Protein Skimmer Advice

There also some with surface skimmers.
Is that an added benefit or not really necessary?

 

Meagan, maybe it's best to just go with the advice of someone with over 30 yrs experience with all skimmers here. Most people that give you advice on their skimmer, have only used one or two skimmers in their short experience (maybe for even less than one year) and don't have any direct experince of any other skimmers to compare against.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread but I have a similar dilemma. I've just started really getting into reef systems. I know a bigger tank is better but I'm getting a ~30gal for free incuding all the bits and pieces.....minus a skimmer. For a tank so small will something like this work? Also thinking about the Prizm Mini skimmer.... Gah, I'm so lost but for a tank so small I know I don't need anything huge....

 

I can't really pay that much for a skimmer though. Unless I can find a used one or something like that and I also only have a 55 gallon tank and I think that would be too much for it.
Is there any smaller models of this skimmer?