Protein skimmer help?

[alex higgins]

Hi guys, I’m setting up a new tank much larger than my current one. I was thinking of getting a protein skimmer. I’ve been wondering... the better skimmers seem to be submerged in sumps, do I need to have a sump to have a skimmer (don’t like the idea of a HOB skimmer)... was wondering if I could of just piped the skimmer to my filtration system??

Thanks guys

 

[Reeferdood]

You would be better off with a sump IMHO.
What kind of filtration system are you running without a sump?

 

[Mark Bianco]

When you say much bigger how big are you talking about? To someone that has a pico tank than a 4o is a huge tank

Its possible you can get a recirc skimmer. however the outlet pipe of the skimmer would need to be over the top either in the back or off to the side of the tank. So not really practical unless you have a frag tank in the basement and do not care about looks. If you want to go sumpless and still want a skimmer and the appearance is important then a good HOB skimmer would be my recommendation.