Protein Skimmer ... Which one ?
 

So I have figured out a few things and one of them is that I will be going with a sump and protein skimmer. My next question is how much do I really need to spend on a protein skimmer ? I have done some research and I see some cheap coralife skimmers for about 150.00 that say they are good for 125 gal which is basically what I have; 90 gal tank & 40 gal sump. Then I see others for 1200.00 ... good grief .... its a piece of plastic with a pump ... also I dont want alot of noise as this will be in my living room and if its noisy my wife will lose her marbles ... its the small things that drive her crazy ..LOL

I want to be able to keep hard & soft corals with a small fish population

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

simple answer, as much as you can afford. Seriously. Skimmers seem to be the You get what you pay for thing. And good ones are quiet. I have a not so expensive one LOL. Coralife's I hear are not very good. I have a AquaC urchin. Was going for the EV120 but got a deal on this used. Its a little noisy cause its a spray style not a bubble style.

A good Skimmer
 

I just bought a Vertex 250 from JL and its rated for 250 Gallon so yours for a 120 or 150 would be a bit less in cost i payed 400.00 for mine. Nice skimmer too.
here is link http://www.jlaquatics.com/info/340/O...+Skimmers.html

some of these emphasize that its a recirculating skimmer .. whats the difference or is there one ?

how is the vertex ? is it noisy ?

"Noisy" is a relative and subjective term. It is quite noisy compared to a "$1,200 piece of plastic with a pump" but it's not like you can't hear yourself think while one is on. It's best for you to see and listen to one in action to judge for yourself.

BTW, certain females I know will pay about $1,200 for a leather bag with the letters "LV" on it. I'd consider half cm-thick CNC-machined cast acrylic with an Italian/German designed pump w/titanium screws and impeller shafts a pretty good deal (relatively speaking, of course :) )

Now put a LV on the Acrylic and see what they will pay LOL

Now don't tease! Its cruel! :lol: A skimmer that could match my purse collection.....oh the possibilities!

Skimmers
 

My floors and I have personal experience with the Coralife skimmers..they are difficult to get the settings right and they have a habit of overflowing the collection cup. Since you will have a sump you could put one in there thereby preventing any overflow issues, but again you get what you pay for in terms of their ability to skim.

Some poplar ones that can be had between $150-400ish (new and/or used)
Euroreef RS135
ASM (G-1X or G-2)
(There are many forums that discuss the pros and cons of ASM Vs Euroreef skimmers. Just gooogle that, ASM are cheaper and basically the same other than they are a little less sturdy)
Precision Marine RL100 or RL150
Aquamedic Turboflotor 1000- (Good, but very large...)

Canreef usually have a couple of protein skimmers a month come up for sale.

I have used both the Coralife (sitting in my basement where I can curse it every chance I get) and the Aquamedic. I am sure someone will provide info on the other option avaliable.

Spend a little extra the first time or you will wind up paying again and more later when you want get a better one...JMO

I have a coralife skimmer 125 on my 90 gal (33 or 40 gal sump) i just purchased from a friend and its just ok. It is quiet but the one thing i hate is how sensitive it is to water levels. You have to "dial in " almost everyday because of evaporation. This is were auto topoff system would come in handy.