skimmer.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 12:16pm |
I must point out that my non-skimmed tanks
illuminated by the sun with supplemental electric lighting grow all
coral very well, including all stony coral. See the pic of the chalice below that doubled in size in a few months in the sun.
I say again. A skimmer is an option, not a necessity.  The colorful part of the Chalice is that way because of the actinic fluorescent light reflecting off of it. The top edge is shaded from the fluorescent light. The bright sun had passed by the time this pic was taken. Diffused sunlight is coming in from the top of the photo. Next pic is a field of Zoanthids that received a lot of sunlight. The person that gave me the frag was utterly amazed at the number of polyps in such a short time and that they were 3 times as large as the ones in his skimmed and MH illuminated tank.  Here is the full tank pic: 
Edited by Mark Peterson - February 10 2011 at 12:22pm
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bfessler
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 12:29pm |
I agree with both sides of this argument. I've found that my LPS and soft corals benefit from a non skimmed environment but the SPS grow much better since I added the skimmer. I have a blue tort that's been in my frag tank for over a year now and barely grew until I set up my skimmer a couple months ago. Now there are at least 30 new branches forming and the other SPS are doing better as well. LPS growth has slowed on the other hand.
I do find that my tank that is exposed to sunlight for about 4 hours each day also has outstanding growth and color without much additional algae growth so If you can get sunlight into the tank take advantage of it.
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Burt
An equal opportunity reefer,
I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping.
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ninja_brandon
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Posted: February 10 2011 at 10:48pm |
Wow! Thank you all who responded. This has truly helped to calm my nervous mind about my broken skimmer.
My tank is heavily stocked with coral ranging from softies to sps. I have less sps coral than lps and softies however while I was running my skimmer my sps grew at a moderate pace. Since I have to wait for up to two months for this skimmer I may as well see if I notice a difference in growth with my sps.
It appears as though both sides have good points of interest to offer. :D
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Jimmyjet92
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Posted: February 15 2011 at 8:18pm |
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Is it important to have a skimmer on just a 10 gallon tank? I am new to the hobby and loving it already.
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: February 15 2011 at 8:36pm |
Jimmyjet92 wrote:
Is it important to have a skimmer on just a 10 gallon tank? I am new to the hobby and loving it already. |
In a ten gallon tank your nitrates and excess nutrients can be managed by water changes. Just be sure not to over stock the tank, and not get complacent with your maintenance. Water chemistry changes much faster in smaller tanks thank in large ones just due to the amount of water involved. Skimmers are most important in heavily stocked tanks, tanks running on a bacterial driven system, or if you are wanting to keep a lot of SPS corals.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 16 2011 at 2:48am |
Excess nutrients controlled with water changes? I see it differently.
I have set up lots of smaller tanks from 2-30 gals and have never relied on water
changes to control pollution. Rather, I grow algae, bacteria, bugs, and worms to take
care of waste. There are no "excess nutrients" in a properly stocked and
adequately filtered reef aquarium. The bio-filtration grows to meet the
need. I use no outside filters. Here is one of my 10 gal tanks. 
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: February 16 2011 at 3:29am |
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I realize you may do things differently, but there are a million ways to run a successful aquarium. There are definite benefits to water changes, besides reducing nutrients it replenishes trace elements, among other things. I have seen definite benefits to running a skimmer on my tanks and that is, besides it acting as an insurance policy in case of a large die off. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Summertop
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Posted: February 16 2011 at 9:24am |
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Oh great...now I gota learn to skin cats for this hobby?
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Shawn Winterbottom
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Summertop
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Posted: February 16 2011 at 9:27am |
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If I had a decent skimmer I would probably use it. I had one for a while, but it was junk. So, I am not running a skimmer. I also use tap water for top-off. I don't do water changes. I don't even run U.V.
I will be on the Reef Tour this year, so...stop by and see my systems.
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Shawn Winterbottom
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