New Tank + Novice- Dangerous Mix!

[BecciMac1987]

Right, I have a 180l tank with an internal powerful filter (no media), heater, small external filter, 20k live rock, two strip lights (one normal one blue-came with the tank), marine gravel, pro-reef salt, urrmm, tap water and thats about it! I dont want anything fancy, just a few clowns, inverts, maybe a cardinal. Possibly a few corals.
1) Do I need a skimmer- they are expensive and I haven't a clue how to set one up
2) Could I use ocean rock instead of live rock because again, it is cheaper and I prefer the look of it, and in which case have I got enough filteration?
3) Am I missing anything?
Ive done hours and hours of research and everyone is telling me something different, so I need a difinitave answer please!

 

[cynos]

Right, I have a 180l tank with an internal powerful filter (no media), heater, small external filter, 20k live rock, two strip lights (one normal one blue-came with the tank), marine gravel, pro-reef salt, urrmm, tap water and thats about it! I dont want anything fancy, just a few clowns, inverts, maybe a cardinal. Possibly a few corals.
1) Do I need a skimmer- they are expensive and I haven't a clue how to set one up
2) Could I use ocean rock instead of live rock because again, it is cheaper and I prefer the look of it, and in which case have I got enough filteration?
3) Am I missing anything?
Ive done hours and hours of research and everyone is telling me something different, so I need a difinitave answer please!

I'd personally use a skimmer, the TMC V2 skimmers are very resonable and work very well compared to others on the market
I'd ditch the 2 filters and get 2 x Tunze nanostreams or Koralias(actually maybe run rowaphos or phosban in the external on second thoughts)
I'd also definitly use LR

I've only been in the hobbie a few years myself, but i'll say this DO NOT bother with a red sea skimmer - takes out practically nothing

 

[Sea Turtle]

I am a little new to the hobby also, however, I went through the same thing you did seting up my tank. I decided to go with 1lb per gallon of live rock and a reliable protein skimmer. I am very happy now with the results. You can find some good deals on live uncured rock on the internet and maybe check ebay for a resonable skimmer. I am amazed at how much my skimmer skims off the water. After seeing how much it removes I would never imagine not using one. As far as ocean rock over live rock, not sure. Do yourself a favor and set it up righ, trust me.... Your tank and your wallet will thank you!!

 

[SkiFletch]

The reason you're getting so many different pieces of advice is because there are many different ways to skin a cat. Usually hardware is dictated by the livestock chosen. You have to understand what skimmers do if you're to decide if you need one or not. Skimmers removed dissolved organic protiens which in and of themselves are not bad. However these protiens can break down into ammonia (which is ultimately processed into nitrate) and phosphates. Phosphates are the real difficulty here as they can lead to algae blooms and impede the growth of hard corals.

If you're not keeping hard corals, a skimmer may not be necessary for you. A hang on refugium to combat the phosphates from DOC's might be more cost-effective for you...