Any sps guys here go skimmer-less?
- Thread starter Smite
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Its a very interesting topic. Certainly skimmer blows a lot of bubbles through water, and that skim mate sure smells bad. Don't know what would happen without the air bubbles and I guess maybe there are things to eat up all that skim mate within the tank??!!
One of the issues involves total organic compounds (TOC) and dissolved organic compounds (DOC). Not sure how efficient refugiums or ATS are at any of this. Skimmers seem to max out at around 30% of organic compounds (proteins??). Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) is supposed to be good at eliminating like %50 plus percent. Seems like maybe I should be running a reactor for GAC??!! and the most important of them all: Bacteria apparently can consume like 80% plus percent(I think) of DOC's or is TOC's. Not sure I really understand DOC's and TOC's.
So I wonder if you removed skimmer, would that result in simply more bacteria eating up those organic compounds. Wonder what role carbon dosing has on skimmer less tank as well.
Isn't it interesting how many reefers who don't carbon dose have low nitrates and phosphates. It seems that the opposite was true just a few years ago. So what has changed? Food is the same except for maybe LRS being cleaner frozen food. Skimmers have changed but efficiency probably hasn't improved. Water changes don't make that big a difference in nitrates or phosphates so not sure any different there from years ago. So have we grown new strains of bacteria that are better at eating junk.
I would love to understand this all more thoroughly--organics (DOC and TOC), how nitrates and phosphates fit into organics, fertilizing your tank with either ammonia or nitrates and/or phosphates. What conditions make cyano, hair algae, bubble algae and dinoflaggelates proliferate and the reverse, what parameters would adversely effect their survival.
One of the issues involves total organic compounds (TOC) and dissolved organic compounds (DOC). Not sure how efficient refugiums or ATS are at any of this. Skimmers seem to max out at around 30% of organic compounds (proteins??). Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) is supposed to be good at eliminating like %50 plus percent. Seems like maybe I should be running a reactor for GAC??!! and the most important of them all: Bacteria apparently can consume like 80% plus percent(I think) of DOC's or is TOC's. Not sure I really understand DOC's and TOC's.
So I wonder if you removed skimmer, would that result in simply more bacteria eating up those organic compounds. Wonder what role carbon dosing has on skimmer less tank as well.
Isn't it interesting how many reefers who don't carbon dose have low nitrates and phosphates. It seems that the opposite was true just a few years ago. So what has changed? Food is the same except for maybe LRS being cleaner frozen food. Skimmers have changed but efficiency probably hasn't improved. Water changes don't make that big a difference in nitrates or phosphates so not sure any different there from years ago. So have we grown new strains of bacteria that are better at eating junk.
I would love to understand this all more thoroughly--organics (DOC and TOC), how nitrates and phosphates fit into organics, fertilizing your tank with either ammonia or nitrates and/or phosphates. What conditions make cyano, hair algae, bubble algae and dinoflaggelates proliferate and the reverse, what parameters would adversely effect their survival.
Skimmerless is an old topic. The big question for me is do sps tanks look much better now than they did 15 years ago? IMO, no they dont. Worse yet, it is a big fat NO despite a movement towards tank raised, name brand frags and hardier (selected) coral. More people have better SPS tanks because the advances make it less laborious. On my soap box again- there are 10 different ways to decrease nitrate, how many people have tried 5 of them? I mean really tried for a year or longer? I did have an 75g SPS tank with only a baby ASM mini-G (essentially no skimmer) for 2 years and a huge fuge and it did well.
[MENTION=4203]rayray[/MENTION]
My problem is more geared to keeping some kind of nutrients in the water to keep my sps from paling. I know it's there, because I have GHA and film on the glass after 4-5 days but always fails to register on salifert for low range nitrates and hanna for phosphates.
While my skimmer was off line my coral health seemed to increase all around but so did the GHA. So I've put my skimmer back online and I'll see how it goes but I have a feeling the algae is just going to out compete the coral again, stripping them of color.
Once i recieve my turbo scrubber, hopefully next month, it will be interesting to see if I can take my skimmer off line, or atleast downsize it dramatically.
My problem is more geared to keeping some kind of nutrients in the water to keep my sps from paling. I know it's there, because I have GHA and film on the glass after 4-5 days but always fails to register on salifert for low range nitrates and hanna for phosphates.
While my skimmer was off line my coral health seemed to increase all around but so did the GHA. So I've put my skimmer back online and I'll see how it goes but I have a feeling the algae is just going to out compete the coral again, stripping them of color.
Once i recieve my turbo scrubber, hopefully next month, it will be interesting to see if I can take my skimmer off line, or atleast downsize it dramatically.
One question im doing 15 gallons water change every week ( 60 gallons a at month )in my 120 gallons with 30 sump ( with a refugee with chaeto) what do u think guys I don't need my curve 7 since is only making wet skimming ( also I have 2 chromis 2 wrasses 2 clowns 1 Midas blenny 1 sailfin tang 1 clown goby )
I think the basic idea behind algae scrubbers is to have the macro algae outcompete the micro algae like GHA. So I assume your effort will be a success. Sounds like you're getting a scrubber by turbo. Hope,you share pictures and experience with it. I want to know how easy it is to maintain and how messy it is removing scrubber to remove algae. The guy, Floyd, seems to be a stand up guy with incredible workmanship.
Yep that's the one. He definetley does seem like a stand up guy. He runs a great ATS forum. It's full of diy builds but his units look to be very compact, self contained and efficient which is something I'm willing to pay for. He also seems to have done ALOT of testing and helps people whether they purchased his unit or not. Trouble shooting light cycle/intensity vs flow rates to get optimal growth. I really look forward to trying it out.
