No ATB skimmers??
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No ATB skimmers??
First of all. There is no such thing as a “best” skimmer. Anyone who says that, you can just translate it.
“Best” : what I presently use.
That is what anyone always means when they say that. So bear in mind. People will ONLY recommend what they currently use, and furthermore, I’d wager a large number of people who make that recommendation haven’t actually used any other skimmers besides the one they’re recommending. Just to get that out of the way. Onto my own experience
I have used:
Eshopps ps150 I think? Older model
Bubble Magus Curve 5
Bubble Magus Curve 7
Lifereef VS2
I settled on the Lifereef for a couple reasons.
1. Build quality. They’re hand made. By one person. One at a time. Exceptional attention to detail. Super thick acrylic. Will last decades if you don’t damage it.
2. Standard plumbing parts. You can pick up anything you need to modify it from the hardware store. Why would you modify it? They can be run externally, internally, you may change sumps, rearrange your sump, ect. I run my skimmer pump in a completely different chamber of the sump.
3. Ease of maintenance. It’s a high flow skimmer. They don’t collect as much detritus because the flow is more turbulent through them, the body doesn’t need as frequent of cleaning as a needlewheel skimmer may. You don’t have to remove and disassemble the entire skimmer to clean the pump.
4. No proprietary pump. You can use whatever pump you want with it. No special attachment plate or fittings needed. If you want a bigger or smaller pump, pick whatever you want. No more having replacement pumps shipped from overseas on a budget skimmer, no more “sorry that model is discontinued, no we can’t give you a replacement impeller”
5. No need to buy a new skimmer if you upgrade tanks **** gotta Star this because if you have the SVS models that have flanged tips with thumb screws, you can simply purchase a body extension and make the existing skimmer taller to upgrade its skimming capacity. Or even diy in an additional Venturi.
My only gripe with mine is I have the standard VS model where the tip is glued on. So I can’t remove it to easily clean the body or upgrade the skimmer if i felt so inclined. But I got it used for $100 so not complaining. The price point on a new 24” Lifereef will be in your budget range.