Can I be skimmerless?

[Anonymous]

My Remora Pro has a leak, and I haven't had time to fix it yet, so the past two weeks have been skimmerless. Everything looks fantastic, but I'm wondering about the long-term effects of going skimmerless. Here are the specific tank specs :

75 gallon w/ 15 gallon sump
125 lbs of live rock
4" deep sand bed, oolitic aragonite sand
tank has been running for 10 months now
700gph return angled at the surface, 750gph powerhead pointed behind the rockwork, both in the same direction
about 15 corals, all LPS and softies
11 fish : 1 atlantic blue tang, 5 small gobies, 2 percs, 2 firefish, 1 banggai
1 blood shrimp

Please state your reasons why I could or could not go skimmerless, in your opinion. Thanks.

Peace,

Chip

 

[olgakurt]

If you haven't changed your imports (feeding, water source, etc.)and your skimmer was working to export nutrients before it broke, then you will have to find a pathway to replace that export mechanism of the skimmer or the nutrients will increase in the tank.

Your bioload seems relatively high and I would suspect you would need some algal export (from your sump?) to replace the function of the skimmer.
_________________
history of recessions in the united states

 

[DKKA]

Chip, I think your stocking level is prbly too high for no skimmer/no export success long term.
My tanks ran great skimmerless for a couple years, just harvesting macros.
But my 55 hasn't had any exprt for the last nine months and it is just now showing the effects. That tank only has only two fish in it though, and I'm a light feeder.
Dan

 

[repstein]

I rank my tank for about 8 months without a skimmer. I have a 75 with 90lbs of live rock. And a 30gal sump.

 

[esmithiii]

See this link:
http://www.reefs.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=029805

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have been reading that other thread, and posted my question originally in there, but no one answered it. Thus, it gets its own thread.

I'll try and set up a refugium, since I do have an 18-watt 50/50 PC light fixture that I'm not using for anything right now...

Peace,

Chip