hollieberry

I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank and am at the tail end of cycling. I have only one little piece of live rock and would like to get some more and only one damsel and one turbo snail for now. I am thinking that I need to purchase a protein skimmer and wonder if anyone has any thoughts about a good one or bad ones for that matter. Thanks up front for your help and advise.

agsansoo

You really need to determine what type of saltwater tank you want. Fish only, fish only with live rock or reef setup. This will guide you on how much live rock you need.
http://www.fishlore.com/saltwater_aquarium_types.htm and http://www.fishlore.com/live_rock.htm.
As for the protein skimmer, I have a Coralife Super Skimmer 65 for my 60 gallon bow-front. It's a hang-on the tank (H.O.T) or sump type of skimmer. Break-in time is 24 hours. After that it just starts working. The picture is of the skimmer on it's forth day ( 1 day break-in 3 days normal use ).
Do some research ... From AquaC skimmers (great) to SeaClone skimmers (not so great) and everything in between.

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Miss Mouse

I've got an aquaC remora and would highly recommend them - basically what i've heard from everyone is that the more you pay for a protein skimmer, the better you get. If you buy a cheap one it will not give you the best quality.
Good luck!

Gozer_1

I am a recent buyer of an AquaC Remora. I tried a Seaclone first and that was a huge mistake. In my opinion, DO NOT BUY A SEACLONE. I like my Remora, had it for 2 weeks. It's noisy. If you don't want to hear a constant gurgle I suggest researching a quieter option. I am pretty new to skimmers as well so I'm not sure what the skimmate should really look like. My Remora doesn't get foam like the previous posts picture of their Coralife. Mine gets full of stinky water and floaters in about 2 weeks. I have mine on a large freshwater tank though. Don't know if that makes a difference.

agsansoo

Yes it does make a difference!
Most units will work with freshwater. It is more difficult for a skimmer to generate small bubbles in freshwater and it cannot do it as quickly or efficiently. That is why they are primarily used in saltwater.

discus guy

if u have a sump either buy a euro reef skimmer or an asm skimmer? i have a euro reef on my 72 bow front and it is awesome

Mike

My favorite thus far is the aquac skimmers, but I've heard alot of great things about the euro reef too. Savin up to get one.