Well omega is literally double to that of curve. Better skimmer: definitely but does it worth the money compared to the performance of magus?

Yes. Performance isn't everything. Being able to sleep at night know you're awesome is. The Omega will definitely contribute to that. The BM will probably make you wonder if you should have tried your hand at stamp collecting instead of fish. True story.

Or you can wait till the omega 135 is out. This summer. That's what I plan on doing.

hence the old saying you get what you pay for , for a $200 range the bubble magus will do fine , but if you have a larger budget youll get a better quality skimmer(most times anyways lol) keep in mind the footprint on the omega is pretty big for a small skimmer at 11" x 11" while the curve is just under 8" x 8"

skimmers and lights should be budgeted and saved for and not rushed into buying IMO , as their resale isnt close to what youd pay new and having a skimmer that doesnt perform only means selling it for less than you paid and adding more of your own money for the skimmer you should have gotten the first time;)

over the omega id go with a BK or something dc like the diablos if budget or space isnt a factor;)

Is BM louder than vextex in80? I definitely don't want a rattling gun in my room!!!! :twised:

Running my tank without a skimmer would mean a disaster for my SPS. Browned sticks!!!

Space isint much of a concern as long as one of the sides is within 11" since I don't have any baffle. Can you please PM me some of the prices of the suitable skimmers? And I will see you today evening (if you are in store :razz:)

Yeah footprint is big on the omega 150. The 135 the pump is in the body

For heavy bio load a better skimmer is a must IMHO. I got a csc-150. Same price as an omega and I think it performs as good or better in a smaller footprint. Plus massive collection cup.

Spend the extra $180 and get a better suited skimmer to your long term plan of heavy bioload.

Side note. Have been told bubble magus skimmers take a very long time to break in.

I used a bubble magus bm160 skimmer on a 70 gal and it worked well. The aquabee pump it came with was a good pump. Paid less than $200. I then upgraded to a PM Bullet 2 on a mag12 and it also works well. You can get that combo used for around $200-250. I upgraded because I used a bullet before and want to use it on a bigger tank some day, but the BM would be perfect for a 70. My tank is an sps tank with 8 fish of various sizes.

I don't think that you need to spend big bucks for a skimmer and I don't believe that you absolutely "get what you pay for" with all skimmers. Many expensive skimmers just seem way overpriced for what they are. Acrylic and a pump.

Well some people don't have the extra money to blow on a more expensive skimmer, so people should truely stop recommending skimmers double the price of the OP's budget.

For your $200 budget... go with the Curve 5.

I had a Curve 7, and it did not take long to break in after a vinegar soak, and it pulled lots of goop out right away. It was also almost dead silent, contrary to other posters comments... who I really don't think have ever owned a new Curve skimmer.

Only reason I sold mine was because I upgraded to a larger tank. Otherwise it was a great skimmer for the money.

[quote=denny@conceptaquatics;821281]hence the old saying you get what you pay for , for a $200 range the bubble magus will do fine , but if you have a larger budget youll get a better quality skimmer(most times anyways lol) keep in mind the footprint on the omega is pretty big for a small skimmer at 11" x 11" while the curve is just under 8" x 8"

QUOTE]

the omega 150 footprint is 11x8.5 .. so its only really a little bit bigger