Help me pick a skimmer

[Cyclist]

hi all,
The time has come to pick out a skimmer for my new build. It's been hard and I am not sure I've reduced my selections to the correct sizing.

The tank is 140 gallons but probably more likely only 127 gallons. The sump holds 40 gallons running.

Bio load will be medium to heavy (what ever that means, seems subjective to me)

I'm leaning towards the Aquamaxx Q2. As seen here http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx...in_Skimmers-AquaMaxx-UJ00157-FIPSISNW-vi.html

Or the Reef Octopus Elite 150SSS Space Saver Super Cone Skimmer As seen here
http://www.marinedepot.com/Venturi_Needle_Wheel-Reef_Octopus-CV25187-FIPSISNW-CV25187-vi.html

I'm not dead set on either so please make recommendations! I want to keep price under $700

 

[ImGood]

I see a place in Quebec with the RO elite 150sss for 455 $ Canadian... Might be worth a look I think they have the 150 int as well for 425.

 

[Cyclist]

Anyone?

 

[mcarroll]

The new 9410 DC from Tunze should foot the bill at 400 bucks.

The 9415 is his bigger brother, which is still well under your $700 price tag. But that is a beast of the skimmer and might actually be too big for your system.

 

[KingBlingTX]

For the money, I really don't think you can beat the Coral Box Protein Skimmers. You can get the D700 for under $200. compare it to units running close to $500. The Cloud 9 version is under $400 and certainly would be more than overkill for what you are wanting. Check them out and look for reviews on-line. You'll be glad that you did.

 

[DaveMorris]

I have been running a Vertex Omega 150 on my 130g tank and love it. Very well built, quiet, and I got a good price on it from one of our local San Diego shops. (Pet Kingdom) It uses a Sicce pump and I have heard great things about their reliability. I have seen some people say that it is hard to get broken in and dialed in, but I actually read the instructions and it is working great with very little tweaking on it.

 

[RWinfrey]

Well is you don't want to fiddle with it the tunze is a good bet and the 9415 will be fine the neck isn't huge so you should bevable to keep a foam head ....

 

[Brian Treadwell]

I have a NT 150 reef octopus on my 90 gallon and it works well

 

[Bj’s Reef]

I'm woundering about the bio load rating as well I can never get a straight answer, as to what is a heavy load and what is a light bio load.