So I was thinking of turning my fuge into a skimmer chamber

So, in my humble 10g sump, I had to choose between a fuge/chaeto chamber or a skimmer chamber. I choose to setup a fuge chamber, as its a little cheaper to setup and Ive always had great results in the past.

But Ive noticed that its also quite the 'detritus' chamber as well, and Im also starting to question is efficacy. So it got me thinking of skimmer vs chaeto.

What are some schools of thought in regards to skimmer vs chaeto?

 

What kind of corals are you keeping?

 

Mainly LPS. But I do have a couple SPS frags; a collection I will definitely be expanding.

 

Well with LPS, depending on the size of your tank and water change habits you could stick with chaeto IMO. Regardless I'd think you will always have detris in that chamber - I don't think a skimmer will change that.

 

What are you currently using for chemical and mechanical filtration? What are your water parameters? What measurable thing do you say is wrong with your system?

 

I'm not necessarily having any real problems. I mean, Im dealing with a little bit of cyano, but ill get that dialed in. I was just thinking about the future. Because I do eventually want to invest in higher quality frags, and if a skimmer would provide overall better heath compared to a fuge with cheato, I would prefer to change over.

 

I think, of your system has been running for a while, and your numbers are where you want them, why change? It's debatable whether a skimmer on a tank less than about 50 gallons has much of any benefit, compared to water changes anyway. Does the chaeto provide any pods? But that's just my 2 cents. I'm sure other, more experienced reefers would have more to say on the skimmer vs fuge.

 

Myself, I'd go with the skimmer. Macro is a nutrient sink, while a skimmer is nutrient export.

 

Im curious about this. Have any real info about this?

 

Good question ninja. This is partly what I base that statement on:
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f218/futuredocs-skimmer-thread-160240.html

But many things I've read lead me to believe that you can either go with water changes or skimmer for < 40 gallon tank. Although, I do have one on my 40b. I do weekly water changes of 10% as well. I barely get any skimmate.
Edit: I've only been at this for a year, so I'm not speaking from experience, only what I've read. In sure there are others that can chime in on their experience on this topic.