Welcome to the world of the WMAS hobbyist. You seem to be surprised at the idea of no outside filtration. Did you know that about 80% of a reef tanks filtration is the LS and LR!

 

Did you know that coral filters the water whereas fish pollute it! (I can't see any fish in the tank pictured above. and the Youtube tank had very few fish for it's size.)

 

Did you know that the coral, the coralline algae and the soft green algae growing on the surfaces in a tank make up the other 20% of the filtration!

 

Did you know that the purpose of a Skimmer is to remove some of the suspended organic waste before the tanks biological filtration has to get to work on it, essentially making room for more "polluters"

 

Did you know that many hobbyists here on this MB run their tanks skimmerless and many of them are sumpless as well!

 

Did you know that since 1997 I have run all my tanks without a skimmer and yet have grown many thousands of dollars worth of all types of coral! To see some pics look here in the Tips and How to's section under the heading, "Pictures of my reef aquariums" It also gives a glimpse of my sps, lps and soft coral farming setup which had none of that extra equipment. http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244

 

As long as you don'e exceed the natural filtration in your tank you really don't need any of that stuff. All 3 of my tanks run without a skimmer or sump and everything from SPS to Softies grow quite nicely together in the same tank. My 28 Gallon Nano has a wide variety of corals including SPS, LPS, Softies, and Leathers, as well as a Foxface, 2 Chromis, 2 Clowns, and a wrasse with no need for a protein skimmer or sump.

 

There are 2 basic schools of thought and neither one is bad.

 

1. A balanced system with sufficient bugs, algae, bacteria, live sand, live rock and coral to eliminate the excess nutrients and wastes produced by fish and introduction of foods to the system

 

2. Using protein skimming to remove excess food and waste before it can be broken down into ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

 

Many people want to maximize the number of fish and feed them well and require the added nutrient removal of a protein skimmer. No problem for me. I think they're great, but in my case I travel frequently and can't keep a close eye on the tank at all times. The less things that can fail the better so I try to moderately stock feed lightly automate what I can and let the tank take care of itself. It works for me and I haven't had to limit the types of coral I can keep except those that require frequent spot feeding.

 

The point is not that you shouldn't have a protein skimmer or that they are somehow an unnecessary expense but rather that if you set up and maintain your tank right you don't have to have a skimmer.

I think that it is, as Mark says, a matter of bio load and the ability for the tank to process it. If you have very few SPS and/or fish per gallon of water and have good sand, rock, and water movement, you will be fine. However, if you try and grow lots of SPS and have a lot of fish, and you want the coral to grow, you will have to feed it more and there will be more need for waste removal than the tank may support.

I would simply say...why?  A skimmer is not that much money, and if you decide to grow quite a few large colonies, you are risking $. These are dollars that you can make off of selling frags to pay for the skimmer.

Lastly, the reason the tank in that photo above is also doing so well is there is a TON of water movement in there. The vortech alone is the same cost as a skimmer :)

 

You can also get great flow without a Viortech.

 

Burt, you make me want to try some SPS.

http://www.vimeo.com/7953227 - http://www.vimeo.com/7953227

It may not be your thing, but its a far cry from the images above (not that there is anything wrong with the above, but it is different)

I can tell you that 90% of the problems and crashes that people write about could have been avoided and even corrected, if they had obtained the right help. There is always a way to make it work, a way to avoid a problem and a way to recover a crashing tank.

 

It's very true that a Skimmer creates a nice safety margin against new hobbyist error, but a well set up system with good biological filtration can also completely handle hobbyist error. From my experience and perspective, the dilema is how to take a newer hobbyist that is naturally more prone to error and help them set up the maximum biological filtration. It's much easier and bullet proof to just tell that hobbyist to get a Skimmer.

 

I prefer Mark's more natural slow and steady building of the reef tank and relying on a balance of the natural filtration of Live Rock, Algae, and Sand, coupled with sunlight. I know skimming is a natural process just like the foam from waves at the beach but when I was at the Caribbean I didn't see any of that dirty foam that we see in California. It seems to me that there is a lot more natural processes going on in a real reef. Sure our captive systems don't have the massive volume of water and there are other issues we have to deal with that differ from the wild reefs but for those willing to take a slower approach and learn about naturally balancing an aquarium the results can be very rewarding.

 

I really don't have anything against skimmers and if they get you the results your looking for then great. As for new hobbyists I guess if the goal is to have that showcase reef ASAP then you better not leave out the skimmer. If the goal is to learn systematically about the interactions in a reef tank and you're willing to go a little slower and build the reef as your experience grows then perhaps a skimmer isn't such a necessary part of a first reef. Certainly it would be easier to graduate up to a skimmer when you find natural methods aren't allowing you to meet your goals but stepping down without reducing the bio-load on the tank would spell disaster.

