Good low price skimmer....Is there such a thing?

[spoonman]

I am building a 120G Reef with 40G sump and need a skimmer. I currently have a coralife 220 on my 75G reef and it seems ok, but could be better. What is a good, low priced skimmer that would be big enough for about 150 gallons of water? I am looking at the Bubble Magus NAC 6 for about $220. Is that a good "bang for the buck" skimmer???? suggestions appreciated!

 

[spoonman]

Also looking at Eshopps psk150....thoughts?

 

[dylan p]

I just got that. It works but it's really touchy. It's a really cheap design. The water level is controlled by a pipe that's cut at an angle and tthe whole thing looks like a fancy diy build
If you can get one used its worth it but I personally wouldn't pay 150 for it new

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[spoonman]

Are you talking about the Bubble Magus or the Eshopps?

 

[dylan p]

The eshopps. I got this from a guy that was taking down his aquarium for 30 bucks. It's literally just pvc on rectangular piece of acrylic. If you like diy I can send some pics of it taken apart with measurements. It works fine once it's tuned in. If I didn't get such a good deal on it I would have built my own. I just wasn't to impressed with how it was made after I seen its price tag for a new one


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[dylan p]

I guess I would compare it to buying a sump. I personally would never pay 100 + to get something as simple as a sump when I can build my own for a 3rd of the price. If you can find a better one it might be worth it but if you can build your own sump you can easily build the eshopps protein skimmer almost identical


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[Reefing Madness]

Have you done the modifications to the Coralife yet? I use one on my 240g tank. I have a different pump, 750gph, and mesh modified, works alot better than the original set up. You could buy one of the other skimmer pumps to make it a better skimmer also.
But all be told, the ones with the best LH/Intake and using a bubble plate work the best. They are basically all the same, fine the one that fits your budget, with the best air intake and utilizes a bubble plate, you can't go wrong. But you do want it twice rated for your tank volume.
You should be looking at the NAC 8 though.
Curve 7 would be a good option
But to get at the price you want, then your only choice that would really get you close to what you need is the SCA-302 $179
SCA-302 180 gallon Protein Skimmer

 

[spoonman]

Thanks for the input. The guy that I was dealing with on the NAC6 will give me the NAC7 for the same price. $208.99 with free shipping. I think this will be good. Will post the out come.