skimmer Question

[Acipenser]

I want to add this skimmer to my tank, has any one had any experience with it, I need something that doesn't hang off the back or side, this looks like a good set up and I dont want to run a sump off this tank.

its a 26G bow front about 30 lbs of live rock.

[tony1928]

Looks neat but I haven't tried it myself. The only in tank skimmer I've heard decent reviews on is the Tunze but that's substantially more money. At 26g, it might be more effective just to do more frequent WC's than to employ a skimmer. Just my 2 cents.

[CisBackA]

Looks neat but I haven't tried it myself. The only in tank skimmer I've heard decent reviews on is the Tunze but that's substantially more money. At 26g, it might be more effective just to do more frequent WC's than to employ a skimmer. Just my 2 cents.

i agree i run a remora on my tank thats 30g and it doesnt skim 90% of the time, only afte feedings. before that i just did water changes. unless you have a massive amount of fish you dont really need one, theres people who never use them even on bigger tanks and never have problems. some say they can do more harm then good - but thats a big topic for later lol

[babyreef]

You had mentioned in another thread that you wish to keep corals. If this is the case you will need a skimmer. Corals will not tolerate high NO3 in the system, or for that matter PO4 (Phosphates). A skimmer removes much of the waste before it can be converted to NO3 etc. I agree that you can keep fish only without a skimmer as fish are more tolerant to NO3, and PO4.

I have use both "HOB" and "In Sump" Skimmers in the past. HOB skimmers are hard to adjust due to the fact water level is crucial for good skimmate production. Coral Life make a HOB for about $130 that is okay, but not great. You will likely also get micro bubbles on your tank from a HOB, coral is not fond of this either and it looks crappy in the display. It is possible to adjust (with some effort and time) a good HOB that produces good skimmate and produces little if no micro bubbles in the display, be prepared to spend a little more, by that I mean (not a Coral Life).

If you wish to keep corals, be it softies, LPS, or SPS you will need a good skimmer and a low (bio load) fish population. This will increase your success and save you money in the future (replacing corals is not cheap).