Protein skimmer accidently left off

FlyinBryan

FlyinBryan

New member
So i accidently left my protein skimmer off on my 150 gal tank for aproximately 48 hrs. Fish and corals all seem to be doing well. Is there anything i should be concerned about besides the obvious?
 
You should be fine, it will most likely pull some super nasty stuff now that its back on :) I have turned mine off and forgotten to plug it back in and it has been fine.
Heidi
 
You'll be fine. No need to worry. Like Heidi said it'll probably just pull alot of nastiness out!
 
Also, keep an eye on your Nitrates/phosphates if you have a reef tank as they will probably be higher without the skimmer. If you have a fowlr, they don't mind high nitrates/phos.
 
Thx everyone for ur quick responses!! Cola i will def keep my eye on that. Its a corals and fish tank. Look forward to the nasties!! :)
 
Honestly you will likely see no difference in skimming performance. Skimmers are only ~30%-40% efficient anyway so most of it is just going to keep passing around until your next water change.

I would personally do a nice 20% water change. That would have a much more significant impact.
 
Spot Feedig, when you hand feed your LPS or use a syringe/baster to feed SPS, instead of pouring food into the aquarium. That way you make sure your corals get the food and you actually use less food, which means less waste/detritus in your tank.
 
many people run skimmer less reef systems and do them well.
having your skimmer off for 48 hours shouldn't really make a dent since you shouldn't be relying on a single mechanical filter for the well being of your tank.
 
I start by defrosting frozen mysis & bloodworms (I usually have to chop the mysis into smaller pieces, in a blender or food processor). Drain & add RO water, with Vita-Chem &
Selcon. Soak for a few hours. Add 1/4 tsp of any powdered dry foods I find, with a chunk of Rod's Food & a piece of Cyclopeeze. I turn off all flow & spot-feed everything that has a mouth, with a turkey baster. When they look like they'v e eaten most of the food I've placed on them (usually a hour or 2), I turn on the flow but leave the skimmer off for another 24 hours. I do this every 10-14 days.
 
Pufferpunk said:
I start by defrosting frozen mysis & bloodworms (I usually have to chop the mysis into smaller pieces, in a blender or food processor). Drain & add RO water, with Vita-Chem &
Selcon. Soak for a few hours. Add 1/4 tsp of any powdered dry foods I find, with a chunk of Rod's Food & a piece of Cyclopeeze. I turn off all flow & spot-feed everything that has a mouth, with a turkey baster. When they look like they'v e eaten most of the food I've placed on them (usually a hour or 2), I turn on the flow but leave the skimmer off for another 24 hours. I do this every 10-14 days.
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All of that finely ground protein and fat (oil) decomposing for 24 hours with absolutely no nutrient export sounds like a nutrient issue waiting to happen.
 
SkullV said:
All of that finely ground protein and fat (oil) decomposing for 24 hours with absolutely no nutrient export sounds like a nutrient issue waiting to happen.
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I think the amount of food would have to be determined, as in how much is left over and relying on the nitrifying bacteria to breakdown.

If its all being consumed within that period of time, I don't see that as an issue.

Over feeding is the issue.
 
No issues, plenty of good bacteria, especially with vitamin C dosing. No worries here!

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jcarlilesiu said:
I think the amount of food would have to be determined, as in how much is left over and relying on the nitrifying bacteria to breakdown.

If its all being consumed within that period of time, I don't see that as an issue.

Over feeding is the issue.
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True, but things like Cyclopeeze, "Powdered food", and Pureed mysis will NOT be even close to entirely consumed no matter how hard you try. Just fish swimming around would be enough to kick that stuff up into the tank. Have you ever dropped .5ml of Selcon into your tank? It clouds things up pretty fast!

If somehow it is 100% consumed in that period I agree that there would be no nutrient issue.
 
<<<MOD EDIT: Inflammatory and overall unnecessary comments>>>

Take it for what you will. Either way shutting off your skimmer for 24 hours once by accident is no issue at all.
 
Looks better than ever! Everyone has problems with their system from time to time... <<<MOD EDIT: Addressed concern>>>
 
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