Newbie with Filter,Skimmer ???'s

[justdugan]

Hello all,
First all I want to say what a wonderful site this is! It has helped me get my first tank started and working well. Now of course the deeper I get into it the more questions I have.
Just to give you an Idea what I have at the moment, a 37 tall with about 30lbs+ of LR, Current 30" PC lighting, 2 Emperor 240 Filters and 200w heater and a powerhead. My bio load consists of 2 False Percs, a Firefish goby, 2 Chromis, a Coral Banded and a scooter Blenny w/numerous snails, hermits. I also have a small crop of zoo's and shroom's.
My questions are:
1.) Should I invest in a protein skimmer and ditch one/both the emperors.
2.) If I do keep one of the Emperors, should I continue to use a carbon filter, I heard both good and bad things about them.
3.) Is a fuge completely necessary for my setup?
Thanks again for the help, I hope these arent dumb questions, but like I said I am a newb. So far my tank has been running for almost 5 months and its looking great!

 

[salt210]

more knowledgeable peple will chime in but yes you do want a skimmer. a fuge will help, but you still want some type of filtration system. I dont believe that you need to run the carbon constantly but not sure about that one. there are no dumb questions, dont be afraid to ask for help here everyone is more than glad to point you in the right direction.

 

[mr_x]

1- it's up to you. it's going to be hard to find a decent hang on style skimmer for your tank, but not impossible. you can keep the tank plenty healthy with regular waterchanges.
2. again, it's preference. i don't run carbon, but i do keep a hang on filter just incase i ever need to. some run carbon all the time. either way can work.
3. no. a refugium is not necessary. it's a nice addition to the tank though.

 

[justdugan]

Thanks for the help fellas, this site is truly a wealth of info.

 

[girlina4x4]

For my 29 gallon, I have the Prizm hang on skimmer. Its rated up to 100 gallons and works perfectly for me. It was $104...not bad!