I for one believe a skimmer on such a small tank would be very much
needed. One of the problems with such a small system is that the
bio-parameters in this small of a system are subject to change very
quickly. Excess proteins can and will accumulate very quickly in such a
small tank. So yes I would recommend a good skimmer and go with the
biggest tank you can afford.
The Fossa and Nilsen books are a good source to further your education
about reef tanks. I can not over stress read all you can, and
frequently ask questions when you don't understand.
A good setup that works and I can say I have run for years with success
was a thirty gallon tank running a CPR Bak-Pak, and just two small power
heads for water movement. The corals and the few very small fish I kept
in the system did very well and flurished.......Good Luck!
Chris Carney
www.exotic-aquatics.com

Joel wrote:
There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief...

I used to keep fish and I am interested in starting a 15-30 gallon or
so reef with the Ecosystem method. I hear so many conflicting opinions
about it that I am completely confused. I have a friend with a similar
skimmerless refugium setup and he has NEVER done a water change and
NOTHING has died. I have heard others say that a skimmer is essential,
and that Ecosystem and other refugia do not work well enough. My goals
are to set up a small reef with hardy species and have it as
low-maintenance as possible (less than 15 min/day if possible). I have
read that skimmers can remove organics that actually support the
microfauna populations that lead to a more "natural" food chain. I
have read other articles that a protein skimmer is essential if for
nothing else than helping "clean up" in the event of a death or other
small disaster. There are millions of opinions on what is the best
method for reef keeping, and I wanted to know what would be
recommended for a beginner (I majored in bio and I understand the bio
and chemical stuff but I never had a reef) who does not have thousands
of dollars to spend on a full sized reef.

-Joel