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Early 90s I was actually a representative for an up and coming skimmer company (don't even recall the brand) and I was supposed to sell to LFS. Wasn't given much in the way of instructions or knowledge and told to go find out and use them. Once fully understood they were just another means of mechanical filtration that solved my journey and I stopped using them. Get that they are main stream and very functional but in the end just another means of mechanical filtration to me. Very effective mechanical filtration but if there are other means to resolve the decomposition then this is less practical as I'm often away and unable to constantly maintenance the skimmate or clean necks. I'm also concerned with the skimmer over skimming and causing a spill on my floors were I to use a remote reservoir to extend the periods between servicing that skimmate. Didn't want to deal with the resulting smell since that skimmed will continue to decay. Didn't want my significant other to complain about smells or tell me she didn't want to service it. Didn't want to risk needing reef ready which might result in flooding my floors because something always happens when one is away. Didn't want the need for a sump to house that skimmer. Skimmers in the early 90s were problematic to adjust for me. Today they seem considerably better in that respect but still need a place to house that skimmate between servicing and decay hasn't changed in billions of years. It still stinks.
My conundrum from those early days still exists today. What exactly does that skimmer remove that other means of processing decay until nitrogen gas becomes the end result? I can run ozone through a dedicated reactor. Back in the 90s it was direct through the skimmer. Don't recall if most skimmers were even ozone ready. GAC can be used to remove color along with or in place of ozone. Large enough biological can process any volume of decomposing detritus along with it's ammonia and nitrite byproduct. Properly functioning denitrification filter can process the nitrates. Nitrification/denitrification utilizes phosphates and what's left can be handled by other means. Lanthernum Chloride comes to mind for those now apposed to GFO or fear alluminum leaching from PhosGuard. Carbon dosing has replaced the need for denitrification. Surface agitation can gas off co2 and replace oxygen. Refugiums can do it all. Scrubbers can replace refugiums although since they grab co2 from the atmosphere that means less co2 removed from the water.
Have read skimmers also remove heavy metals but not sure on that and yet to some extent so does macroalgae and what's left has other options such as CupriSorb.
Therefore i ask. What exactly does a skimmer provide that a large enough refugium doesn't? Oh, yeah, once I discovered Algal Turf scrubbers in the late 80s that became my goal. Guess knowing that made my decision to avoid skimmers from the start more relevant although those contraptions at the time were very costly, seemed odd to implement and eventually Dr Adey took them out of aquarium circulation and focused on commercial operations because apparently profits higher in that sector and clueless to mineral requirements as were the rest of us and yet today we have ICP testing that although not pinpoint accurate does provide an approximation of what elements are depleted or in excess. Solutions exist to bring balance and stability. Latter what I strive for.
Only piece of equipment from those early days of the 90s that still make sense today are calcium reactors which realistically should be named alkalinity reactors because that's where the most benefit is derived and even that I struggle to find the space and need because we can now dose better elements than the only choice of the 90s being kalk which as amazing as that is esquires a large amount of evaporation and still needs the addition of magnesium and trace. Latter I recall can be removed by skimming but I could be wrong on that.
One last point that has often confused me. Skimmers supposedly reduce co2 and raise ph when air provided either supplied from outside the house or scrubbed of co2 and if that's because the micro-bubbles are better at gassing co2 vs surface agitation in the display then that would be reason enough to use it, yet I wouldn't need a fully functioning skimmer and just a vessel that replicates that particular function. Perhaps in the back of an AIO or simpler design taking less space in the sump since it shouldn't need to be finely tuned due to skimmate not required and just run it wet with the sole purpose of gassing co2. That would be my holly grail since I can resolve decomposition and my only pressing concern is inability to raise ph consistently above 7.6 due to an overcrowded air tight south Florida home constantly having too may inhabitants. We just breath too much. That would also negate the need for a refugium or scrubber and life would be simplifies using AFR and ICP to balance minerals out. Might still run ozone through a reactor just because I like crystal clear water as if the fish are flying through air. Mostly a big tank problem but I want a big tank.
Have always been a contrarian but I also question everything vs following the masses which often change their path as new news becomes known. Don't get me started on roller mats
My conundrum from those early days still exists today. What exactly does that skimmer remove that other means of processing decay until nitrogen gas becomes the end result? I can run ozone through a dedicated reactor. Back in the 90s it was direct through the skimmer. Don't recall if most skimmers were even ozone ready. GAC can be used to remove color along with or in place of ozone. Large enough biological can process any volume of decomposing detritus along with it's ammonia and nitrite byproduct. Properly functioning denitrification filter can process the nitrates. Nitrification/denitrification utilizes phosphates and what's left can be handled by other means. Lanthernum Chloride comes to mind for those now apposed to GFO or fear alluminum leaching from PhosGuard. Carbon dosing has replaced the need for denitrification. Surface agitation can gas off co2 and replace oxygen. Refugiums can do it all. Scrubbers can replace refugiums although since they grab co2 from the atmosphere that means less co2 removed from the water.
Have read skimmers also remove heavy metals but not sure on that and yet to some extent so does macroalgae and what's left has other options such as CupriSorb.
Therefore i ask. What exactly does a skimmer provide that a large enough refugium doesn't? Oh, yeah, once I discovered Algal Turf scrubbers in the late 80s that became my goal. Guess knowing that made my decision to avoid skimmers from the start more relevant although those contraptions at the time were very costly, seemed odd to implement and eventually Dr Adey took them out of aquarium circulation and focused on commercial operations because apparently profits higher in that sector and clueless to mineral requirements as were the rest of us and yet today we have ICP testing that although not pinpoint accurate does provide an approximation of what elements are depleted or in excess. Solutions exist to bring balance and stability. Latter what I strive for.
Only piece of equipment from those early days of the 90s that still make sense today are calcium reactors which realistically should be named alkalinity reactors because that's where the most benefit is derived and even that I struggle to find the space and need because we can now dose better elements than the only choice of the 90s being kalk which as amazing as that is esquires a large amount of evaporation and still needs the addition of magnesium and trace. Latter I recall can be removed by skimming but I could be wrong on that.
One last point that has often confused me. Skimmers supposedly reduce co2 and raise ph when air provided either supplied from outside the house or scrubbed of co2 and if that's because the micro-bubbles are better at gassing co2 vs surface agitation in the display then that would be reason enough to use it, yet I wouldn't need a fully functioning skimmer and just a vessel that replicates that particular function. Perhaps in the back of an AIO or simpler design taking less space in the sump since it shouldn't need to be finely tuned due to skimmate not required and just run it wet with the sole purpose of gassing co2. That would be my holly grail since I can resolve decomposition and my only pressing concern is inability to raise ph consistently above 7.6 due to an overcrowded air tight south Florida home constantly having too may inhabitants. We just breath too much. That would also negate the need for a refugium or scrubber and life would be simplifies using AFR and ICP to balance minerals out. Might still run ozone through a reactor just because I like crystal clear water as if the fish are flying through air. Mostly a big tank problem but I want a big tank.
Have always been a contrarian but I also question everything vs following the masses which often change their path as new news becomes known. Don't get me started on roller mats
