Which skimmer is right for me?

Hello everyone,

I am going to be building a new stand so that I can utilize a sump and refugium on my 125 gallon mixed reef tank. I have a medium bio load with the following fish:

Blue Hippo Tang
Yellow Tang
Diamond Goby
Target Mandarin
Cleaner Wrasse
2 Misbar clowns
2 Green Chromis

With this in mind, should I go with:

SWC Xtreme 200 protein Skimmer - rated for 175 - 300 G (depending on stocking)

SWC Xtreme 160 Cone Protein Skimmer - rated for 90 - 150 G (depending on stocking)

I have heard that the new craze in skimming is with cone skimmers because they keep the material in suspension for longer periods of time supposedly. But would the 160 Cone be able to competently skim my tank or would it be just a tad too small?

Thanks in advance for your input and opinions.

Robert

 

I am not familiar with the SWC extreme but I do know the rule of thumb is to get the bigger one. Take into consideration how much room the unit is going to take and just as important the height! you need room to work on it or in some instances you may have to take it out. IMO

 

That is why I wanted to know that since the cone skimmers keep material in suspension longer if a smaller sized one will actually be more efficient than a traditional cylindrical skimmer.

I also found the SWC mini s cone which is rated for about 150-250 G for only a hundred more dollars...which seems more like the skimmer I will be purchasing.

 

First here is an article about some of the differences between cone and cylinder skimmers:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/cone-skimmers-fad-function-84013.html

I would definately go with the cylinder skimmer that is rated more closely to your tank than a cone that is not rated for enough. The Xtreme 200 and 160 are both awesome skimmers and they will both easily outperform our smaller cones. Here are a couple of reviews for them:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/swc-200-skimmer-review-81516.html

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/swc-xtreme-160-protein-skimmer-review-81625.html

Both would be great choices, but the Mini S does outperform them by far. Here is my review of the Mini S:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/swc-mini-s-cone-skimmer-review-84248.html