how important is it to have a protein skimmer?

I've had my tank set up for about 6 months. It was set up for two years before I moved. All my prams are spot on. I can't tell you how many pounds of live rock I have, I honestly don't remember. I have 3 small fish in a 55g. Very few corals. My sump uses a drip tray and live rock rubble for filtering. I just want to know if I should spend the money and invest in a protein skimmer even though I'm not having any issues with my tank? If you think I should, then what would be the best in your opinion?

 

Skimmers are important IMO. You don't need one to have a nice tank though. I have a large bioload in my reef so a skimmer is a must for me. Skimmers do more than clean water as well. If your tank is not having any issues then I wouldn't jump to get one, I've seen amazing tanks without skimmers. As long as your bioload is small and you keep up with water changes you should be fine. All my tanks will always have a skimmer but that's just me. We like pics here

 

Do you have a personal preference on brand of skimmer. I read that corallife is a joke. But I also don't have 400$ to get a reef octopus. I'm new to the site and I'm still getting the hang of it. When I figure out how to post pics I will

 

Unless your planning on increasing your bio load it sounds like your doing fine without one. A great many products in this hobby are not needed if frequent water changes are performed.

Budget wise you might look into building a algae turf scrubber or ATS. They can be constructed rather cheaply and do a great job. Used skimmers are pretty easy to find also.

Good luck.

 

Lighting and skimmer are things that I don't like cutting corners on. Buy the best, save up if you need too.

 

honestly I have a SC 301 bought it for 90 bucks on amazon and it works great for me ...read some of the reviews on it most people love it .

 

I use T5's and only buy ATI brand bulbs. Do you have an opinion on a brand of skimmer you prefer?

 

I will look it up. Thank you

 

Good lighting and bulb choice. On my 220 I have a Coral Vue Diablo DCS Series In-Sump DCS250.

 

As long as you maintain a light bioload and do water changes, you do not "need" a skimmer. That said, I like to run a near zero tank. For me a great skimmer is invaluable. There are several good brands out there. For you size of a tank, you could get a very very good skimmer at under $300. The bigger tanks get very expensive quickly.