Another skimmer thread

[patsfan1130]

Hey guys

I am in the market for a skimmer upgrade on my 120. I have been pretty much a ER guy for quite some time. Been running a ER ES 6-2 on it for about a year now. It's working great but I know it's a bit small for my tank and want to give it the "love" it deserves.

Been researching for what seems like forever and reading thread after thread but there are so many to choose from. I am not going to say $$ is no object but I would like to keep it under $500 - $600 if I can.

I will say up front. I really like the Octopus extreme 160 due to the small footprint and the price is nice. Have read good things about it as well. I currently have a MRC on another tank and it performs very well but a bit loud. ASM seems to have a very nice product as well as ER. Then there is Elos & BK. those skimmers seem fantastic!

You see the dilemma? I know everyone here does as we have gone through this time and time again.

Things I want in a skimmer...

long contact time
the smaller the footprint the better (avail space is approx 10x12)
I really dont want to mod it. If I am going to spend hundreds of dollars, I want it to perform for me!!
quiet side is better than loud but I dont want to sacrafice permormance much at all.

Thanks in advance for reading any any suggestions

Mark

[dkh0331]

On my 110 I ran an ER 6-2+ for a couple of years and then switched to H&S A150-F2001. I'm very happy with making that switch.

[SHOmuchFUN]

Everyone swings from the gonads of MSX Skimmers here, but if your requirement is not having to mod something, I wouldn't even consider it....

That said, I'd look at H&S/Deltec (hard to find one in the $500 budget), Tunze 9010+ would be a good choice as they are solid performers with a VERY small footprint.

The holy grail would be a Mini Bubble King 180 or 200, but that'll almost double your $500 limit.

[patsfan1130]

It certainly isnt my limit. If I need to drop coin on a relly nice, kick b*** unit I will. I'm just as tight as the next person :) Just do not want to spend carelessly.

Thanks for the input :)