I don't ~ I have a 6g cube and just keep up on weekly changes

I have a rudimentary skimmer. I got it years ago and don't know what it's called, but it's basically a tube with a a stubby stone on the bottom and cup at the top to catch the dirty water. It's really hard to find stubby stones these days so I tried pulling it to see what would happen. What a MISTAKE. My whole tank went south in the matter of a month. I highly recommend skimmers of any kind.

Protein Skimmers are mechanized devices that are prefab to be utilised in Man Aquariums, which contain saltwater with lots of salts. You can use a Protein Skimmer in a freshwater tank. A skimmer present not pain the freshwater fish or mortify the installation degree, and the freshwater will not misconduct the skimmer.

i am fairly new in this hobby but i only have a ten gallon tank and my 10-20 percent water changes i do every week keep my tank perfect and keeps my water crystal clear. so i dont think its worth the money right now since those items seem to be a bit pricey for a nice one. I dont want to pull out to many nutrients in such a small tank anyways. but no i dont use one and my tank so far seems to be doing just fine and supports coral. I just found copepods too so i know thats a great sign of a healthy tank.

I recently added an Aqua Maxx HOB-1 skimmer to my reef setup and it made a HUGE difference. The formerly partly cloudy water is now crystal clear and all of my corals are opening wider than they ever have. My PH is staying better balanced due to the increased oxygenation of the water and things are good.... I hooked the skimmer up to the timer for my moonlight LED's.. that way it only runs at night and replenishes the oxygen that is not being generated.

silly CM you dont use a protein skimmer on a freshwater tank

Do i run a skimmer Yes & no. My 5g pico reef does not have a skimmer. My 72 bow does (will anyway, it's in the mail) have a skimmer.

Pro's & cons to both.

I'm using skimmers on both my tanks, helps to put off water changes by a day or so.

I have ran with and without. I keep softies and lps in a 20g with a 10g fuge. I have opted to go skimmerless with this setup because i have noticed firsthand that most of what i keep opens up bigger and grows faster in nutrient rich water. I use carbon for a week out of a month to keep the water clear. And i do a water change when i feel like it. I would not however suggest anyone try this method for sps. In my opinion skimmers have their place(on larger tanks or for corals that appreciate them). Besides i hate bubbles and skimmate smells like burnt turd.