Skimmer Suggestions!

[spils]

Hi All,

I currently have a 90 litre tank with live rock coral etc. Iam not running a protein skimmer and was wondering if this could affect my tank at all. I have received contradicting information. A number of people I have spoken to have said being such a small tank doesnt require one where others have said the opposite.

What are your thoughts?

Thankyou in advance!

[Loverotties]

I'm not shure what that is in gallons.But I'd say you would do better any size.I made one for a 5 gallon nano yrs ago and see them reg. on a 10 gallon and bigger.Remora makes a nice Nano skimmer.

[spils]

90 litres is 20 gallons. Ive also got 3 skimmers lying around. Problem is when I set them up the cup always overfills. Is there an easy way to set it up so it doesnt overflow all the time. Gets pretty annoying lol.

Thanks again!

[tempogen]

Well, although i'm still a pup in this field, I suggest that you think before adding a skimmer to your system. I recieved alot of contradicting information as well, but I decided to postpone installing a skimmer, because it supposedly depletes the planktonic population and also some minerals(?) of course I would be hastey to install a skimmer if I had some fish in my tank or something, but since all I have in the tank are my live rocks and a couple of crabs, the water is always in good condition and partial water changes suffice.
I was also inspired by an article I read that said there are no skimmers in nature, and that the key to a successful natural system is to mimmic nature as much as you can. The less toys, the better.
Lastly, i'm not sure skimmers are supposed to overfill.

[dobejazz]

On a tank that size you will be fine without a skimmer Just be sure to do regular water changes and siphon the detrius out well. Without a skimmer it will build up faster

[hng]

Originally Posted by tempogen

I was also inspired by an article I read that said there are no skimmers in nature, and that the key to a successful natural system is to mimmic nature as much as you can. The less toys, the better.

In general, i would agree with this but in our small closed systems, there is simply no way to come even close to the filtration system that mother nature has. The ocean has billions of gallons of volume, able to dilute and consume incredible amounts of waste and chemicals. Because our tanks are "limited", we need to use diffierent forms of filtration to mimic the water conditions found in nature. Protein skimming is one of these methods. Of course everything we use has it's pros and cons but in general, I think the pros of using a skimmer greatly outweigh the cons.

[ScruffyRubicon]

Ever notice that nasty looking foam that washes up on the beach? Ocean Skimmer. We're walking and playing in the waste.

[Diving The World]

Add a skimmer, no good reason not to. Minerals will be replenished with water changes. If you're worried about always having to change the cup, add a tube to a bucket so you only have to change it every other week or so.

[spils]

Thanks for all your help guys/girls appreciate it, I'll post some pics when the tank gets a little more established too.

Thanks once again!