Skimmer required for 20g?

Do you must have skimmer? Like for even 20 gallons? I heard you would have to change water every single week if you dont have skimmer. If so how many % water change do you need? And how much does 20 gallon skimmer cost?

 

Depends what you plan to keep in there - how heavy your bioload is. If it is just a few small fish, I would personally just use a filter, perhaps with a biowheel, and do fairly frequent water changes. But the more heavily you stock the tank, the greater the need for more filtration such as a skimmer.

 

Well what do you think of this SKimmer..Protein Skimmer for Saltwater: Aquarium Systems SeaClone Protein Skimmer at PETCO
It seemed pretty cheap. I am planning on making the aquarium pretty, so with corals and like 2-5 fish maybe? If I buy this skimmer how often would i need to change water then?

 

Honestly I wouldn't go with a SeaClone. I've never owned one, but if you search this forum you will find a lot of discontent with people who have used them.

I'd go with a BakPak or Reef Octopus for tank your size.

 

I TOTALLY understand wanting to make your aquarium beautiful. I also understand being on a budget. But I have to tell you that you will NOT get 5 fish in a 20 gallon saltwater aquarium (freshwater yes, saltwater no). Even if the fish are small, you will not go above 2-3 in a 20 gallon aquarium. You could put some corals and inverts in there too.

So bottom line, if I was you and wanted a 20 gallon aquarium, I would buy a HOB filter (such as a marineland with a biowheel), no skimmer, some liverock (which acts like an incredible biological filter), and plan for 2-3 small fish (no tangs or angels!). In this case I would change the water 20% every week or two, depending on your nitrate readings.

If you want 5 fish, get more like a 30 gallon (minimum) with a protein skimmer (and live rock). The bigger the tank you buy, the more freedom you have in adding to it later. And even with this set-up, you will still likely change 10-20% of the water every 2 weeks or so.

As a final note, I had originally planned on a 29 gallon aquarium, then changed my mind to a 55 gallon, and then finally bought a 90. Now I wish I had gone bigger

 

I'm thinking he/she would be better off trying the Berlin Method with their tank. I had hard time keeping decent water quality with a bio-wheel on a 29g. Just a thought.

 

You are almost certainly correct that with liverock and a skimmer (berlin method) the water quality would be better, but I don't know that a skimmer is necessary on a lightly stocked 20 gallon if you have a biowheel and liverock. And if budget is a big concern, a biowheel filter is much cheaper than a skimmer. They can always upgrade later.