Skimmer?

I just saw the pole on the homepage. Is a protien skimmer completely nessacary? I have not had any issues with film or anything floating on the top of the tank. I have two Tetra: Advanced Filtration Cartridge System Walmart.com: Tetra: Advanced Filtration L Uses Large Cartridges System, 1 ct: Fish. I wish I wouldnt of gotten them but it seems to filter out the tank well enough and give the oxygen i need for my four fishies and 2 crabs.

55 gallon tank
3 damsels
1 yellow headed sleeper goby
2 emarld crabs

(i had one devilish damsels kill another damsel and a crab to i had him sent off....)

the tank is about a month and a half to two months old.
and I am sorry about posting questions every other day.:-[ Just love this new hobbie and the information varies from place to place... esp at the lfc vs online...

 

if you want to keep stocking the tank, i would say yes its necessary. only very lightily stocked tanks can get by with out them, which you are now.


edit: lets put it this way, if you keep stocking without one expect the hobby to be alot less fun.

 

Nostra

for a reef tank , I would say that a good skimmer is a great investment.

IMO - if you get a decent skimmer , after it has been working for a while, you will wonder why you ever doubted you needed one

Steve

 

About all the unit that you bought is good for is carbon. And it's mediocre at best in that department. Sorry dude. Skimming is necessary on a 55g IMO. Take a look at the following....

**Aqua Medic Turbo Flotor-1000 Multi SL
**AquaC Remora Pro
**Octopus BH-300F

All are good skimmers.

 

Absolutely necessary, no.

Highly desirable: absolutely.

If you do near daily 50% water changes you can do without one for a pretty large stock of fish.

If, however, you have other things to do than spend 20-30 hours a week changing water, mixing salt, all that, then you'll save money and time with a skimmer. You'll go from doing daily water changes to weekly or even monthly.

I have a Sealife System Seastorm 75, it produces heavily. With nothing else to compare to I still feel it's a good unit. Paid about $100 for it.

 

I ran my first tank a 29g tall for about a year, with about 4 fish, some inverts. I never ran a skimmer, did bi weekly 20% water changes and all params were fine. Just have to watch how much you stock, and feed. That said I now have a 55g Fish Only, and have a skimmer on it. I wouldn't try a reef without one though.