You will want a protien skimmer on any size tank.

A remora HOB will fit fine on a tank that size.
The skimmer makes it so much easier to maintain water quality. It removes pollutants before they become a problem.

I have gone the plenum route, the no skimmer route with heavy wet/dry filtration, the LR and DLSB route with no skimmer, even the refugium route over the years. The best way I have found has been using LR, a DLSB, and a skimmer with passive use of carbon and good water flow from the use of powerheads.