hmmmm let me think about it. I'm going to have a fairly stocked 175g tank. What size is the SWC skimmer go up to? (Gallons wise?)

Here I got this from the WWW
doesn't look so great to me...seems small.

Xtreme 160 cone SkimmerLight Bioload(150g) Medium Bioload(120g) Heavy Bioload Tank(90g) ratings.

Well neither the NCA7 or the Extreme 160 Cone are rated for 175 Gallons; however, the 160 will still outperform the NCA7.

If you were to buy a Skimmer that is factory rated for a well stocked 175 Gallon you would want to choose the SWC Mini S Skimmer, it is rated for 180 Gallons at heavy Bio load.

http://www.oceaniccorals.com/store/i...&productId=594

Review of the Mini S Cone.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-...iew-84248.html

That skimmer's footprint is to large. I can't have something larger than 10"x10"...(LxW) wise. Is there any skimmer you can suggest that is good up to 175g but with that small of a foot print? Don't say tunze skimmers b/c I've read some not great reviews on them.

I most certainly would never recommend a Tunze Skimmer to anyone. It is easy to recommend skimmers; however, your budget is also important to take into consideration.

Here is one that will work with your footprint and bio load; however, it may or may not be in your price range......

http://www.oceaniccorals.com/store/i...&productId=518

Give me another 2 weeks and it would be in my budget.:lol:
I could do that but I really don't want to spend over $400. Guess the SWC is the best I can do.

Just to add another two bits here, I don't think cone skimmers are really worth the price premium. Independent tests have shown that cones really do not outperform a similar straight bodied skimmer. The big factors in skimmer performance seem to be the pump, airdraw, amount of turbulence (or lack thereof) in the body and dwell time for the bubbles etc. rather then whether the body is cone shaped or not. The cones may give a couple percent better performance but does 5% or less in added performance justify the big price increase?

Have you thought about the BM-150 Pro? I got one because of the small foot print and relativly large bioload. Great skimmer if you can find one in stock...

Thanks everyone for the input but I've decided on a skimmer. You can close this thread now.