Skimmer or ATS first?

[dirtycontour]

Skimmer or ATS first in sump? Reasoning?

[kotlec]

Skimmer. Aerates water and helps scrubber breathe. There is Garfs separate topic on that.

[Garf]

Skimmer. Aerates water and helps scrubber breathe. There is Garfs separate topic on that.

There's no right or wrong way to do it, just depends on what you consider to be more important to your tank;
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/show...ubbers-breathe

[duganderson]

Don't most folks have success without a skimmer? If the scrubber is enough, aren't you just at risk for pulling out too many useful nutrients with the skimmer?

I don't really know these things. I've read about these concepts and am more asking for what actually works for folks.

[RkyRickstr]

And i have been running scrubber only with no water changes for a year.

I recently added bubbles to my screen to see if it helps the scrubber breathe.. might get me a skimmer soon. I just cant justify spending so much for a skimmer that i might not even need.

[SantaMonica]

pulling out too many useful nutrients with the skimmer?

Skimmers don't remove nutrients; they remove food particles, but leave nutrients in the water.

[Ace25]

I run my skimmer after the scrubber, but don't use the cup on the skimmer to collect anything, it just overflows back into the sump. I use the skimmer just for added aeration of the water, but that is a very expensive aerator ($300 in my case). I had the skimmer before I started using ATS's, otherwise I wouldn't use one, and on my second tank I have never used a skimmer.

[Garf]

Skimmers don't remove nutrients; they remove food particles, but leave nutrients in the water.

Still don't get this one. Makes no sense. What your saying here is don't scrub because your removing the nutrients that turn into particulates which feed the tank. Please enlighten me.

[SantaMonica]

Skimmers remove food particles and leave nutrients in the water.

[Ace25]

Garf, let's not go through this again. I think we have beat that topic to death. It is semantics. Both views are right.. but my view is similar to yours Garf (#2).

View #1: Food contains nutrients bound up, nutrients never enter the water column, instead skimmer removes them, ie. doesn't remove nutrients per se.
View #2: Food contains nutrients bound up, by removing them via skimming you are removing nutrients from the system before they ever enter the water, leads to the opinion skimmers do in fact remove nutrients in a round about way.

I think the point that Santa Monica is so eloquently able to convey (sarcasm), is a skimmer does not remove N/P directly out of the water is any meaningful amount. Nutrients must be used/bound up in other things the skimmer can remove.