Yet another skimmer question

[evallarta1]

I am currently setting up a 75 gallon reef ready. I am in the process of building a fuge out of a 20 gallon long tank. I would like to put the skimmer in the sump if I can, but if it means getting a better one that is a hang over then so be it. Im not quite ready to buy my skimmer yet but I am at the point where I am ready to put the baffles in. My problem lies in there are so many skimmers out there and I dont know what to choose. Im kind of looking for about 200 dollar range. I also have a mag 7 that will pump back into the tank, and I have a 30in clearance under the tank. I am going to start out with a f/o and then sometime down the line go to a reef tank. Now I can get a coralife 125 for $150. I can also get a berlin classic without a pump for $100. I was also looking at a euro reef rs80. Would that work or would I need the next one up? Any suggestions?

 

[mps9506]

I would pass on Berlin Classic, and I'm personally not a huge fan of the Corallife unit although it is better than a lot of other choices.
I'm a huge fan of the Euroreef skimmers, although I have not purchased one in a long time. The one you are looking at would work very well. Be prepared to clean the collection cup often though I have heard some folks complain about the noise of the newer pumps they are using. Again I haven't purchased one since the new models came out so I don't know. The last one I purchased has a Dolphin pump and works great.
You may also want to look at the ASM skimmers, same basic design, a little cheaper acrylic and design. Saves you money

 

[evallarta1]

The guy that I was talking to at the LFS said the coralife has a discharge tube I could drain into a bucket instead of the cup. Does the Euro Reef do that too?

 

[mps9506]

My euroreef didn't come with that. I'm not sure if the newer ones do or not. It is very easy to drill the hole in the collection cup and put the fitting in there for that though. I personally find the smell coming from ER skimmers so rancid (especially if you run them wet) that you won't want that much skimmate building up

 

[evallarta1]

what about a octopus needlewheel 150?

 

[mps9506]

I haven't had any personal experience with them. I have not heard anything bad about them, and the price is good. I think they are bigger, so you may want to check into the size before investing in one.

 

[lcstorc]

I love the ASM g series. Great bang for the buck.
I also agree with Mike on the smell. I empty mine every other day and the smell is awful. It is not anywhere near full I just like to keep it clean.

 

[evallarta1]

Well I think Im starting to lean towards the AGM G-1X, or maybe the G2 for two reasons. One the G-1X has a small footprint so Ill have a bit more room in my sump. And two I keep reading about how not to skimp on equipment, and it seems that AGM is good quality.

 

[kinghokus420]

i ran a g2 on my 72 and it kicked butt!!

 

[DrHank]

I run an Octopus NW-150 on my 110 now and it pulls well. I'll be moving it to a 65 in the near future and will say that on a 75 it should do very well. If I hadn't purchased that (and I'm glad I did) I would have gotten an ASM G3. I have several friends that have G3's on their 75s and they are totally satisfied.

I also have a Berlin Turbo and a Coralife 65. I don't particularly like either. Haven't heard much good about the larger Coralife skimmers either. I can and do recommend both the NW-150 and G3 for your tank. You can just about flip a coin between the two of them. IMO.