Berlin Skimmer vs. venturi skimmer w/ wetdry

[bj5z25]

I am just beginning a 75 gallon FO tank and I was wondering what would be a better choice for skimming. I have the choice of buying a Proclear wet/dry filter with a built in venturi skimmer or a berlin skimmer and live rock.I would really like to know if the venturi skimmer is a good enough skimmer to run a tank on because of how nice the wet/dry is. The guy at the petstore told me that it was a very good skimmer and had a nice long contact time between the bubbles and the water. Then at a differant petstore the people told me to buy 60lbs of live rock and a berlin skimmer. I just want to start with a FO tank and I want to know if this Pro clear skimmer will be a good investment or if i should go the berlin route.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

Tough question. If I had to buy equipment again (Wife would kill me) I would probably simplify my setup and buy a turboflotor or Remora protein skimmer with as much live rock as I can afford (as much as my wife let's me buy). I like the spray injection idea of the Remora and people swear by them on this forum and in stores alike. Wet Dry's have fallen out of trend in the hobby because of the Nitrate accumulation from buildup within the surface area of the bio balls. I clean out 50% of my bio balls every 6 months to fight this and would love a denitrating unit (Not in the budget) Many flood the space where the balls are held in the wet dry and replace them with live rock rubble to allow for microbes and fauna to flourish without predation(refugium). It's a good idea but I like the oxygenation of the water traveling through the bio balls. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Hope I stayed on topic.