Where can you pick up a BubbleKing for $500.00? I paid $1000.00 for my mini 180.

Thanks for letting me know about the PM bullet 2. Didn't know the name till I googled it. I severely lack ideas about skimmers!

Thanks Mike. Yah there are times where the budget is the limiting factor. Being an international student, I still try to accommodate the best I can get but its not always possible to get the best of the best. :(

I was referring to the skimmer which is being sold over here ;P

[quote=reeferfulton;821288]no its closer to 11 x 11 , its 11 x 9.5 tight and thats with your input tight against the glass which you dont want.

heres a few pics i snapped out of the box on a 11 x 11 piece of plywwod.


on the wood:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4c155e61.jpg


with a box behind to flush the plumbing up like glass would:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5cbf9b03.jpg

break out the ol tape in front and its 1 1/2" left of space to glass from the input of the pump , there needs to be some space there in order for the pump to work properly and not get restricted:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse6623ac0.jpg


full shot:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb19210c9.jpg



every site i see as well has them at 11 x 11



hope this helps.


raied heres our prices on both skimmers:

vertex omega: $389.95 + tax


bubble magus curve 5 : $199.00 + tax


cheers


denny

[quote=denny@conceptaquatics;821306]Thanks Denny. See ya today evening at Concept :)

1. Concept
2. Cheap compared to other skimmers that perform as good

IMO when people talk about what makes a skimmer 'better' or 'worth the price', the question isn't really about how good it is at removing DOC. I'd suspect that the differences in efficiency between similarly gallon rated units are fractional, and most certainly do not warrant hundreds of dollars in difference in price. What does warrant hundred dollar differences in price is everything else that makes a skimmer worth having - how finicky is it, how easy to clean, how loud it is, does it fit in the space you've got, how much power does it draw, how likely is it to go nuts and overflow, how often do you need to adjust it, what other bells and whistles does it have to make your life easier etc. etc. etc.

I've had everything from a Coralife Overflow Special all the way up to a Deltec SC2560, and while I can't say a single thing about which one was better at removing organic gunk (they all made plenty of skimmate), the "ARE YOU F*&$ING KIDDING ME?!" expensive Deltec is the least fickle piece of tank equipment I've ever had. It's got such a fine degree of control, and is so completely rock solid in the way it behaves that to me was worth the extra money. As was mentioned, if your only goal is to remove DOC, then all you need is some PVC pipes and a wooden air stone. If you want a piece of equipment that is a pleasure to work with and always behaves as expected, you start adding zeros.

I'd be looking for the best user reviews that talk about what it's like to own a particular model, not how much skimmate people subjectively think theirs is making. I'm sure some less expensive models are just as good in that regard.

You always hit the sweet spot of any argument ;) :D

How about a used Reef Octopus 1000 SSS? :)

No used stuff is going in or around my tank anymore (electrical equipment) even if I have to get something that won't perform as good. I just have too many bad lucks with used equipment :P

LOL, yeah the sweet spot... take out a second mortgage to buy a skimmer!!!!

I think all of us in this hobby would prefer that every piece of our equipment had three zero's after it, but thats not reality for the majority unfortunately.

I myself, don't make a ton of money. This hobby is so expensive, that the only option sometimes is used or cheaper equipment. And while I would love to have deltec this, or bubble king that..... it just isn't going to happen (yet).

I think that we can all agree that you usually get what you pay for in this hobby. But when the poster asks for recommendations on a skimmer for a budget.... I don't think that everyones answer should be "just buy a bubble king". Just dosn't make any sense. lol.

^^^ Well said Adam!