investing in a HOB skimmer

ive come to the conclusion because i have a tank on the smaller end of things that i cant fit a viable sump under my tank without building a new stand. id like to get a HOB skimmer thats rated for higher than my tank so i don't have any worries if i over feed once in a while or something like that. i was thinking something for a 70 gal or around there. would that be sufficient to keep my tank healthy? or is overkill on a skimmer a bad thing? this is my Christmas present to myself lol

 

You can actually over skim a tank and I wouldn't suggest a skimmer that rated for double your tank capacity. Essencially you run the risk of removing too many trace elements - but many people do this with great sucess. As with all things in this hobby, you need to find what works for you. Since you are asking for advice, I would say to purchase a skimmer rated for your tank size.

 

I'm going to be selling my Deltec MCE 600 soon as I upgrade & have gotten a smaller in-sump skimmer. I looooove my Deltec, it's a beast on my 55g, but it's def pricey, but worth it IMO when you compare it's performance to other HOB's.

 

Isn't the general rule of thumb to buy a skimmer rated for double your tank size?

Deltecs are nice, but cost a lot and there are other skimmers that work just as well for less money. A friend of mine just got the Aquamaxx HOB-1 and they love it.

 

I guess, I can only compare the amount of skimmate/performance of the Deltec vs an AquaC or a Bermuda Rogue & it's night and day. I think it's def debatable to some that if you overskim you can take out too much including "the good stuff". I'll have to see how my Octo 110 does in my new 70g to see if my dosing sched will be lessened.

 

anyone else have any input on the subject? recommendations?

 

DO NOT buy a Current USA Fission Skimmer. I just got one for 50$ cuz my lfs didn't want it, they are very low end some of the components are junk.

 

CPR Aero-Force. I had one on a 80g set-up and it worked like a charm. It's now on a 4g system and it's fabulous Very low maintenance and pretty darn quiet.

CPR AQUATIC, INC - Aero Force™

 

I use to run one of those. I found it to be a real pain to clean due to the dual chamber body. It is two pieces. The skimmer also requires two plugs. It worked ok for me. I wish i had spend the $200 on a different skimmer though.

 

Not sure why one would need to clean the body at all??? I only clean the cup which also contains the riser. Nothing builds up in the body itself accept for living things that don't effect it's performance.