Time for a skimmer??

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ferretmath

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
46
Location
Miami, Florida
So I have noticed a brown type of film complete with nasty bubbles on the surface of my water in my 20 gallon tank. Is it time to get a skimmer?? If so, what would be the best for a 20 gallon??

Thanks!
 
It is always time for a skimmer. IMO the two basic needs for filtration in a SW tank are LR and a skimmer. There are many types on the market. I am assuming that on a twenty you dont have a sump and you`ll have to get a HOB type.
 
It would certainly help. You can try pointing a powerhead toward the surface of the water tobreak it up a bit.
 
I've always been confused on which skimmer to get since most are rated for much higher gallon tanks.......I actually bought a Berlin Airlift, but it sits so far out from the wall in the tank, that I could not use my lights, so I returned it to the store.

Hmmmm.....maybe the smaller SeaClone???
 
lots of people use Sea Clones on smaller tanks, they just require pretty much constant tweeking. If you can keep up to it I would get one.
jmo
 
Don't waste your money on a Sea Clown.. Never heard anything good about them and know a few guys that used them years ago and they all tossed them after a short time.
 
20 gal long or high? What stock do you have in your 20? What, how much, how often do you feed?

Surface film is usually attributed to a protein build up which is usually caused by overfeeding if you have adequate surface agitation.

Of course a skimmer is always helpful in removing DOC and the AquaC Remora is an excellent choice for your small tank with a small footprint in the back.

IMO it’s best to buy a skimmer that is rated for twice your actual tank size both for performance and in case you decide to upgraded in the future. It’s not going to hurt a smaller tank, only skim that much more effectively.
 
I have a 20 gallon high. Right now I just have a bunch of live rock, 2 hermit crabs and 2 turbo snails. I'll feed just a itty bitty pinch of NutraFin maybe once a week or so.....One powerhead is pointing towards the rock, about half-way down. The out take of my filter (Fluval 204) is at the water line, roughing it up a bit.

I'll have the funds for a skimmer next month, so I'm just sort of looking around to see what is out there that would fit on my tank without interrupting the lights.
 
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