Been running the JBJ 28 for a 15 months now...I originally had the sponges that come with the tank in there, GAC, and the ceramic that comes with it. After a few months I realized that the sponges were only driving me nuts cause they would only create turbulence in the rear chamber and cause microbubbles in the DT.
I ran chemipure elite and wasnt really impressed with the performance of it...took it out for a few months and then tried it again. This time I paired it with the Filterfloss.... the result was crystal clear water.
As for a skimmer....I was gonna add one. I was getting mixed reviews on the JBJ made one that fits in the chamber so was considering a HOB. Eventually I figured that the water changes bi-weekly were probably doing the same thing and opted against getting one.
To date I am keeping Zoas, Mushrooms, LPS and SPS. All are doing well and growing.
So...my point is that try different things and see what works for you. Not everything is gonna work for everybody. Good luck and let us know what you ended up with.