I broke down and ordered a new controller for my skimmer pump, so it looks like I'll be skimmerless for just a week or so. But, while panicking about it I did some research, and there seems to be a lot of controversy out there. There are people who run successful reef tanks (including SPS dominated ones) without a skimmer, and swear by it. Most seem to do it once the tank is mature and packed with corals.
I also found this article which made me rethink the whole skimmer story:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeature