Running 20g skimmerless???

[weekf]

I have a 20g tank, 2 ocellaris clowns, 5 hermit crabs, 1 brain coral, 1 torch coral, a pair of xenia, 1 toadstool, Some zoos, 1 daisy, 1 leather does that considered as high bioloads? I have been using Prizm since I started this hobby 6 months ago but don't like the sound/noise of the Prizm and thinking of going skimmerless. If I can keep all these without any Prizm that would be great.

Do you guys think I need one for all the above bioloads? Ever since I started this tank I have been doing 15% or 20% water change EVERY week, never missed. Could I keep doing this and run the tank without the Prizm? Need opinion first before I take away the Prizm cause I don't want my tank to crash.

Thanks for the help in advance guys...

[jasno999]

How much live rock do you have??

I think with enough live rock/maybe a HOB filter/and PWC at the right times would be enough to keep the tank in check with no need for a skimmer.

[melosu58]

You would need about 30-40 lbs of lr and plenty of PWC`s. The tank will need constant monitoring

[TeenReefer]

Ive been going skimmerless with pwc's every week or so. No problems yet.

[AMANIQU77]

I have a Prizm. It sucks.

I do think you might need a skimmer for detrius removal, dude. With that said, there are skimmers that are more efficient and are probably much more quiet than the Prizm.

[lando]

A skimmer is certainly reccommended and your tank will benefit from one. That being said, you do not NEED one. I do not have one on my 12gal reef and rely on weekly PWC. I would not consider going skimmerless on my larger reef.

[vsnsofadrgn]

when i had a 20 gal folr, i had a crappy skimmer, so i took it off.... i kept up with my pwc and ran poly filters in a hob. i had no problems... but still got the remora when i had the money to get it....

[MarineFlake]

I run a 29G skimmerless with no problems. Like you I chose to accept that I would have to wc every week. I had a CPR bakpak on it but I wanted it out for the bubbles. So, Its been skimmerless for a year with awesome results. As you pointed out your fish are key to this. I have only 2 perc clowns in mine. Absolutely will need to keep the fish load where its at or you will start to outpace your wc's. Has worked for me for a year now, best of luck!

Peace.

[jasno999]

I have a crappy skimmer on my 10 gallon and it does nothing. Does nto pull anyhting out of the tank. BUt I run a HOB with carbon and PO4 remover- I alos let the skimmer run to at least make use of the water flow it provides.

[Lagger]

Yes. I run my 20g skimmerless and do PWC every 2 weeks. No problems. You just need to be careful how much you feed. In such a small ecosystem it's alot easier to overfeed. The reminents of overfeeding include nuisance algae, more detrius, & fatter lazy fish that urinate more than normal.