how neccessary is a protein skimmer

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talal101

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 29, 2011
408
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alberta
hi,
im asking because i read that you dont have to have a protein skimmer all the time, and that it depends on what your individual set up is.
i dont have a salt water tank right now but i do have a fresh water tank that i plan to turn into a salt water tank in the future and my future set up plan will be this:
65 gallon FOWLER system
xp2 rena canister filter
2-3 inches of sand
30-50 pounds of live rock
2 ocellaris clowns
2 banggai kardinals
2 firefish, or fire gobies
2 yellow-tail blue damsels
a clean up crew
and possibly a bicolor dottyback
elite 300W heater
marineland eclipse natural daylight bulbs
i hope i have described in enough detail and that my tank will not be overstocked. if you see anything wrong with my livestock list, or you think i can add anything else please tell me.
 
Thats what I was thinking, I believe having a deep sand bed and a good amount of live rock and not overstocking will be fine without a PT skimmer. And if I'm keeping up with water changes I don't see a reason to get one. I think it's all a huge myth that a skimmer is 100% neccassary.
 
I believe it helps as long as you have an effective skimmer, and especially if you feed alot. Although if you keep you with frequent wc and feed lightly you should be ok.
 
Yeah I don't plan on having any huge fish in there so waste will be pretty minimal, and I would keep up with weekly 10%-15% water changes so I think I will be fine and if anything I can always buy one after if I decide that I need it.
 
If you get a skimmer, get a quality one, a lot of the cheap ones are junk. I kept my tank without one and never had a problem until I added coral, then I added a skimmer and it does make a difference. They keep your water very clean but with that stocklist you should be fine without one as long as you keep up with water changes at least twice a month. Having a skimmer is nice for when you're busy and slack a little on water changes also. If you decide to get into coral though I'd definitely recommend getting one.
 
you know its not that i dont want to get one, but its that i want to get one when the money to get one comes in. converting from FW to SW is a pretty costly switch so i would like to take it in steps. but it is for sure a future plan, with or without coral. thanks for the tips
 
Skimming IMO...is the way to go. A good skimmer will help keep h2o in check better than almost anything else you will buy for your tank...I wouldnt do a SW without one.
 
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