Which Skimmer Do I Buy?

[tehauthority]

Theres so many brands and so many kinds I don't know whats what, I have a 29g, tank. And need a skimmer I already got my substrate, lighting, heater, live rock, and everything picked out for the most part... But seriously which kind of skimmer should I buy I would like to stay fairly cheap but yet good quality. Thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, on a tank that small, a skimmer is not always necessary, and it's tough to find one that's really suitable. Really the only two options worth any $$ are the AquaC Remora and the Tunze 9002. Unfortunately, a 29g with it's thin front-to-back footprint is a difficult tank for the internal Tunze too...

 

[tehauthority]

I understand,,, so by not exactly using a skimmer... what would take place??? Just the Whisper 60? ... "the power filter I have now" or what would I use? I've been researching and researching and all the skimmers are find are very expensive and for very big tanks.... now and they all say In-Sump,,, by that it means....??

 

[SkiFletch]

That means they sit inside a sump... A skimmer is used to remove dissolved organic compounds (DOC's). These DOCs can break down into nitrates and phosphates if left alone, and those excess nutrients can lead to algae blooms and stunded stony coral growth. DOC's can also be removed with waterchanges, which on a tank as small as 29g are not that hard to perform. The reason most skimmers are big and expensive is because they are designed for big tanks where large water changes become more difficult and costly.

 

[tehauthority]

so is it pointless for me to get a skimmer??? and just do a water change.??? itd probably be cheaper just to keep remixing saltwater up, and what not anyway.... so basically I just need


lights,
sand,
live rock,

and im good to go? with the filter I currently have or no? the whisper 60 is what I have now. HOB

 

[Musho3210]

if you have a decent amount of live rock (at least 1 pound per gallon) then you wont need a filter, just decent flow from powerheads.

A protein skimmer is not pointless, i use it with good results in my 20 gallon nano (tunze 9002) but it is not needed for me, im just a tiny bit lazy with my water changes and i keep one or two stony corals. It also makes me sleep better at night.

It shouldnt be at the top of your to buy list, but if you ever find yourself with extra cash and dont know what to do with it, a good skimmer wouldnt hurt

 

[SkiFletch]

It shouldnt be at the top of your to buy list, but if you ever find yourself with extra cash and dont know what to do with it, a good skimmer wouldnt hurt

Agreed

 

[tehauthority]

so basically, I should buy my lights then first before my skimmer??? ,,, and then just user power heads and no filtration and then eventually get a skimmer??? or what.

 

[andywg]

I would suggest reading the pinned and FAQ threads, as all this is detailed therein.

However, in case three are any lazy readers:

In Marine tanks with Live Rock, the LR is the filter, containing all the surface area for the bacteria to colonise, as well as containing beneficial microfauna to deal with waste. To esnure adequate use of all the rock and to make sure all levels are equal throughout the tank it is advise to have a higher than FW turnover (around 10-20x the tank's volume being turned over every hour being the minimum). If your tank is 29 gallons, look to have at least 290 gallons per hour being turned over with more being generally better.

The lights you buy will depend on what you want. For a tank without photosynthetic invertebrates (commonly grouped as corals and nems) then lighting is personal choice and ultimately optional. One of my frogfish tanks doesn't have a light on it, but doesn't suffer.

As you decide to have more light dependant organisms, so the light levels required to keep them increase.

A curing tank does not need lights, so sand live rock and circulation are the most important things to get one started.