Best type of protien skimmer for 180gal

[rdefino]

I'm building a 180gal with a sump. What's better to use. A skimmer that sits in the sump or one that sits external to the sump?

thanks

[cmor1701d]

Which is more, 50 cents or half a dollar?

If you have the room you may want to go with an exterior ps. Just for looks. As long as it's a quality ps, with an easy to remove cup it should make no difference.

[rdefino]

Is this a good skimmer for a 180gal tank:

Kent Nautilus EX Protein Skimmer w/ 48" Stack

[Dennis210]

An in sump skimmer has less mess than an HOB. I also like the fact that if it does happen to go nuts and overfill it just drips back in. I know it sounds awful but when and if it goes nuts it will dilute out the skimmate.

[cmor1701d]

That Kent is overkill for your tank. Not that that's a bad thing, but that skimmer if 4 feet high. Is it going in the basement? You may want to look into something like the ATS skimmer which is 25" high or a euroreef which is 30" high (both rated for 500 gallons).

Dennis, I have not seen a HOB large enough for that tank. The skimmer needs to sit next to the sump, below or next to the aquarium.

[Dennis210]

Any "skimmer" can be either in sump or attached to sump. He asked which was preferred. Corallife 225 I use can be either in or attached (HOB) - Euro skimmer same way and both are for a 225 capacity.

[ccCapt]

Absolutely no way is a CSS 220 capable of handling a 220 tank. I wouldn't use it on anything more than a 125, and that's pushing it. IMO and IME, the CSS series are junk and way over priced. I used one and I know how they operate.
A new CSS 220 runs about $210 and you can get an Octopus NW 200 for $200 that will make the CSS look like the toy it really is.

[rdefino]

what is a good skimmer for a 180FOWLR without costing an arm and a leg.

[ccCapt]

How much do you want to spend?
The Octo NW200 is probably the best skimmer you can buy for under $200...period. Out of the box it is fine for a 180. With a few simple mods it skims like a $500 skimmer.
A step up would be a recirculating skimmer.
Or, you can go top of the line with a BubbleKing.

[rdefino]

I was looking at spending no more than $400.00 including the pump it would need. I feel it's an important part of the filtration.

thanks

[fijiwigi]

I have no personal experience with Larger tanks and skimmers. I did however browse the internet for a month or 2 looking at skimmers before I bought mine. I always thought the AquaC EV series looked like a pretty solid in sump skimmer. I probably would have bought one if I knew I was going to get a sump at the time. AquaC EV-180 Protein Skimmer w/ JG Fitting + Mag-Drive 7 Pump (Saltwater Aquarium Supplies > Protein Skimmers > In-Sump > Spray Injection > 150 to 350 Gallons ) The 180 version says its rated to a 200G tank It would be under $400.00 for everything The 240 version is rated up to a 300g tank but its about another 90bucks HTH

[ccCapt]

The AquaC is a good skimmer. It performs about the same as the Octo NW200 that cost 1/2 as much.

[rdefino]

what benefit does a recirculating skimmer give over a non recirculating one.

[ccCapt]

Longer dwell time. More time for the air and water to react. You are only feeding the skimmer about 2x your tank volume and the recirc pump on the skimmer keeps churning the water. Plus you can run it externally.

[rdefino]

Is it worth it?

[ccCapt]

IMO, you will not find a non recirc skimmer that will perform as good as that Octo recirc for that price. Is it worth the diff in price from the reg. Octo to the recirc? Performance wise, the recirc may be a little better, but I guess it would depend on the circumstances. Do you need to customize your sump to make the regular skimmer fit and work? They must be kept in a section of sump where the water level stays constant. The recirc can work in any water level or outside the sump. With the recirc, you need a feed pump. A MJ 900 or 1200 would work fine. The reg skimmer comes with the only pump you need.

[rdefino]

I don't have the sump yet. I'll be making one.