36 Gallon Tank

[Fishy_Dude]

Hi I have a 22 gallon salt water tank and I'm getting a 36 gallon tank soon and I wanted to get live rock and some other things to and I was wondering if I should get a Protien Skimmer ???

THX 8)

 

[impur]

Won't hurt thats for sure. But you can probably get away with weekly WCs and save the money. If you find you can't keep up with nutrient export, then i'd look at ebay for a good deal. I would definately try w/o skimmer first, JMO.

 

[hyrookin]

are you going to be fish only or mini reef? if fish only,then impur
is absolutely right. but if you are going to have corals,then you better
do more research. personally,I do not have a skimmer, but I am
considering one so I can up my stocking capacity.
good luck.

 

[leanne]

It's all coming out!! I was slated when I said I didn't have a skimmer and manage with water changes alone (20gal) now I see that there are a few of us... I think that for smaller tanks they are ugly and impractical and seem to be an excuse to water change less diligently... Someone said, when I said I w/c upn to twice a week, that they have a skimmer and only need to do it once every 3 months. All I can say is "poor fish".

I'd say get one if you want one but if you think you can manage keeping up with the w/c don't feel presurised by people. You can stock more heavily with one though...

 

[impur]

Yes good point. Skimmers really aren't needed on smaller tanks. Going 3 months w/o a WC is not only bad on fish, its horrible for corals. They need frequent WCs to provide them with trace elements that have been used up. I do weekly 1 gal WCs on my 10gal. My corals are doing wonderful, growing and brightening up each day. BTW, you can over skim your tank and remove even beneficial elements. On a 36 gal, i think you are best with WCs than a skimmer even for corals. Change about 4 gal weekly and your are set. Use the money you save on new corals or even lights!

 

[hyrookin]

yeah, I think if the tank is a reef and is smaller than 40 gallons a skimmer
is not necessary. I do think skimmers can be a vital peice of equipment in
a reef tank,but I think in fish only tanks,no matter the size,you can go
without,with no ill effects. I myself do a 15%
change every three weeks, and all my levels are good.

 

[impur]

yeah, I think if the tank is a reef and is smaller than 40 gallons a skimmer
is not necessary. I do think skimmers can be a vital peice of equipment in
a reef tank,but I think in fish only tanks,no matter the size,you can go
without,with no ill effects.

I agree 100%

 

[leanne]

It's nice to know I'm not a bad mummy to all my fish. I do at least a 15 litre w/c each week - not sure what this is in gallons.

 

[hyrookin]

hey, maybe we should start an anti-skimmer club! lol

 

[leanne]

Nah not an anti-skimmer club; a pro-frequent-water-change-club

 

[hyrookin]

yeah, since I'm always considering getting a skimmer anyway, we don't
want to discourage anyone.