Bite the bullet and get one-it has made a huge difference in my 30 gallon. The water is now crystal clear with no yellow hint to it-and the fish like the extra current. I picked a Seaclone 100 and had to replace an O-ring and use 100% silicone on the "J" tube to stop leaks right out of the box---but, it was cheap and it pulls lots of brown smelly muck out of my tank. I was looking at the BakPak2, but it was more than I wanted to spend at the time. You will hear good and bad reports from board members about various skimmers if you do a search, but in the end, a decent one will help you along.