Do I Need a Protein Skimmer?

[56cbr600rr]

I've got a small little 25 gallon tank with 5 fish and loaded with corals. I feed flakes every day. Brine shrimp, 2-3 days a week, and occasionlly fish eggs, clams, etc... I usually try and keep phospahtes around .08 and nitrates 10-15. In truth, I maintain this easily with a 4 to 5 gallon water change every 2-4 weeks. I do use a small uv sterilizer when it is dark in the tank.

Fish are healthy, tank is pest free, and corals are growing no problem.

Is there anything more a protein skimmer will do for me? Everything seems to be at a nice equilibrium at the moment and it seems a skimmer would add complication.

Am I missing anything? Will the skimmer pull things out of the water that I'm not realizing are there? Or keep plugging along like I have been?

 

[Adam]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Are you running any type of filter media, sponge or floss? I do believe that pulling the surface slime is good.

 

[56cbr600rr]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Are you running any type of filter media, sponge or floss? I do believe that pulling the surface slime is good.

Rarely use carbon, etc.. , I do use filter floss that is changed out every 1-3 days.

 

[Adam]

Sounds like you've got it under control. Thriving coral is a great filter.

 

[90gDreams]

If it ain't broke don't fix it is great advice in this hobby. These systems thrive on stability. Once you have a good rhythm stop tinkering.

 

[york1]

I use a skimmer on my Lagoon 25 and honestly I think its more work than its worth. I am considering pulling the skimmer and using that space for a fuge

 

[56cbr600rr]

I use a skimmer on my Lagoon 25 and honestly I think its more work than its worth. I am considering pulling the skimmer and using that space for a fuge

Good to know and what I'm wanting to avoid. Thanks for the input.

 

[Rickdareefa]

Depending on the state of your tank, no you do not need a skimmer. I have an expensive skimmer it's great. But lately my fuge has done all the hard work. My skimmer now is only turned on like once a week.

 

[Rickdareefa]

Depending on the state of your tank, no you do not need a skimmer. I have an expensive skimmer it's great. But lately my fuge has done all the hard work. My skimmer now is only turned on like once a week.

The fuge keeps my po4 at a good level .04, but strips no3 to 0 so I let the fuge run an dose no3. It's easier than shutting down the fuge and running gfo to keep po4 down

 

[Billldg]

With those parameters, I would not do a thing. Those are solid parameters for any coral. If you decide to keep SPS then you would simply have to run a higher Par.

Those are the parameters I try to keep in a SPS tank.

 

[ichthyoid]

When I first got into salt water skimmers were a luxury item imported from Germany. I eventually bought one, and now consider them standard equipment. Mostly due to the immense increase in surface area from the bubbles produced by them, which favors efficient gas exchange. I think BRS did a pretty good job summing it up here, but there is more to it -

Protein skimmer guide - Explaining what they do and how they work - Reef FAQ

A protein skimmer is considered by many to be one of the most beneficial components of your filtration system. This comprehensive guide to protein skimmers will show you what they do, how they do it and ultimately answer that one question all of us have pondered at some point in time, How does

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[enderg60]

no, but it helps.