Skimmer vs. fleece roller

[Wasteoftime247]

When I set up my tank I am trying to debate on getting a skimmer or fleece roller first. This is my first SW tank so I may not even be asking the right question. They both seem to do roughly the same thing. It would seem that the skimmer would remove smaller particles from the water as opposed to the fleece roller. I plan on having a mixed tank and my tank is roughly 104 gallons with a 40 gallon sump.

 

[GARRIGA]

Skimmer also performs gas exchange. However, I don’t run either. Rather run a Fuge and trap detritus. Have better things to do than be cleaning socks, mats or skimmer cups.

 

[Pod_01]

My recommendation is to use skimmer as the only form of filtration. Add activated carbon once you have some corals, but keep it under 25ml per 100l of water and change once every 4-6 weeks. No socks or other filter methods.
Fleece rollers are too effective and seem to strip everything from the water etc….
The end goal is to grow corrals and they are really the best filter you can have.
Other filtration methods just take food/ nutrients/ trace elements from the corals.
But it sure is fun to experiment as well, as long as the animals don’t suffer.

Good luck,

 

[Wasteoftime247]

My recommendation is to use skimmer as the only form of filtration. Add activated carbon once you have some corals, but keep it under 25ml per 100l of water and change once every 4-6 weeks. No socks or other filter methods.
Fleece rollers are too effective and seem to strip everything from the water etc….
The end goal is to grow corrals and they are really the best filter you can have.
Other filtration methods just take food/ nutrients/ trace elements from the corals.
But it sure is fun to experiment as well, as long as the animals don’t suffer.

Good luck,

Great, thanks for the advice. My thought was to start with a skimmer and see how it went from there and your advice drives that thought home. You're right about experimenting being fun. I'm finding this hobby definitely scratches my need to tinker!

 

[Hooz]

I've seen several reputable sources suggest that, when running a fleece roller, you can/should undersize your skimmer. I've also seen people who have ditched the skimmer alltogether. I guess it will depend on bioload, feeding amount, etc.

 

[WarChief]

Skimmer also performs gas exchange. However, I don’t run either. Rather run a Fuge and trap detritus. Have better things to do than be cleaning socks, mats or skimmer cups.

Any pics or description of how and what you put in your refugium? Trying to get one going soon.

 

[GARRIGA]

Any pics or description of how and what you put in your refugium? Trying to get one going soon.

Messing with my test tank. At the moment testing if GHA and red algae can grow under intense light and handle my main concern being pH.

This is my red algae pearling under a G6 XR15 Pro on full spectrum and 100% intensity. Doesn’t happen like this until after about six hours of lighting.

 

[GARRIGA]

Any pics or description of how and what you put in your refugium? Trying to get one going soon.

This is my diy ATS. Light source being the same XR15. Going to add a ChaetoMax 18w later on to see if that out competes the tank algae. Need to arrange it so the water flows over the Tidal 75 blue sponge. Saw that on YouTube. Makes sense.

Seems silly to buy macroalgae when GHA and red algae are free and easier to manage. Actually hoping to see GHA at full length to see what that looks like and how all this solves nutrients and co2. Will send out periodic ICP to evaluate trace consumption.

Goal is to have multiple detritus traps from coarse to fine then run that through micron filters then Gac then UV then through the ATS and or Fuge. Might add ozone before the GAC.

Micron filtration might go down to 5 micron to manage pathogens such as free swimming stage of ich/velvet. Keep changing my mind on that since I want to reduce maintenance therefore final micron will likely depend on how much effort needed to keep entire system flowing. Might split the water through several channels all conversing on the final ATS/Fuge. Lots of more testing and designing. I have time and patience.

 

[exnisstech]

I don't find a skimmer a necessity at all. I don't have a roller because I think they are overpriced and more important to me they introduce another point of failure.
I run reef diapers in my larger system and just toss them every few days. I use mesh socks in my other tanks because they are so much easier to clean than felt. I tried going without socks once but my cheato got so full of detritus I had to pull it and clean the chamber and add a fresh ball of chaeto. The tank below is an example of why I say a skimmer is not necessary.

