Do i really need a protein skimmer?

[Frank220]

I'm wondering if I really need a protein skimmer. I hear a lot of people use them and that they work really well and get all kinds of crap out of the water and stuff. But I only have a 10g tank and all I'm going to have in there is some live rock and a mantis shrimp. About three inches of sand substrate and I have an HOB filter rated for 100 gallons an hour, along with a 100 watt heater. I currently have a damsel fish in there but as soon as I get the shrimp is there, the damsel is just food. So do I really need a skimmer? I can't imagine that one animal could produce enough waste throughout the whole tank to need one. Advice, tips? Thanks

 

[Budda619]

Mantis shrimps are very hardy. You will just have to do more frequent water changes thats all. Inverts put out a very low bioload/waste. My 30 gallon was suppose to be for a mantis but i got tired of staring at my friends mantis tank. They always hide. My other friend has a zebra mantis which is a spearer. He burrows and lives under a 6ft sand bed. Just him and sand lol

 

[Frank220]

Haha ok thanks. That's what I thought but I just wanted to get an opinion from someone more experience than me. And a 6ft sand bed? That's huge, mines only about three to four inches

 

[Budda619]

Only reason he has a 6 is because his shrimp is a burrower. What type of mantis are you going to get? Peacock are smashers and the most popular. Fun to watch

 

[Frank220]

I'm getting a zebra mantis. It's a spearer. I'm going to put it in my tank today. This is a pic of it eating a goldfish

 

[Budda619]

Yea boii!!

 

[Frank220]

Finally got it into my tank. Just fed it a pregnant guppy and the shrimp started spitting out live guppy babies. Now there are like five live guppies swimming around. I'm surprised they're still alive after 15 minutes