IS there life without a skimmer??

[yah-the submariner]

M.R. i've been watching and watching and due to a lucky break or two i'm starting my first f.o.w.l.r. ( i use the term live rock generously as there is not much and it's not live..yet) i have a 29 gallon tank. i was told with a good sized canister filter you could run that set up. so i doubled up on the canisters,heater ect. no skimmer though.

i was told many times they are good but not absolutely necessary. my tank has been cycling for about a week now,so i took a trip to the FS to just check out the stock and spitball knowledge(i have little in saltwater). long story short i was told without a skimmer i was lost and then the guy pulled a huge one off of the shelf! pricey too.lol but it broke my heart i thought i was in the clear. my water is shiny! rangehat
i have a baby,so the only way to stay in the hobby is be frugal and budget. i blew my budget already,but should i save up for the skimmer? is it a must have or i'd lose any fish i may have? i have seen pretty much every questioned answered wisely on here so far. i trust you guys,so i'm asking. should i be hitting the f.s. market place as we speak? lol :scratch:

 

[skene]

skimmer is not necessary... especially not for a FO tank. If you plan on having corals... it's still not detrimental to get one... but you would have to increase water changes to remove waste.

 

[CoralMeister]

As long as you are top of weekly water changes, a skimmer is not necessary.

 

[yah-the submariner]

thanks a lot skene and coralmiester. the look he gave me when i said ok,i'll come back for it,plus the look of a guy who was buying fish at the time told me i might be getting taken for a ride. the guy showed me the most expensive one in the store. the fellow fish keeper looked half concerned and half horrified. but i'm no expert so i walked out to ask you guys

 

[LatinP]

Probably tried to take you for a ride, you don't "need" a skimmer but take it froma fellow reefer and not a salesman, the quality of your water will not be the same as a tank that had one. Your putting a fish in a box for the rest of it's life at least try to keep the quality of life as good as it can be, I put a skimmer on all my salt tanks, FO or not, the difference IS noticeable. That said the sales guy was probably trying to take you for a ride, don't go back there.

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

sounds like you went to ich town lol Filtration itself is the important part..in my experience I think the water is much cleaner using a filter than a skimmer. Hang ons like aquaclear work very well. What kind of canister did you get?

 

[skene]

sounds like you went to ich town lol Filtration itself is the important part..in my experience I think the water is much cleaner using a filter than a skimmer. Hang ons like aquaclear work very well. What kind of canister did you get?

Partially... Filters allow a few things to happen... 1 it aerates the water.. 2 it allows for water polishing if you keep media like carbon in it. Also it houses beneficial bacteria if given a place for bacteria to live, like in a sponge and other porous media.
But IMO I feel it does not do as well of a job aerating vs a skimmer which does nothing but put air into the water. Also... the crap that's in the water column that you can't see which is what the skimmer removes.

But once again... for a FO... it's not necessary.

 

[smoq]

Skimmer is great way to reduce organic waste and polish water, but it is not a "must have". This tank doesn't have one: http://www.reefs.com/blog/2011/05/18/randy-donowitzs-240g-reef-setup-photo-journey/

 

[yah-the submariner]

I definitely want to say i am not against skimmers. I've been following threads for quite some time and realize it's a great addition. I figured I'd get one in time trigg i have rena xp3 i also have a aqua clear 75 and 100 i can put in it. You called it once again as well. On my first africans you called petland.lol. ( I've since moved up to finely selected specimen) i'll say this: i was at a store that rhymes with ich town you best pay.lol
Skene has yet to lead me wrong, i agree i will throw one on in time asi advance or when i can grab ine.
smog that tank is amazing is there really no skimmer on that? With corals and all? I feel better. I have some base rock.small amount. How long would people say i should wait before a clean up crew is added if at all? Should i seed the rock or sand? Or just continue as I'm going?

 

[skene]

clean up crew after you have things that take poops.

 

[yah-the submariner]

ok,got it! thanks!i appreciate the help!

 

[smoq]

smog that tank is amazing is there really no skimmer on that? With corals and all? I feel better. I have some base rock.small amount. How long would people say i should wait before a clean up crew is added if at all? Should i seed the rock or sand? Or just continue as I'm going?

No skimmer sir. Come to the swap and take the Pratt fishroom tour to see this beauty with your own eyes. I was shocked that there's no skimmer too, but that helped me understand that there are many ways to achieve the same goal in reefkeeping.

 

[yah-the submariner]

Well said smog. Agreed