[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

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