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#1
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Protein Skimmer take good things out of the water?
Im setting up a 75 gallon tank and wonder if a protein skimmer might take beneficial organisms out of my tank? It seems as though there may be downsides to a protein skimmer. Any thoughts?
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#2
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Yes it does. However the benefits SIGNIFICANTLY outweigh the costs of protein skimming. Some people are able to run a reef tank without a skimmer, and I can understand how and why, but for me and most other reefers as well, it's not really an option.
You can replace a skimmer with a working Deep Sand Bed, best option is Remote Deep Sand Bed in a Bucket, either of those working in tandem with a photosynthetic refugium with cheato, caulerpa, or another fast growing higher order algae. Maybe even using an Algal Turf Scrubber (though a lot of work and difficult/complicated to setup) is an option. There are more than one way to do things, but for most of us, skimmer is the easiest/best solution. |
#3
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Thanks Reefwreak, I began to wonder about potential harm of protein skimming or for that matter any mechanical filtration when listening to a podcast by Eric Borneman on Talking Reef . He mentioned how at night how many small organisms were observed within a couple inches of the bottom of the sand in the water column and how skimming might affect this. I like your list alternatives for filtration. I have a large protein skimmer, and probably will use it on new tank, just concerned about over skimming.
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#4
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I suppose it might make sense to forgo a skimmer if your goal is raise those benthic organisms. But I have a feeling that's not what you are going for :-P
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#5
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Quote:
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#6
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i use a algae turf scrubber, and i have no complants, takes a little skill and time but once you get the hang of growing and harvesting the turf its great, the reef flora they produce and support are great for the reef.
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