My next big question is what is everyone's opinion on various skimmer options...
Of course in a perfect world we'd all have endless supplies of money and we could all buy the best that money can buy. In reality there is a limit to what we can afford and I want to make sure I buy the best I can without overspending just for a name.
From all the reading I've done, most people seem to agree that the Vertex Alpha Cone series is right up there with or possibly is the best of the best (subjective I'm sure). Unfortunately it's almost $1100 new (before tax). I've been reading up on the SRO3000INT and it gets great reviews. In fact from what I've read (and from what BRS said when I called them), the SRO series is a great skimmer and should be just as efficient as the Vertex, but the Vertex had better build materials/quality. Knowing that the build quality on the SRO has to be pretty good (just not as good) and it's half the price sitting at around $600 new (before tax), is it worth it?
I read a study on the efficiency of skimmers (I can't recall where but I want to say Reef Builders) and it seems that no matter the skimmer, they are all limited to about 35% efficiency at removing nutrients. Some are just better at processing it faster than others. I am probably over analyzing this to death but all that being said, is it worth spending the extra $500+tax just to achieve slightly better quality build/materials? I guess what I'm really asking is, will I be kicking myself later for not spending that extra money or will the SRO be a great skimmer for my system?
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