Protien skimming??

[turtlesrock]

is it neccisary to have a protien skimmer oon a SW tank. im going to setup my first marine tank. i am going to start with a 10 gallon even though they are harder to maiintan than a larger tank.

anywhoo, do i absolutly NEED a protien skimmer? what will happen if i dont have one?

also do i need live rock? i kn ow its super useful for bio, i might just get like 5 pounds of live rocks and some fake plants..

THANKS IN ADVANCE =]

 

[turtlesrock]

if anyone wants to know what the stock will bel. this is what it will look like

1-2 clown fish
2-3 shrimp or crabs
2-3 salt water snails
possiblly 1 or 2 sponges

 

[F.F. Julio]

For a 10 gallon tank I would say no you dont need one, but you have to stock your tank very lightly we are talking maybe one small fish. Water changes will take care of the disolved organic protiens in the tank. I would say 10 percent or more weekly. The live rock in my oppinion is a must it is a great biological filter. I just recently tore down my 24 gallon reef tank that was packed full of coral and lightly stocked with fish due to me moving. GO FOR IT do your research and become well informed be a responsible salt water keeper and the hobby will pay you back ten fold in satisfaction of seeing the tank mature and grow. Also you will want to bump your live rock up to 10 pounds or more.

 

[turtlesrock]

ok thanks heres what im thinking

12lbs of live rock with 1 fake plant, ill be getting a sponge of some kind and ill stock it like this
1 clown fish
the sponge ofcourse
1-2 hermit crabs
1 snail

ill have my 20 gallon filter on it which is 100gph. that gives me a 10x turnover. which is what imm aiming for. ill need to buy a heater and a light fixture though. and ill need a big old bag of salt. i havent really gotten alot of supplies because i still need to research. heres a list of what i have already

10 gallon tank
100gph aqeon power filter.
siphon hose

LOL its not much but its a start. heres the things i still need

lighting ~$40
food ~$10
sand ~$20
all the fish ~$40
salt ~$30
hydrometer (i think thats what its called) (for testing the salt levels) ~$10

Anything else i need? this is just my estamant price= $150. ill need to save up for a couple of months probubly around half a year. LOL!! dont worry though, somehow i got my 100gallon long setup with ABSOLUTLY EVERYTHING included for $400!!! so i might just pull this of for like $70. LOL!!! im just so happy to finally get a SW setup.

 

[nes999]

i would suggest a refractometer instead they are way way way more accrute

 

[turtlesrock]

hmm... maybe

 

[fcamargo6thave]

I think you should be fine but if you see that water quality is an issue get one make sure the tank is properly cycled though

 

[BadOleRoss]

Thos swing are things are junk. One air bubble and your reading is way way off. Spend the $50 on a refractometer, you'll be glad you did.

 

[mr.reef24]

as with any marine setup it is necessary in the long run to have a protein skimmer as in your case with a small tank it is not as forgiving when something goes wrong so not having the skimmer is a disadvantage for you. If you don't use a skimmer do a 5% water change or 10% at least once a week to remove harmful nitrates and other pollutants in the tank

mr.reef24

 

[turtlesrock]

thanks guys but i just decided not to go with a SW tank