2 skim or not 2 skim

swaltm1 · Post by **swaltm1** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:34 pm

i have a 120 gal up and running for about 1 year now, for filtration only have bio balls, live rock, cheto, and sand in the sump, no skimmer, tank seems to be doing great, no casualties to live stock except a powder brown tang that lived for 4 months before acute death, very tragic for me beautiful specimen and my fav fish, like mentioned tank is doing fine, 15 % weekly water changes and 25 every 6 weeks, do you really think i need a skimmer, if so i have only about 16 inches of headspace in my sump for a skimmer any recomendations on skimmer would be great, thanks for your help

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:03 pm

If you are managing to keep phosphate, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations low enough, then you probably don't. The only downside to skimmerless systems is the amount of space they require for algal growth--be it macroalgae or microaglae. Such systems certainly do work if done properly and with enough algae.