New to hobby (Please help!)

[American Flyer]

Hello everyone,

I am new to saltwater. I have a lot of experience in FW, but it seems as though there is little knowledge in which I can leverage into SW. I have a question regarding filtration. I want to get a protein skimmer and avoid a sump if I can, due to current budget restrictions. Are there any skimmers that I can run underneath my tank without a refugium/sump? If so, can you direct me to where I may find an example of a set up? If I am unable to avoid having to use a sump, is there any manufacturer that has an "out of the box" model, or must I build one?

My current tank:
150 gallons
Gravity - 1.023, Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, PH 8.5, Temp 79 F
2 Fluval 405 cannister filters (not using carbon), 2 Koralia 4 powerheads
Lighting is 2 36" dual satellite power compact lights with built in fans
60 pounds of live rock
1 very small hermit crab, no fish yet until I sort out what I ultimately want to use for filtration. Due to budget constraints (spouse imposed) I need to keep the cannisters and probably supplement with a skimmer.
Eventualy plan for tank is 5 green chromis, 2 ocellaris clown fish, clean up crew and soft corals such as mushrooms.

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

Emperor Aquatics has skimmers you can run remotely. You'd need the collection container to go with it.

 

[Jackapatt]

Is a hang on model out of the question?

 

[American Flyer]

No, a hang on model isn't out of the question. I was thinking along those line actually, maybe running two smaller ones on each side of the tank as my tank is viewable from both sides. I currently run pluming on each side.

 

[Jackapatt]

I've been running a 55g with no sump & a hang on for years. I like the remoras. You can see them here.


http://www.proteinskimmer.com/Product Pages/Remora Series.htm