Vertex Skimmer

[KenB]

Thinking about a Vertex Alpha skimmer.  On the fence between the 170 and 200.  I have a 125, 40 gal sump and 20 gal fuge with medium fish and coral load although I like to feed a lot of frozen food and black worms to keep them fat.  They will both fit in my sump and only $70 difference so thinking bigger is better but wondering if they 200 is overkill.

 

ken

[tygger]

Go with the bigger one. It'll give you more flexibility. If it's too much, you could always skim dryer.

[KenB]

Good point.  Was also thinking about an Avast skimmer.  I have one of their reactors and kalk stirrer and like the quality and build kit and made in USA, but Dan said production is on hold until the new DC pumps are available. He said the market wants DC pumps. Not sure I get the DC craze, I like the reliability of the the current top AC pumps.  Wouldn't think the DC pumps variable speed capability would be an advantage on a skimmer.

[tygger]

I don't have any experience with DC pumps for the skimmer, but its supposed to provide more flexibility in varying conditions. You can adjust the pump speed to raise or lower the water level and air flow into skimmer. It might also run quieter, but I'm not sure if the majority of the available DC pumps are very reliable. If you're building your sump now, you have the ability to setup the skimmer section to match the equipment perfectly, so in the end it may not make any difference. 

I would get the biggest/best skimmer you could fit so you don't second guess yourself in the future and end up wasting money upgrading.