 

[minus9]

If you're new to the hobby, then getting a skimmer will be a lot easier for you to grasp and deal with than dealing with filter roller. Filter rollers are just a form of mechanical filtration, that's it. They help out in other ways indirectly, but it's not where I would put my focus as a new hobbyist. A skimmer will provide much more than just mechanical filtration. Instead of spending money on a filter roller, spend that money on volumes 1 & 3 of Delbeek and Sprung's "The Reef Aquarium". Those two books will take you further than any piece of gear or web forum.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have used both, IMO, their purposes are very different. The skimmer provides aeration, gas exchange and removes organic matter as a result. A filter roller removes particulate matter thus providing clearer water and less organic matter in the water column etc. I currently run a skimmer and always will. Would probably use a roller if i had room because i do not use filter socks.
One other note of caution from my decades in the hobby. IMO, this can be a challenging hobby for tinkerers. Success in keeping a reef tank has a direct correlation to one's patience.

 

[threebuoys]

Both. I use fleece roller in first chamber to trap anything large, then skimmer in second chamber to pull out smaller. I also have high density foam in the third chamber to trap anything that makes it by the first two.

 

[Troylee]

Skimmer for me all day! Keeps my tank clean and ph up! No need for a roller and more crap to keep buying monthly lol…

 

[GARRIGA]

Any pics or description of how and what you put in your refugium? Trying to get one going soon.

Forgot to mention. Here’s a simple idea. Got the pic from BRS. Something I was going to do to separate 40B so I could breed clowns pairs by splitting the tank into two or three partitions. It’s Aquamesh which I suspect is nothing more than pond Malala filter foam with a new name. I bought Matala from Amazon years ago. Can probably source at a cheaper cost from pond supply stores.

Can place two with first section filled with pumice to capture detritus and allow it to break down then Fuge then return pump. Might want to glue some plastic knitting sheets like used on ATS to further reduce any particulates from moving between baffle sections. Can also place two per section and insert a floss pad in between and change out as needed. I’m not sure I’d bother with that.

By placing pumice in the first section you can run the pipe into it and make the water silent entering the sump. Super simple. Was going to do this in the 80s with caulerpa but instead of foam was going to use drip plates from wet dries since I don’t care about having a weir that directs water up and down. It can flow laterally.

Place a top on it to reduce evaporation. Just need a hole for the pipes/tubing to run through and if the center is independent makes pruning the macroalgae efficient.

Reefing doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Just has to keep life in a box although lots profit from it. I’m just not in the mood to take food off my table to feed them.

 

[Wasteoftime247]

If you're new to the hobby, then getting a skimmer will be a lot easier for you to grasp and deal with than dealing with filter roller. Filter rollers are just a form of mechanical filtration, that's it. They help out in other ways indirectly, but it's not where I would put my focus as a new hobbyist. A skimmer will provide much more than just mechanical filtration. Instead of spending money on a filter roller, spend that money on volumes 1 & 3 of Delbeek and Sprung's "The Reef Aquarium". Those two books will take you further than any piece of gear or web forum.

Thanks for that info. I noticed there isn't much in the way of books on reefing. Why do you say volumes 1 and 3 and not 2? I also looked those books up on amazon and they are clearly not in print anymore because they are going for a mint! The 3rd volume is going for 574 bucks!

 

[C_AWOL]

Since your expressed intention seems to be getting both, I would suggest the filter roller first since it would be a lot easier to install at the beginning than to redo some plumbing later on to accommodate the transition.
The extra immediate advantage aside from that would be the improved removal of detritus from the get go vs allowing it to accumulate somewhere or having to use some (possibly) less effective alternative mechanical filtration.

If I misinterpreted the question and its explicitly one or the other then I would pick the skimmer since improved gas exchange is commonly more helpful long term than removing particulates in a lot of systems to say the least.

 

[minus9]

Thanks for that info. I noticed there isn't much in the way of books on reefing. Why do you say volumes 1 and 3 and not 2? I also looked those books up on amazon and they are clearly not in print anymore because they are going for a mint! The 3rd volume is going for 574 bucks!

Mainly because 1 & 3 deal with all of the important things about maintaining a tank. I love Vol. 2, but it's mainly about soft corals and anemones with some added info on pests, etc...but the main principals of reefing are in Vol 1 & 3. Just look up the books used elsewhere, you'd be surprised to find these books in other used online stores for less.