Good Question on skimmer / refugiums???

[HARRISON]

If you have been watching the posts you know I am building an 80 gallon reef.

I am also going to convert a system two acrylic 30 gallon tank into the sump/refugium. The back portion will hold the carbon and heater, the front will house the macro algae. The problem I am running into is space for a skimmer and one question around that. I can add a hang on or outside the sump skimmer to solve the space issue. My real question was raised by a LFS guy. He says with an 80 gallon tank and a 30 gallon refugium that if I put a larger skimmer on I will strip the tank of nutrients and crash the system. He says the refugium will be too efficient to run along with a skimmer. He says that a small display tank in the shop with a refugium had to have the skimmer removed due to this. I thought you couldn't "over skim" the water. And as far as the refugium I didn't know it was that efficient. I mostly wanted it as a place for pods and critters to grow for natural food...

I am sure someone has dealt with this before. If you have any input or theories that might help I would like to hear them. I want to put this thing together late tonight or tomorrow. Please let me know. I can even post the results if you think it should be archived for the other NUGS...

Thanks
Harrison

 

[SPC]

Harrison, there are some reefers who run their tank without a skimmer but I would never recommend this on a new set up. I have a 75 gallon ref/sump that is full of macro algae and I also run a skimmer. I believe that they can serve two different purposes, both remove some of the same substances and yet both can remove different substances from the water.
Steve

 

[HARRISON]

Can you take too much junk out with the skimmer making it hard for the macro to grow? If the Macro dies out then it will cause probs for everything else? I was thinking the same as what your saying, but now I have to wonder what others think and are trying.

Anyone else out there have ideas? Dave Lin?anyone?

 

[HARRISON]

Where is everyone tonight???

 

[repstein]

I have had my 75 up for about 9 months with no skimmer. Though I am going to add it tomorrow. I am finally getting the proper pump for my skimmer. Anyways to be honest a skimmer is not really needed. I think it would help my tank some though. My sump is a mess.

 

[HARRISON]

well I am sure that it needs to have a skimmer. I just need to decide if it is going to be a macho skimmer or just a good skimmer. I may just throw a CPR on it if I break down the 40...Otherwise I will add something bigger...