Honestly have you ever seen the really big display tanks? A lot of people find they get better performance from several large skimmers versus one mega skimmer.
CaliKids 700g display is run by a trio of Vertex alpha 180's I believe, opposed to a gigantic single skimmer.
@Rakie, thanks for the tip, with the narrow sump I would have room in the stand to have HOB's on the back doing multiple of these could be an option, and as I get more fish I get more skimmers, thanks for the idea
I use external skimmers on my big tanks. One is 150G and one is 300G. The main downside is external skimmers are much louder then in sump ones. Of course you need to think about overflow but that can be dealt with floating switches and such.
@roberthu526, thanks for the example of use, I was wondering about the noise, I watched some videos of the skimmers and you couldn't hear them in the video, but it was far from quiet from other tank noise, and I was planning on putting it in a "catch tray to minimize the overflow damage, also good to know someone with around the same size as me has an external, always thought it was only for the big, big boys.
Get a lifereef skimmer.....Stay away from needle wheels.....
@MJNTWise, thanks for the recommendation, took a look at the web page, another brand to consider, I like the fact it doesn't need a certain water level only a max, (and min to let the pump work)
Pros and cons, internal versus external. I have a separate fish/equipment room for my big tanks so have chosen to go with a single, large external skimmer. I have found contact time to be the variable that best correlates to skimmer performance. That means tall, and for that you need space.
@ca1ore, yes I think a fish room behind would make this much easier, and next house that set up will be a consideration, lifereef sells skimmers that are 72 inches tall, has separate fish room written all over it. With the stand I have a working height of about 30 inches, although a couple of short ones might be my route.
Thanks everyone for your input
