live rock VS skimmer

[smithce79]

Is it true that you can put a lot of LR in your tank/sump and dont use skimmer?

 

[daney90]

Is it true that you can put a lot of LR in your tank/sump and dont use skimmer?

Not true. Although both are for filtration, LR and skimmer have different purposes.

 

[Terrance]

Yes you can do that as long as you fully understand what you gain and lose with your statement. This hobby has to do a lot with personal preferance, but many of use recommend a skimmer for large systems.

 

[obscurereef]

Depends if you're talking about a 10 or 100 gallon tank. Live rock is biological filtration while protein skimmers are mechanical filtration. You could have a 50 gallon tank with LR and some powerheads, but that wouldn't be the most suitable environment for certain fish, inverts, and corals (like SPS which need pristine water). Large, frequent water changes can "replace" a skimmer, but still won't be as efficient. An aquarium larger than 40 gallons should most likely have a skimmer depending on the stock.

 

[PurplePolyp]

I have a 90 gallon tank with 120 pounds of live rock. Water quality was always good and I never had any issues but an occasional algae outbreak. I added a 125g skimmer and now have pristine water and coraline algae only. Go with both.

 

[ktomminello]

I'm running a 40g puffer tank (with LR and sand it's more like 30g) for my green spotted puffer and a 10g LR, sand, worms and clams, lol, but my coralline is coming in for both tanks, cyano has been a problem in my puffer tank, but he's been grazing on it and it's almost gone. I can't keep a clean up crew in puffys FOWLR because he eats them all, lol, and as far as keeping a skimmer- No and No.... However I have 60lbs of live rock and 4 inches of sand in my 10g and close to 150lbs live rock and 2 inches of sand in my 40g. I have pristine water and I don't have do to too much (especially in my puffer tank). Macroalgae is a wonderful relief from nite problems, when used to proper way. I actually am surprised at how having my puffy in a starting out reef tank would LOWER my cost and time spent on pwc. Long story I know, but, hey, I'm not running a skimmer on either tank. My puffer tank is established, fully cycled and stable and has been since July (except for a phos spike- algae fix at the end of a nite cycle= problems) and my 10g was waiting for a little while but now has more rock and quite quickly going coralline as the cyano dies off- levels on this tank have been pristine for 9 days now- YAY!!! I do agree if it's not a nano or pico or a planned eco-habitat a skimmer is a good investment.... In the same breath I will never buy one, and PWC should be my middle name lol.