um before u set up any tank u should do ur research i am saying look there are other ways not just want we been forced feed to think I FEEL SKIMMERS ARE A WASTE MY FEELINGS never in this post do i tell people how or what to do with there tanks just showing what works 4 me and other open minded people THATS ALL also i dont need praise from strangers for my tank I DONT CARE ABOUT BEING TOTM
? for people who say a skimmer is a must
- Thread starter SWITCH420
- Start date
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
Nothing to worry about there.
- Location
- Throggs Neck, BX
Is that plastic gutter guard?
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
No one here is stomping their feet. I just get annoyed when someone disseminates incorrect, or uninformed information in a venue that new reefers use as a source of knowledge when getting started. You've been running this system for 3 months, which isn't long enough to know if it's going to work long term. Your arguments have been flimsy at best, and you're not keeping very difficult corals. If you run this system for a few years and show me some amazingly colored acros, I'll stand up and applaud, but until then, I want to make sure that the newbies have a fair chance of setting up a successful tank.
Can you tell us the factors that went into jskis's tank to make it successful? ... As Jackson pointed out there are NOT that many fish in the tank. What he feeds ... how much he feeds ... how often he does w/c's and how much he actually changes. I bet he uses RODI water which you claim is useless. We can all stare at pictures ... that's the easy part.
- Location
- Throggs Neck, BX
there is a guy in south africa or brazil, i know why different, who has a 350 gallon sps tank that is running 4 scrubbers, having a hard time finding it, his tank was also a TOTM selection for his reefing forum or magazine.
I didnt think the gutter guard would work well because of the spacing of the holes on the stuff. learn something knew everday, my screen is the knitting mesh like 25 cents from a crafts store.
I didnt think the gutter guard would work well because of the spacing of the holes on the stuff. learn something knew everday, my screen is the knitting mesh like 25 cents from a crafts store.
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
Saying that RO/DI water is a myth is 100% incorrect. Water in different locations varies, so RO/DI is the safest way to run a tank.
Saying that a skimmer is a waste of money is also incorrect. It's one way to maintain a reef, and while there may be less expensive alternatives, setting up a proven method is never a waste of money.
Also, as far as showing someone else's setup, how do you know that any of the information is accurate? He could have been running a skimmer until a few months ago as well, or could have a rigorous water change schedule. Unless you own and operate the tank, you really aren't a valid source of information for it.
Saying that a skimmer is a waste of money is also incorrect. It's one way to maintain a reef, and while there may be less expensive alternatives, setting up a proven method is never a waste of money.
Also, as far as showing someone else's setup, how do you know that any of the information is accurate? He could have been running a skimmer until a few months ago as well, or could have a rigorous water change schedule. Unless you own and operate the tank, you really aren't a valid source of information for it.
here is some info on that tank
Many folks asked for pics of the jski711 no-skimmer tank whose test results I already posted, so here they are along with an update he posted:
"Well first i'll start by giving you a little background of my tank. its been up for 2 years now and am running t5 lighting. in the past i have had algae issues and phosphates tested above .1 from overfeeding. (i'm trying to fatten up my clowns and hopefully get them spawning). i've also got a 15g tank plumbed into my system that has a pair of mandarins in it which i am also trying to get spawning. i had a sick mandarin and dosed my tank with Maracyn to try and save him. after dosing this for a week i was unable to turn my skimmer on because it would just overflow from the medicine. after doing numerous water changes and about a month later i still was unable to turn it back on, thats when i saw [the scrubber] thread. I also had to turn off my calcium reactor because the co2 was dropping my ph too low; the bubbles from the skimmer were really helping me keep my ph up but with my skimmer not running, it had to be turned off. thats when i decided to give [the scrubber] a try. i purchased a pre grown screen from inland and off i went. since adding the "scrubber" i have noticed a major increase in ph which allowed me to turn my calcium reactor back on and get things stable again. the reactor has only been back on for about 2 weeks now and im "re dialing" it in. my ph fluctuates between 7.8 at night and 8.0 during the day. I have over 30 different types of sps in my tank, just did a quick count, and i have noticed no ill side effects at all. i have also been overfeeding a ton, especially to my mandarins! i have also noticed that the green film of algae i would get on the glass every few days has gone. I don't even remember the last time i scraped it, although in the pics you will see it needs to be done soon cause i have a ton of coraline algae on it. So IMO this "scrubber" has done wonders for me. I have been skimmerless for over 9 months now and still do my normal water changes, sometimes i do go 2 weeks but normally every weekend i do one. they were just quick shots so sorry if they are blurry but you will see the colors i've got are great and like i said earlier i have had NO ill side effects at all."
