if you had the money to buy yourself a new skimmer today. wh

[farmerjo90]

I'm still trying to decide on what kind of skimmmer is the best. I want to buy a good one the first time. What are the pros and cons of external and in-sump brands.

[DJ88]

What size tank are you needing to Skim? I am running a venturi Precision marine on my 33 and it goes great. It is an insump version. As well the beckett skimmers are great. They aren't too hard to make. I am sure a few people here can help ya with that. If you have a small system the HOT1 from precision marine goes great as well. and I cna egt ya a parts list to make those. I make em here in my apartment from time to time.

[farmerjo90]

Thanks Darren, but I don't want to try and make one myself. I am looking to buy a good skimmer that will skim my 180 gallon tank efficiently. I have heard that the precision marine ones are good. I have also read that companies overrate their skimmers so you need something bigger than what the skimmer is rated for. Would a bullet 3 do this tank efficiently? What about ETS, are they better?

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

Bottom line,
In Sump -> takes up your sump space
usually smaller
Hang On -> takes up external space
can be larger

If you are crazy, like me. You can get a very good beckett based skimmer even for a small tank. This allows you to always upsize your system without worrying about equipment limitations. As well, a good skimmer always give you top notch performance. On the other hand, you would need a fairly good pump to drive these monsters.

Titus

[DJ88]

A B3 would do a good job alright. Precision Marine makes a good product. that is for sure. I am biased tho 'cause I like their designs. As for other comapnies you would have to tlak to a few other people. Sorry.

Talk to Fudge he has a wicked skimmer for a large system.. lol. take a peek in the DIY forum.

[Skimmerking]

oops wrong forum wow talk about a history thread here i post on the Birthday forum and i get this.

[lastlight]

Busted!

Look who's still poking through skimmer threads under the radar

[Chowder]

LMAO

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

Yes some companies do overrate skimmers. But this usually doesn't happen with the ones who make the bigger skimmers. Whether a skimmer is overrated or not is a call you have to make. Afterall, it all depends on what you stock, and how much you feed, etc.

ETSS, from my perspective, should be any better than a beckett based skimmer like the PM Bullets. This is because they require a huge pump to drie it. Add on that they are over priced in my opinion.

And yes a PM Bullet 3 should handle your tank just fine. Note that the Bullet 2 and 3 are absolutely identical except the latter uses a taller riser column.

Titus

[farmerjo90]

If the bullet 2 and 3 are identical except for the riser column, is there an advantage to a taller riser column? Would the bullet 2 be better?