All I know is my biocube 14 has no skimmer and plenty of sps and it's been doing beyond good (as you might see when I post the one year mark before/after in 2 months).
I also have a 30g/10g sump/skimmered reef that doesn't do nearly as well this go around and is on the exact same (water/water change, food/feeding, dosing etc) schedule, exact same fish/livestock with the 30g having exactly double of the 14g (4 fish vs 2, 2 cleaner shrimp vs 1). Both test the same. Same wave maker (again in proportion 2 in the 30g/1in biocube). Both have proven lighting. the biocube 50w led from what it's done in the past 10 months and the 30g from what it did in the past... growing SPS like weeds with the exact same metal halides over the same tank when I gave the hobby a 7 year break (exact same new ballasts a year ago and new but same ushio bulbs which I've stock piled).
I can't pinpoint why the skimmerless lower volume one does better (don't think it's skimmer related at all and test #s give me NO insight) but as my first skimmerless reef attempt it definitely proves to me skimmers are optional not required.
I also have a 30g/10g sump/skimmered reef that doesn't do nearly as well this go around and is on the exact same (water/water change, food/feeding, dosing etc) schedule, exact same fish/livestock with the 30g having exactly double of the 14g (4 fish vs 2, 2 cleaner shrimp vs 1). Both test the same. Same wave maker (again in proportion 2 in the 30g/1in biocube). Both have proven lighting. the biocube 50w led from what it's done in the past 10 months and the 30g from what it did in the past... growing SPS like weeds with the exact same metal halides over the same tank when I gave the hobby a 7 year break (exact same new ballasts a year ago and new but same ushio bulbs which I've stock piled).
I can't pinpoint why the skimmerless lower volume one does better (don't think it's skimmer related at all and test #s give me NO insight) but as my first skimmerless reef attempt it definitely proves to me skimmers are optional not required.