 

At the end of March my tank will be 1 year old. While it's not densely packed with SPS and Tons of fish I am happy with the way it's progressing and what I have learned over the past year. My display is only a 28 Gallon Nano but I think it is a well balanced mixed reef. When it hits the year mark I want to do a series of pics showing how it has changed over the year from bare and sterile to being dominated by softies and leather then the addition of more LPS and now less of the softies and more SPS. While there are many nano's more beautiful than mine I am thrilled because before starting my reef tank last year I didn't think my lifestyle, business and family commitments would allow me to have  a reef tank. I set out to see if I could create a reef that would be stable enough for me to leave it for 3 to 10 days while I travel and still capture the wonder and amazement of guests when they come to visit. I hope to do a bigger tank some day but for now my 2 small tanks and frag system are really about all I can handle.

 

It all comes down to the simple truth that there are many ways to set up and maintain a reef tank. Each of us have to consider not only what we want out of our reefs but also the time we have to dedicate to them and the available resources. Up to this point I haven't set up a sump or fuge either, both of which are excellent systems on a reef tank but I don't want to risk a flood happening when I am away so to minimize that risk all my tanks are self contained. I don't think everyone should go sumpless or fugeless any more than I think everyone should go skimmerless, but I am finding that you can enjoy the hobby without any of these systems and have a nice looking reef in the process.

 

I hope this explains where I am coming from. If I had different goals for my tank I would most likely incorporate a skimmer, sump and fuge into the design.

 

Actually I did put a skimmer on my system back in May or June. Unfortunately though it was supposedly designed for my Nano I couldn't raise the lid without taking the skimmer apart so I sent it back. It was a EruoReef Nano skimmer with the mesh wheel and supposed to pull tons of stuff out of the water. I used it for about a week and it didn't seem to do much for me. Maybe it needed longer to break in but I haven't missed it.

 

You hit it on the head. It has to do with "understanding". It's about the knowledge. Please don't think I am saying that using a skimmer is a poor choice, because it really is a good choice. Skimmers are wonderful. It's amazing how much crud a good skimmer removes. But please understand, that crud is food. One organisms waste is anothers food. If left in the tank that food will allow something in the tank to grow that would not have grown so well without it.

 

For myself personally, with what I know and the experience I have had setting up naturally filtered reef systems, a skimmer is not wanted. I have grown pretty much all species of coral of several varieties and often rescue dieing coral and fish, all without a skimmer or other related equipment.

 

I wrote something about my experience many years ago in our Sea Star Newsletter. It's titled "RDP Filtration." Here it is if anyone is interested: http://www.utahreefs.com/SeaStar/wmasSeaStar02Feb.pdf - http://www.utahreefs.com/SeaStar/wmasSeaStar02Feb.pdf

I will agree that a new hobbyist who isn't willing to do the research and learn about his system should have a Skimmer, Sump, Fuge and anything else that will give the livestock a fighting chance. Personally I would rather a new hobbyist that isn't willing to do the research and learn about his system find another hobby but that's another topic. Such a person is likely to have a tank disaster no matter how much safety is built into the tank.

 

I agree also that you need to feed the fish and corals enough for them to thrive, but that doesn't mean that a carefully planned tank cannot handle the bio-load without protein skimming. It does mean that the amount of livestock has to be limited to the amount the system can comfortably handle leaving a cushion for problems. It would be irresponsible to push any system to the edge of its capabilities.

 

I feed my fish daily and they have nice round bellies. I also include some fine particle food that corals and other critters in the tank can take advantage of. Additionally I target feed the corals weekly unless I am away over a week. I only do a small water change once a month and Nitrates are always register at 0 to just a trace. If nutrients were out of control or heading south I would certainly be looking for a solution other than starving the fish.

 

I consider myself a new hobbyist at just under a year in, and a responsible reef owner. I stock my tank slowly and watch how it responds to new additions before considering future additions. It really doesn't take that long to learn how the reef is reacting if you pay attention. I wouldn't recommend any system as being bullet proof for a new hobbyist as there are too many variables that can cause issues. At the same time I wouldn't discourage a new hobbyist who is willing to do the research and go slow growing their reef as their own knowledge increases from trying a natural reef system.

I can think of a former hobbyist, Gahlen Fridley, starting out did a good amount of research and was frequently asking several of the WMAS seasoned hobbyists for their opinions, often by telephone. This gave him 3 or 4 different viewpoints on the same topic, providing him with the knowledge and insight to set up beautiful long lived tanks. Two more such hobbyists that immediately come to mind are Burt Fessler and Terrence/thefu.

 

The key is to get correct information from several viewpoints and then use it. A hobbyist doing this may still occasionally make errors and have mishaps, but not the same as the silly person thinking they should be able to keep a Reef as if it were a Betta Bowl

 

One of the reasons I love this hobby is because of it's requirement to know something of biology, chemistry, oceanograhy, animal behavior, etc. etc.

I love Kyles statement above: In the ocean a Tang has thousands of square meters for his home range, i'm pretty sure as hobbyists we owe him a sheet of nori a day......