[poohbugbug]

Do I need a protein skimmer? The guy at the fish store said I don't need one b/c the live rock does a lot of the filtering, but everything I read says I do. I'm looking at the Remora AquaC (85gph). Do I keep the Bio-wheel filter and run both or get rid of it? Whats the benefit of one vs the other? I wanted live rock, fish, a cleaner shrimp, a starfish, an anemone, possible low-light coral.

1) 29 gallon tank
2) 280 emperor biowheel filter
3) 30" dual power compact coralife lighting
(I believe it's 130 watts total)
4) submersible heater
5) 20 lbs live sand
6) saltwater testing kit
7) hydrometer
8) glass top (told it reduces evaporation but it diffuses light?)

[Rainman69]

There seems to be a growing population that think skimming Isn't necessary. I've seen some fairly successful nanos relying on weekly water changes. As for me after seeing and smelling that nasty black stuff they remove I could not Imagine not having one. If you use lr you can take out bio wheels.

[dmachog]

Use both. I did not and regretted it. Got a skimmer and made big difference.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Going skimmerless can be done without all the water changes if you have a large enough refugium,plenty of live rock and decent sand bed.I really dont see the benefiet of dropping the skimmer and spend all that time and money on water changes.With what we are learning about sea grass's in another thread it is possable to build a fuge that is populated by fish and you wont want to hide it under your stand.

[harleywine]

Hi all!
This is the closest thread I can find to my question. I have hooked up my Odyssea Aquarium Venturi protein skimmer. I'm pretty sure I that it was okay to take away my power filters from what I've read. But now I have no water movement at all. That can't be good can it?

[poohbugbug]

Very new to all this, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure water movement is a must. Without it air isn't oxygenated and there are no bubbles which is what what make protein skimmers work. Get a power head. You don't need a filter for these. They simply suck in water and shoot it out creating current.

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by NATIVEVAMAN

Going skimmerless can be done without all the water changes if you have a large enough refugium,plenty of live rock and decent sand bed.I really dont see the benefiet of dropping the skimmer and spend all that time and money on water changes.With what we are learning about sea grass's in another thread it is possable to build a fuge that is populated by fish and you wont want to hide it under your stand.

I am in the process of setting up a 40g breeder seagrass tank and I plan on having a mantis in there as well. I will have a 5-6" DSB with lots and lots of shoal grass. Then, later on I will add my 20g frag tank as the "sump" and all I will need to do is dose for iodine etc. I only plan on getting a cheap skimmer just to make air.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Bio wheels and protien skimmers do the same thing,its just that a skimmer does it so much better.If a skimmer is properly adjusted and running well you will never notice that you took your bio wheel off the tank.Protien skimmers actually take all sorts of nasty stuff right out of the water column and holds it in a cup.With a bio wheel it is caught and the water column keeps passing thru it again and again and again.

[graveyardworm]

Going skimmerless on a reef tank is possible and there are many successful tanks that dont use one. IMO running a tank without a skimmer is best left to lots of experience first. A skimmer can help balance newbie mistakes, and hopefully help you to be more succesful. Excess nutrients can build up quicky in a reef tank and before you know lead up to big problems.

If your tank is a fish only tank then you could easily get by with just LR a bio-wheel, and water changes.

The bio wheel is a decent device but has recently fallen out of favor. It can lead to high nitrates because it doesnt complete the nitrogen cycle like LR and a DSB can do.

Glass tops have their place but I prefer not to use them. They can inhibit proper gas exchange which is very important in a reef tank. They also can reduce light getting to the tank, and add more maintenance. If you have a sump you could probably get by with glass tops alright otherwise leave them off.