Best HOB skimmer for a 40 gallon tank?

[Ricky Vargas]

Hello everyone I'm looking to finally get a skimmer for my 40G reef tank(LPS/softies). I'm looking for a HOB kimmer that is under $100, so any recommendations as to what skimmer would get me the best value for my buck would be greatly appreciated. Or is my money better spent on other equipment? My stock is just 2 clownfish a yellow watchman goby, and the CUC. My current filtration is an aquaclear 70 with some filter floss and sometimes some chemical filtration media. I've also been considering buying an aquaclear 110 and using it as a reefugium, but I think I'll stick to getting a skimmer first.

 

[Hitman]

Reef Octopus BH-90 hands down the best HOB skimmer! I’ve abused the heck out of mine as that’s what I use on my QT tank and she runs like a champ after 4 years of abuse and neglect.

 

[Opus]

The Reef Octopus is probably going to be your best bet for what you want to spend. IMHO the Deltec's are the best but way out of your budget.

 

[Adamantium]

Not the most traditional, but if you're looking for something sleek, the Reef Glass Nano has been working well for me.

 

[Water Dog]

Another good candidate would be the Aquamaxx HOB-1.5. I ran the original HOB-1 and it performed exceedingly well. They pop up from time to time on the used market usually priced at a little over $100. I bought my HOB-1 used for $125.

 

[Indytraveler83]

Just don’t do what I did. I tried to look past the negative comments on the Seaclone 100 and try it for myself... not worth it (noisy; vibrates like crazy and has unreliable connections).

If budget is an issue don’t be afraid to go used. I picked up a used Bak-pak from my lfs for less than the seaclone.

 

[Dabcrusher]

saltwateraquarium.com or brs has the reef octopus hob on clearance