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First it was a question on undergravel filter or wet and dry, then wet and dry or canister and now the debate goes on what the place are for the skimmer.
So let's straighten this up shall well?
A protein skimmer is expensive but if you can afford it, buy it! It's main function are in the marine fish tank, no matter of if it beeing a fish- or a reef-only-tank. If it's a reef only tank you aiming at it's pretty much your only option.
But if you decide to go for a skimmer you'd also need some other sort of filtration (that would be optimal at least, but if you'd put down hundreds of dollars for a skimmer it woulden't make sense not investing in a much cheaper undergravel or canister system as well) so in that sense you could see the skimmer as possible compliment - if you can afford it.
A UV sterilizer is another thing you should consider for a salt water tank, especially for a reef-only tank, the come from a $100 and upwards (2006) and is simply a filter using the uv light effect to kill germs. They are mainly used during night but watch out, they can alter the chemical structure of the fish tank!
So what if you can't afford the sterilizer or the skimmer? Well, as I said these are very new products and you can do very well without it.
Budget systems:
- 50 US GAL or less: Canister filter
- 50 US GAL or more: Undergravel filter
- Reef-only tank: Wet and dry or a undergravel filter
And all of the above can of course be combined with a protein skimmer or a UV sterilizer for better results. A small note to take into consideration when choosing filter is the maintanence of the canister, it has to be cleaned regularly and the wet and dry can of course also be used for other fish tanks then the reef-only, for any questions visit the forums.
Good luck!
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