Again you will have a more efficient Skimmer with the pump on the outside. I am sure the 160 is more than 299 and the Classic Skimmers have be around a long time and proven themselves. Parts if ever needed are very easy to get and remember a Skimmer even being the the most efficient will only remove max of 30% of the Organics. It is up to you if you want bragging rights them flip out the wallet and get a Bubble King and tell people how the Acrylic is so thick you could beat a Lion to death with it and in the end you still are looking at 25 to absolute max 30% removal of the nasties. The 2 best skimmers I have ever used ( I know I will hear about this ) was a Beckett still skimmer, large pumps and large water flow. The other similar style but better design IMO, the Aqua C EV skimmers. In fact I am about to put back my EV skimmer as it has produced the most consistent and the most volume of waste of any of the skimmers I have tested, excluding the Beckett which is a totally different beast. In the end it is up to you and you will always get many responses. I bet if you phone BRS and ask the same question as you did, you will find they say the same as I have just because of the extra volume of water in the body when the pumps is on the outside.
Good Luck !
