Skimmer for a Prop Tank?

[SnowManSnow]

so, is there really any reason to skim a prop tank? Seems it would be just as efficient to run the water through a fuge or something.

Just hard to justify $500 on a skimmer when there's no fish in there to fowl it up.

.02?

B

 

[Ben1]

If its a stand alone prop tank not plumbed to your main system then I would treat it as a stand alone tank. Depending on what you want to do in it I would treat it the same way as my regualt system. If you think you can get good enough water quality with a basic refugium and no skimmer for what your doing in it then go for it.

 

[camaroracer214]

i've got a 150 frag tank set up that has a large skimmer in it that skims next to nothing out of the tank whatsoever. the frag tank isn't plumbed into any other systems and is a stand alone. i probably have 350 frags in there right now, along with a lot of the parent colonies. again, i'm not getting any skimmate from my asm g4 (overkill i know) that's on it. the way the tank is setup, i can add another frag tank of equal size directly above it and have the above tank drain into the bottom tank, which this has a return pump to push water back up to the top tank...bottom tank will act as a "sump/refugium" if you will.

however, i do think that you should put fish in the frag tank. tangs will obviously graze the rocks/plugs/frags/etc for algae and will create lots of waste to feed your corals.

 

[Ben1]

i probably have 350 frags in there right now, along with a lot of the parent colonies

350 frags 8O I want some :lol:

 

[SnowManSnow]

i've got a 150 frag tank set up that has a large skimmer in it that skims next to nothing out of the tank whatsoever. the frag tank isn't plumbed into any other systems and is a stand alone. i probably have 350 frags in there right now, along with a lot of the parent colonies. again, i'm not getting any skimmate from my asm g4 (overkill i know) that's on it. the way the tank is setup, i can add another frag tank of equal size directly above it and have the above tank drain into the bottom tank, which this has a return pump to push water back up to the top tank...bottom tank will act as a "sump/refugium" if you will.

however, i do think that you should put fish in the frag tank. tangs will obviously graze the rocks/plugs/frags/etc for algae and will create lots of waste to feed your corals.

Corals eat fish waste?

 

[Anonymous]

fish poop fuels, algae and other microplanktonic forms, which in turn feeds larger macroplankton which your corals inevitably eat.

 

[bleedingthought]

I noticed a big difference in color and growth when I added fish to my old prop system.

But not spending money on a separate skimmer is the reason why my new prop tank will be tied into the main display system which has an oversized skimmer on it.

 

[saltysupply]

adding a few fish would be beneficial since you don't want ultra clean water, you need some po4 etc.