If you have taken a dive into the saltwater aquarium hobby, you probably already know that you will be buying more equipment than you thought and spending more money than you thought. And one of the things that you are going to realize is really a requirement in this hobby is a protein skimmer. My hope for you is that you not follow in the footsteps of so many people who enter this hobby and try to purchase the least expensive skimmer they can find. It simply does not work and you will be heading for frustration, more expense, or even worse an early exit from the hobby.

If you take any advice at all it should be advice about the protein skimmer you choose. The right skimmer can make or break your ability to maintain a healthy environment for your marine creatures, and let’s face it, they are too expensive to leave to the chance that comes with cheap equipment.

The first thing you have to do is determine which of the two basic types of skimmers is right for you. Those are the hang on back, or HOB type skimmer, or an in sump skimmer. An HOB skimmer is exactly what it sounds like in that it is a skimmer that hangs on the back of your tank. An in sump skimmer is, you guessed it, the kind that goes into your sump, which is generally a smaller tank kept hidden inside the stand your main tank sits on. There are a lot of reasons why an in sump skimmer is generally better, but that would be an article all on it’s own.

So, once you know which type of skimmer you can have it comes down to determining which of the many available skimmers you can afford and will be a good fit for your tank. There are a lot of brands of protein skimmer on the market, and it can be hard to know which are good. Over the years the same names seem to float to the top when a list of the highest quality marine equipment is listed. One can’t miss is a Reef Octopus skimmer. This cmpany makes a model for virtually any situation, and they make both in sump and HOB versions.

As you do your research, try to resist the temptation to spend the least amount of money and instead try to focus on getting the most quality for your dollar spent. If you look at it in that way you are more apt to get a piece of equipment that will do the job well and last a long time.