Will a skimmer for my 20 gallon help

[Aesyir]

Hello, I know people say skimmers are not needed for smaller tanks and that water changes will be enough but even if its "enough" will a skimmer help by any noticeable ammount. Btw if you guys know of a solid HOB skimmer for a 20 gallon pls tell me.

 

EDIT: Im thinking about getting the Bubble Magus QQ1 since it seems to have pretty good reviews.

[Kayman]

Hey, little late but better than never. It really depends on how you stock the tank. If you only have a few fish it might not help much but if it's your main source of nutrient export than it still might be worth it. I have a 29 gallon and my skimmer hardly pulls anything but I only have 3 fish and an algae scrubber that I think does most of the work. It could also be helpful if you are looking to do SPS as you will want lower nutrient levels.

If I were going with a HOB on a 20 gallon I would probably go with the Tunze 9004. Seems to be a good and popular model. This video might be helpful if you haven't seen it.
 

 

[SliceGolfer]

What tank do you have? Standard 20, 20 long, IM 20, Waterbox 20?

 

I run the IceCap K1 Nano and it works well. Others have spoken favorably about the CadLights PLS 50 Elite II, and the Aquamaxx HOB 1.5.

 

I owned the Bubble Magus QQ1 in the past. You should consider it a waste of money, and imho it takes the seat as the modern day Skilter.

 

https://premiumaquatics.com/products/icecap-k1-nano-skimmer.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/CADLights-Aquariums-Protein-Skimmer-Capacity/dp/B07K7SPX2V
 

[GetPsyched2124]

the major thing is bioload. how much you're feeding, what you're feeding, how many/what types of fish you have.

 

I feed about a small pinch of pellets and roughly 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of frozen mysis almost every day for my firefish and bangaii cardinal (plus assorted small CUC). reef roids 2 times a week. i run the biocube limestone skimmer in my 20 gallon.

 

it's a cheap skimmer, most people advise against it saying it doesn't work very well. for me, it just took awhile to break in and find it's sweet spot. the skimmate is wet, but a good green color, so i know it's doing helping.