To have or not to have [protien skimmer]

[walynut]

Once again all new to this; from what I have read through the threads I would guess yes BUT the LFS and a couple friends that have tanks said it's really not needed? I have a 55 Gallon tank.
I tell you, the more I read about this stuff the dumber I seem to get!!!

What would you say are the parameters to judge weather or not you need one?
Thanks in advance,
Eric

 

[tank a holic]

if you have FOWLR you dont need a skimmer BUT it makes your water quality alot better
if you have a reef you need one for corals to survive

 

[ali19]

Originally Posted by tank a holic
http:///forum/post/3185228
if you have FOWLR you dont need a skimmer BUT it makes your water quality alot better
if you have a reef you need one for corals to survive
Not necessarily true, the key is to have the right balance of life in the tank for it to create an 'eco system' that will support itself. Protein skimmers are very good at taking the bad out but they also take out the good which you dont want. If all your tests are good then i suggest you save your money and do it how nature intended.
Ali

 

[reefkprz]

your not going to find a definitive yes or no answer.
It is in fact possible to do it both ways, with and without. honestlty for a begginner, running a protien skimmer does make starting out easier as it removes a lot of the things you havent yet had the time to learn about, and can assist in maintaining good water quality. I find skimmers are great in both new and old tanks but are especially usefull when starting a new tank. new tanks havent had time to establish complete biosystems so skimmers can reduce the amount of stuff your tank has to deal with. reducing sterain, lessening nutrient spikes, etc.

 

[calbert0]

Originally Posted by tank a holic
http:///forum/post/3185228
if you have FOWLR you dont need a skimmer BUT it makes your water quality alot better
if you have a reef you need one for corals to survive
Hmmm.... You should tell that to my skimmerless reef tank that is and always has been in great shape.

 

[tank a holic]

my bad
i guess i'll rephrase and say it is highly recommended

 

[xcali1985]

Skimmers are like reverse radar for cars. It will assist you in crashing, but won't prevent it, and should be used in combination with good driving habits, not trusted by itself.
Yes you can run a tank without skimmers, after all they are still developing the technology. Just hooking one up dosen't remove you from your normal duties, such as WCs, weekly tests, etc. It actually gives you something else to do as you have to clean the cup every few days (smells horrible if you don't).
My tank looks like it has finally passed new tank syndrome as it has gone through a brown and green algae phase and all traces of it seem to be gone, or at the level my clean up crew can handle it. Now my skimmer pulls out straight black gunk, when it was greenish before.