Is skimming the best we can do???

[buffalo]

Other than water changes what other alternative to skimming. Skimmmers have become extremely important to reef keeping and the designs are basically all the same. Is there anything out there going in another direction.
Maybe skimming by wave action...????
I know some reefer go skimless but what else is out there, whats on the drawing boards?? New ideas????

 

[burning2nd]

skimmers are what i consiter the beach.....

if you ever sit and watch the beach for a while.... you'll notice that it smells like your skimmer, it sounds like your skimmer works like your skimmer (just much smaller)

someone should invent a reef tank beach.. useing future space age gravity fields generator's you could plum it in 2 your close loop put it in the bassment. probly would take up like 50square feet, add like 200 gallons to your setup and require 12,000 lbs or sand. (all ya gotta do is back up the try-axle 2 the bassment steps)
Then you turn your generator on and it will start pulling up the sand. gotta get your self a wave generator timmer then.... and every few weeks you would have to comb the beach to get the nastys out (or you bassment will smell like a fishing pier

LOl J/k let the mind run

export would be the only other way i would think.... some cheto or culpa

 

[Skimmy]

blastphemy!!!
skimmer design has evolved, and they are continuing to be more and more efficient, and there are many, many different skimmer designs.
show me another filter that will remove as much as a skimmer.
although that fake filter in the finding nemo fishtank was pretty cool, a lazer guided agae/poo exterminator...lol

or you could always go buy an eco aqualizer...lol
then you simply woudnt need any other filtration because you would be cleaning your water with alien technology...

here's a quoter from the actual website, very humorous:badgrin:

"ECO-AqualizerTM uses PATENTED negative ionic energy provided by a proprietary blend of basic electromagnetic physics combined with NASA’s space age far infrared radiation to ensure that aquarium water is constantly being rid of its toxic impurities and remains in a healthy, reactive state."

 

[Scooterman]

You can just get by doing wc's if you change out enough to remove detritus & whatever is put in the tank that could lead to phosphates.
You also could pump your tank water into a series of filters & re-purify it under pressure & replace the salt before it gets added back into the tank but that would require so much equipment it would be unimaginable. There are constant changes in reef-keeping your missing here, it was only a few years ago that almost anyone who wanted can grow sps & succeed was unheard & for the very rich who had unlimited resources. Lighting has come & still getting better, I think if you look hard enough you will find your answer from learning the past.

 

[Krish]

For the scale we run our systems in comparison to the ocean, I say water changes will always be number one. Depending on how frequently they are done and the quantity, could be all you'd ever need in terms of keeping a tank clean. Skimmers and other methods IMO, just aid things however, there are some like Mojo, that don't do water changes anymore from my understanding, and has one of the nicest tanks. When you have corals using up detritus and waste and everything working in harmony, it sometimes takes very little effort to have a nice clean tank. I guess it's what works best for you

 

[aquarookie]

Skimming rules! Why would you want to go without? To save money or eliminate the skimmer noise? Those are the only two things that I could think of, but IMO skimmers are worth the extra bucks and a bit more noise in the living room (or wherever your tank is).

 

[Krish]

Skimming rules! Why would you want to go without? To save money or eliminate the skimmer noise? Those are the only two things that I could think of, but IMO skimmers are worth the extra bucks and a bit more noise in the living room (or wherever your tank is).

I agree...Never ran a saltwater setup without one before! If it will help, why not use it

 

[spongebob lover]

i love my skimmer and i wouldn't have it any other way.... you can do big water changes if you think you don't wanna spend the money .

 

[Scooterman]

Even Mike changes out a few hundred gallons every now & then, just more then but you should see his equipment!

 

[Haole]

Even Mike changes out a few hundred gallons every now & then, just more then but you should see his equipment!

Speaking of “Papa Smurf” (aka Mojoreef or Mike and all names in between)
I haven’t seen him on here much lately... I hope things are okay with him.

 

[Meche]

what about an ionic-breeze for saltwater applications?

 

[buffalo]

Its not a question of how well skimmers work. The skimmer has proven itself to work and a valuable piece of reef keeping equipment. We don't stop looking for better because we find the skimmer is good enough.
Skimmer has gone from basic air driven skimmers to pumps with some sort of venuri. Lets not forget the air driven skimmers still worked.
Do we not remember all the additive we added in year prior and some still do. At the time we taught they were necessary, only to find out water changes are good enough.
One day we may be saying "the skimmer was good in its day but no where as good as what we have now". An impossible statement ?
Maybe it will involve sand, utimate cleanup bacteria, maybe multiple sandbeds, who knows?
We won't know until someone tries.
The ironic part about reef keeping is as good as the skimmer is some find success without one. Sound find success with partial skimming and some find success skimming 24/7.
When it comes to lighting lets not forget that 6500k is closest to what coral receive in the wild , some reef hobbyist run 20000k. Some consider that a lighting improvement.

 

[Meche]

I feel ya on that one. I think people used to use under-gravel filters religiously at one time. But, I've always herd the high temperature bulbs are for our eyes (they look cool) rather than help the corals grow better.

 

[DonW]

There are plenty of filtering type options that will do just as good of job as a skimmer. The problem is changing and or cleaning them daily. You can easily get as good or better results with a couple of mag350's but who's going to clean them daily? Not me.

Don

 

[Paul B]

Skimming is not the best we can do. Skimming with ozone is the best we can do. It is the only "filter" or conditioning system that removes anything from water. Carbon, live rock, algae kep pollutants in the tank until the filtering agent itself is removed. Skimming continousely removes pollutants almost maintenance free for practically free. What more could you ask for.
Paul