Many folks asked for pics of the jski711 no-skimmer tank whose test results I already posted, so here they are along with an update he posted:
"Well first i'll start by giving you a little background of my tank. its been up for 2 years now and am running t5 lighting. in the past i have had algae issues and phosphates tested above .1 from overfeeding. (i'm trying to fatten up my clowns and hopefully get them spawning). i've also got a 15g tank plumbed into my system that has a pair of mandarins in it which i am also trying to get spawning. i had a sick mandarin and dosed my tank with Maracyn to try and save him. after dosing this for a week i was unable to turn my skimmer on because it would just overflow from the medicine. after doing numerous water changes and about a month later i still was unable to turn it back on, thats when i saw [the scrubber] thread. I also had to turn off my calcium reactor because the co2 was dropping my ph too low; the bubbles from the skimmer were really helping me keep my ph up but with my skimmer not running, it had to be turned off. thats when i decided to give [the scrubber] a try. i purchased a pre grown screen from inland and off i went. since adding the "scrubber" i have noticed a major increase in ph which allowed me to turn my calcium reactor back on and get things stable again. the reactor has only been back on for about 2 weeks now and im "re dialing" it in. my ph fluctuates between 7.8 at night and 8.0 during the day. I have over 30 different types of sps in my tank, just did a quick count, and i have noticed no ill side effects at all. i have also been overfeeding a ton, especially to my mandarins! i have also noticed that the green film of algae i would get on the glass every few days has gone. I don't even remember the last time i scraped it, although in the pics you will see it needs to be done soon cause i have a ton of coraline algae on it. So IMO this "scrubber" has done wonders for me. I have been skimmerless for over 9 months now and still do my normal water changes, sometimes i do go 2 weeks but normally every weekend i do one. they were just quick shots so sorry if they are blurry but you will see the colors i've got are great and like i said earlier i have had NO ill side effects at all."
there is more than one way to do things i said I HATE SKIMMERS and other do 2 this is another way to go that works plain and simple there is more than one way to build a engine is one right over the other no!!! different strokes for different folks
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
This is still second hand information, and he isn't here to answer any questions about the setup, so it doesn't really aid in the "education" you're trying to provide.
In addition, he says in the post that he's only been running this for nine months and does weekly water changes, so it still doesn't prove the long term viability of this solution.
In addition, he says in the post that he's only been running this for nine months and does weekly water changes, so it still doesn't prove the long term viability of this solution.
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
This is exactly what everyone has been saying. I never said that the turf scrubber doesn't work (although I do have some questions about it's long term viability and its potential pitfalls). My complaint is that you are going about this whole thing wrong. There are different ways of doing things, and if these things work, they aren't a waste of money for that person.
As far as the different ways to build an engine... I'd rather drive a Ferrari than a Kia, even though both will get me to the 7-11.
- Location
- Throggs Neck, BX
I think it should be said that ATFs do not replace water changes. so we should just wipe that off the table.
- Location
- Throggs Neck, BX
What if it was a Kia motor in a Ferrari chassis. Would you still drive it.
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
I have researched it. I've also researched vodka dosing, amino supplementation, and countless other ways to potentially eliminate a skimmer.
There's a reason I still run a skimmer.
There may be some great advances in the hobby that work, but for every one that works, there are about a dozen that don't, and can harm your tank. I'm not saying that this is one of them, but my fish are fish, not guinea pigs, and so I'll wait a few years and see what happens long term with some new "quick fix" for my tank.
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