Is a skimmer needed for a 20 high?

[spankey]

I have a 20 gallon high nano.. I was curious if I could get away without having a skimmer on this tank... I would do the weekly water changes to supside from having one...
I made a stupid mistake of buying the vis-jet for like $30.00 and it was TOTAL JUNK.. Wish I would have done my homework... But anyrate.. I am just using the powerhead for circulation that came with the skimmer, so its not a total loss...
My question is this.. Could I use an airlift skimmer for this tank? I don't want to spend a ton of money on a skimmer for such a small tank.. But again, could I use an airstone driven skimmer for a tank with only 13" in height?
Any recomendations based on experience???
Thanks so much
Spankey

 

[thomas712]

I don't think skimmers are really needed on nano tanks, think of the salt you can buy with that money. Water changes are all you really need. Skimmers are nice but only the in sump models do the best job.
Thomas

 

[22caddy]

It really depends on what you want to do with the tank. I have a 20L and this is just my experience. My water had a lot of haze on the top and the water was not as clear without a skimmer. I made the same mistake and bought the Visi-jet to begin with. I since have used the internet to learn so much more. Just search around and see what you can find.

 

[norway]

it is as simple as this......you absolutely do not need a skimmer. BUT, if you want to keep sensitive corals/anemone's then it would only be the intelligent thing to do.......
i kept a 20 long and 10 gal for over a year and i was constantly scraping algae off the sand, glass, and rocks. my tank looked great but only because i put so much time into it. with a skimmer, i dont ever have to clean the sand or rocks.....glass will always collect a film but it isnt green like it used to be. im using the excalibur (model 1) rated for 100gal and below. i think the runs $140. i would suggest to keep your tank up with water changes and put back $20 a week untill you can afford it.