skimmer suggestions for a 180.

[Luckfish]

So i cracked my Aqua C while cleaning. So now I find myself interested in skimmers. What are some suggestions for a decently stocked 180 gal?

 

[P3FE]

I can only talk about what I have own but here it goes. I have a Vertex 150 in my 60 cube, and that skimmer is a beast, well built, silent and easy to deal with. In my 200 FOWLR I have the Reef Octopus 5000 sump saver model, that skimmer is big, the pump is one of the best I've seen and the skimmer pulls out some nasty stuff. The general rule I use for any skimmer is to look at their specs and look at the pump water and air draw, Im looking for the pump gph rate to be enough to process my water volume at least two times an hour and air draw as high as I can find it. I believe skimmers are all about the pump, that is the life of the equipment and what is going to make or brake the product. The pump in the Reef Octopus skimmer is actually design to be a skimmer pump rather than a modify water pump, and the best thing is that it has a 3 year warranty, pump brakes, they send you a new one. The Vertex pump is a good pump and the quality of the acrylic of the skimmer is a lot higher than the Reef Octopus but I think the Reef Octopus pump is a lot better. Bottom line for me is that I love both of this skimmers and they are my go to skimmers until I find something better. For a 180 I would recommend the Reef Octopus SRO-3000, for Vertex I would go with their Alpha 250. Just my two cents, good luck on your search!

 

[Luckfish]

Thanks

 

[Dowtish]

SWC 230 Cone. Ive had mine 3 years and dude before me had it one year. It runs flawlessly and performs amazing.

 

[NeveSSL]

I've got a Reef Octopus XP3000 (I think...) with a Bubble Blaster 5000 pump on it. It originally came with two Sicce PSK2500s, but one died so I replaced them both with the single BB5000. Just like P3FE said, absolutely beast skimmers. I know Dowtish's skimmer is killer, too. I believe bknapp also has one.

Brandon

 

[bknapp]

I had a SRO XP2000 on my 110 and on the 180 for a few months, honestly I was never really happy with it. I am now I am running an ATB Elegance Pro, the ATB works well, although i need to send the pump in for service.