protein skimmer help???

I started my sw tank about 5 weeks ago and the guy at my lfs told me I don't need a protein skimmer. Everything I've read says I should use a skimmer.
Yesterday I was in there and asked again about not haveing a skimmer. He told me that my tank size and the fact that I'm not putting coral in it, there is no need. Also because I have a filter I don't need the skimmer.
My tank is a 36 gallon bow front tank. I have right now about 18 lbs of live rock, crushed coral and sand.
I tried a protein skimmer anyway last week, but the one I got was horrible. All it did was put micro bubbles in my tank. It was the sea clone 100. I returned it after a week and now don't have one again. It didn't collect anything, so maybe he was right and I don't need one.
Any help with this would be great. If I should get one, any recomendations for a hang on type.

 

protein skimmers can take up to a couple weeks to "break in" meaning to start collecting foam. no tank needs a protein skimmer your lfs guy is right. But there is a balance you play with. In having a skimmer it allows you to maintain cleaner water for longer. so you could either buy a skimmer do water changes every 4 weeks or not have a skimmer and do water changes every 2 weeks. a skimmer will also help keep oxygen in your tank. so short answer no you don't need it but most of us reefers love ours.

 

Any ideas on a hang on style Skimmer?

 

Any ideas on a hang on style Skimmer? Everything I read about the one that I had was horrible. It got horrible reviews and of course I saw them after I got it.

 

I've seen a lot of people getting the new Reef Octopus HOB skimmers but I have no experience with HOB. I had a seaclone skimmer that I got on clearence at Petco for $10 that I had for almost a year. It did produce skimate but barely. They are junk skimmers. I now have a reef octo (in sump) and love it.

 

I have a FOWLR tank and my skimmer produces a cup of green stuff every two days. The stuff that it extracts from the water is gross, hard to believe the fish can live with it. But having fish produces more waste than a reef does as I understand it and thus more of a need for one.
Others know more than I do, I would never run a fish tank without one.

 

Very true,you don't have to have one,but if you see the gunk they pull from your water that your mechanical filter will not get,you'll find it hard not to want one.

 

For my first HOB skimmer I got a Remora with a maxi-jet 1200. It's done fine on my 55g heavily stocked reef. I am going to be upgrading to a Bermuda or Deltec pretty soon, will be selling this Remora off on 3reef prob.

I would get rid of the "filter" & replace with a skimmer def.

 

So I would be good with just using a skimmer and no filter? I just need to find a good one. Price doesn't really matter if its going to keep my tank in better condition.
Anyone know a good website for a skimmer?

 

Yes, a filter will eventually just spike your Nitrate by trapping all the waste in it. Unless you have the patience to clean it very often, I would ditch it.

Look into Octopus HOB, Bermuda Rogue, Deltec OCE300 & OCE 600, AquaC Remora Pro, just google them.