Quote:
Originally Posted by Starry
narrowed it down to the vertex or the skimz.
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I think these two skimmers are comparable in cost, but not in ability. Most people have heavily stocked tanks, some people have medium stocked tanks, and very few people have lightly stocked tanks. I really think manufacturers need to take that into consideration when sizing their skimmers. Over-rating skimmers just makes the skimmers look bad when you have 90% of the clientele running a skimmer that is too small for their tank.
I haven't personally used a Skimz yet, but after looking at their design and specs many times I think their volume ratings are rather out to lunch. Take the one you're looking at, the SM161. Skimz recommends this skimmer on a tank 500-1200 liters (130-315 gallons). Like holy crap, way to narrow it down! Long story short, I think this skimmer is better suited to a
typical 150 gallon reef tank. At only 780 l/h air intake, it just is not capable of handling a bigger tank imo.
The Vertex, although not as blingy as the Skimz, will perform better. Yes, they are noisy, like EuroReefs. They are essentially a EuroReef knock-off. It is a trusty design, works well. However, the noise is not from the pump (that's quiet), it is from the air intake. I noticed awhile back that SWC sells air intake silencers separately, and I wonder if you could stick one on the Vertex? I wonder how much a silencer would affect the air intake too. Anyway, the Vertex IN-250 pulls in 1020 l/h of air. I think a
typical 200 gallon reef tank would be the top end of the ability for this skimmer.
The Vertex in-250 pulls in 23.5% more air than the Skimz SM161. The Skimz is also about $30 more. I don't think the Vertex and Skimz are comparable by price point. I don't think you're making a fair comparison. If you could shell out an extra hundred bucks for the Skimz SM201, that would be a much better choice than the SM161 for your 180 gallon +sump system imo. Don't get me wrong, the Skimz are nice skimmers, but comparing a Vertex to a Skimz is comparing different price points.