Quote:
|
Originally Posted by StirCrazy
think back 10 years ago to the debates between extruded and cell cast skimmer bodies, retailers were charging twice as much just because the body was cell cast, did it make a difference on performance nope, but they would have you think it would.
|
If you don't consider durability and clarity aspects of performance then I would agree. There is a large difference in strength and thickness between cell cast and extruded tube. Extruded acrylic tube is thin and brittle and fractures easily. So if your willing to risk having the bottom of your skimmer blow out if it gets a big bump or break if it falls over then go for it. I however would rather have a skimmer that will last a long time, take abuse and not flood the place. It makes for less worry when sleeping or being away on holidays.
I bought one of those shiny new stainless barbeques at Costco for $109. It can't cook as many burgers or souvlaki as the $500 model and it has rusted out on the burner covers after 2 years. Shoulda spent the $500. I will agree with Brad on this one.
When it comes to fish the difference can be more subtle and devastating. Take for example Flame Angels. The cheap Christmas Islands ones used to be held in plastic cups in the lagoons. They had heat stress issues and were not that strong. Yes they were cheap and they looked like a Flame Angel so everyone buys them. They gleefully brag about how cheap their Flame Angel was until it dies shortly after or only lives 6 months. This gives the other Flame Angels from Hawaii, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu a bad reputation. These Flame angels are more money because there is far more care taken in collection and holding. You get what you pay for.
A friend of mine who used to be in the hobby once calculated the value of fish in his tank verses the amount of money he spent on fish. He purchased all the fish from the same store over a 1 year period. It was a 10 to 1 ratio but the fish were cheap at the store. He learned his lesson.
There is a reason why the German and Japanese LFS are some of the best in the world... you get what you pay for.