URGENT : do i need a protien skimmer ( 20 gal tank )

[new_world_disor]

ive read in so many places about this. and some people say yes you need one whatever the tank size. others say a nono doesnt HAVE to have one.
please help ( quickly haha ) do i need one ? or do i not need to bother ?

cheers

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[salty3]

You dont need one, but you might have to do more or bigger water changes to make up for not haveing one. In the longrun after buying water and salt it will pay for itself.

[new_world_disor]

cheers. i wont get one str8 away then :)
haha .
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[InLimbo87]

Nope don't need one. There's also a constant debate going on whether or not they are truly beneficial in small tanks. The argument is that they remove more beneficial trace elements than they should in a small tank, and in turn rip the water of beneficial nutrients.

[BlakDuc]

Every time I clean the cup of my skimmer, I wonder how any of that crap could be "beneficial." I think with a smaller tank, it should be more important than with a larger tank. These smaller tanks are more"finiky" than larger tanks, any nutrient export helps out a lot. I hope this helps. If you are just cycling the tank right now, I think it is more important if you are using uncured live rock to help get the crap out.

[rorchilles]

i say yes skimmer good

[InLimbo87]

You may also want to look into turning an AC70 into a hang-on-back refugium. I don't have a direct link to it, but know its a fairly cheap and easy way of nutrient export.

[new_world_disor]

i bought a V2 skim 400 today. £40 brand new

[kaserpick]

It truely depends on what type of corals you want to keep. Softies and LPS can handle or even like dirtier water; therefore, it is reasonable to keep one and only perform WC's. If you wanted to keep SPS, then the task at hand can be much much more difficult. Hope that helps you make a decision. :)

[new_world_disor]

going for sps eventually.
just sorting out the V2 skim at the mo. dont want the pump in the tank as it takes up so much room so ive got to plumb it ouitside the tank. taking ages.

[rakeck]

I would say "depends, but probably not"

Some questions to ask yourself ..
How much invert/fish life will the system have?
How large (small) is the system? (real water volume wise)
Do you have room for a skimmer or will it take away from the asthetics of the main display?

Unless someone regularly abuses a system i.e. always overfeeds, always doses this that and the other, has problems with things entering the system that do not belong ... one can get away without a skimmer, provided an appropriate water change schedule is followed and it is "lightly" and accordingly stocked with critters that are not excessively messy.

I stopped running skimmers several years ago in small and medium sized systems after I started making smarter livestock decisions and moved to smaller systems where water changes were easier and more manageble, and all is still well and thriving.

I'm not anti-skimmer but I believe improperly used and in the wrong application they can be more of a liability than an asset.

[new_world_disor]

well after fidling with the fittings for the V2 i decided im not going to bother with it. i dont want TONNS of fishies nd critters. and i can spend the money on something more usefull. THANX for all the replies guys :) gr8 help. haha

[killagoby]

Skimmers work better than fuges. You would need a huge fuge to get the same export that a smaller skimmer would provide. I'm pro skimmer. One never hurts.

[Slakker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10312097#post10312097 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by killagoby
Skimmers work better than fuges. You would need a huge fuge to get the same export that a smaller skimmer would provide. I'm pro skimmer. One never hurts.

Actually a skimmer on a small system can remove beneficial nutrients in the water.

IMO doing a 10-15% water change every week is more than enough to keep the water quality good, plus reduces the need to ever dose anything.

[Mark426]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10312216#post10312216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker

IMO doing a 10-15% water change every week is more than enough to keep the water quality good, plus reduces the need to ever dose anything.

Finally someone has posted how a nano reef works!
Thats the whole beauty of it.

Mark

[Qckwzrd]

I asked the same question about my 15 gallon nano. I have suncorals and dendros that I feed a lot! From the thread I started the majority of people said get a fuge rather then a skimmer and weekly water changes. A proper fuge would cut nitrates, phosphates and build your pod count. 3 pluses. Now I just gotta find someone selling a fuge :)

[mmd]

heres a link to my thread (pics), 37 gallon no skimmer sump or refugium..
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1155973

[killagoby]

I've got a skimmer and 10 gallon fuge on my 29 gallon. I only do water changes when needed (which is almost never). I guess I qualify for the low maintance approach for a Nano...