How many skimmers have you tried? here is a short history of skimmers on my tank.

[blenny90]

Where is ****darn MRC forum/thread?

[JokerGirl]

Pro-Clear Aquatics Skimmer - Grade: F Doesn't even skim....
Euro-Reef RS 135 - Grade A Nice dark brown, rotten egg smelling skim
D&D Aquatics Typhoon - Grade B-/C+ Took it about 5 days to really break in and stop releasing bubbles into my mantis tank. The skimmate isn't terrible, about a semi-green liquid. There may not be enough organic matter in there to really pull out of there yet, so we'll see as I have it longer.

[docwells]

Here are the ones I have tried:

1. CPR BakPak: Worked ok for the small tank it was on. The small collection cup and the rubber gasket were a hassle.
2. DIY PVC airstone skimmer: Worked remarkably well. Skimmed like crazy and produced some of the best skimmate I have seen. Major drawback was having to clean the airston evry other day to keep simmate production up. Too time consuming.
3. Lifereef skimmer: Decent skimmer and very low maintance.
4. Deltec AP600: Good skimmer in small package. Low energy cost. Small collection cup was a downside.
5. Geo recirculating skimmer: My curent skimmer. Love it. Low maintanace and skims like a champ. I don't see me getting rid of it anytime soon.

[RichConley]

Heres what I've tried (all skimmers have been tinkered with, and are not stocK)
HOB:
CPR BakPak D+
AquaCRemora F
DeltecMCE600: D+
Ebay CPR knockoff C- (slightly better than the bakpak, and $30!)

In Sump
ETSS 800 :B+
CPR SR4 : D
TF1000: C+
ER 5-3: C+
ASM G3: C+
NW200: B+
AP600:C


I can't remember the rest right now, and I'm not including DIYs.

[hahnmeister]

Yeah, I even forgot two skimmers in my list as well: The ETSS Evo 750 and the CPR Bak Pak. I wouldnt have remembered unless I had been in the basement yesterday and discovered their boxes.

Also, add to my list soon that I will have a non-DIY skimmer in my hands again... an ATB 'Small' Cone skimmer (Small meaning good for up to 200-some gallons).

If I had to grade them like Rich, I would have to go...
-International Seaboard: D (it did work, it was airstone driven, and heck, it was the 80's!, what did you expect?!?)

Tall Airstone skimmer: B (Cleap to buy and operate, reliable, but kept replacing stones all the time and the air input is rather limited when you use stones... at least compared to a needlewheel or something)

CPR Bak Pak: C (Better than a remora IME, then again, mine ended up modded).

Berlin XL: D (Microbubble problems, loud, broke 3 times because it was the pre-turbo model, didnt skim all that well actually most likely due to turbulence)

The US Aquarium skimmer, HOB: F (Didnt even skim, too bad because the skimmer actually had potential if it was done right, design was similar to the Elos NS line) I ended up doing a reversable conversion on it to make it into an ETSS environmental style skimmer powered by a Aquaclear 802. It actually worked very well, only a small microbubble problem then. Since then, I hear US-Aquarium went out of business.

ETSS Evo 750: B (My first little monster, skimmed very well, but used over 100 watts to do so, not quiet at all, and I hate gate-valve outlets)

... and then I started DIYing everything... a few 3' & 4' skimmers (square bodies as well as a 6" round, a 8" round, and a 10" round that is 4' tall) with multiple ports at various heights for anything from a beckett, to a venturi, to needlewheels, and even narrow bubble plates with easy conversion. A half dozen bubble-plate skimmers, and then I came up with my 'bubble ball' diffuser idea. Currently working on a large recirculating cone skimmer (5'+) as a testbed for a Laguna threadwheel and the bubble-sphere... but I also have an ATB cone skimmer on the way now from Austria. Should be pretty cool. I never did put together the 'tumbler design' that I put together, but Ill have to do that sooner or later. Who knows, its such a radical design it may or may not work well. So as it turns out, no, I have never owned an ER, a Deltec, a H&S (came close), an ATI Bubblemaster, or a BK... but I didnt have to buy them... I made them. IF the heart of a needlewheel is the pump, then I have every one under the sun pretty much...

Sicce PSK's, Eheim 1250 and 1260/62s (threadwheel and needlewheels), Aquabee 2000/1's now, Oceanrunner 3500/3700, Laguna threadwheels, 'pimped out' Aquaclear 802's, Maxi-Jets... everything but those Sedras and the clones of them that keep rusting on people. There is a rule against them in this house. I hope to get my hands on ATI's new little monster some day, the Aquabee 5000 needlewheel (maybe DIY a 7000 as well), and of course, get a Quiet One 3000 to mod up right. IMO, the Lagunas and the Eheims are the best pumps out there, with the edge going to the Lagunas. They are solid, quiet, cool running... I can see why Klaus uses them as the heart of his Red Dragon pumps. The aquabees are nice, but not quite as nice as the eheims. A little bit louder, thats all, and at certain levels other than the 2000/1, they have had their share of startup problems on 110v. The oceanrunner is still the best pump if you want a tall skimmer to be needlewheel w/o needing it force fed. Which reminds me, I was looking at getting some of the Seltz L45 pumps to mod up... they are what hydor uses on their italian made performer line of skimmers. Oh, and how could I forget... I do drool about getting my hands on one of Klaus's new Red Dragon 2 pumps. FWIW, I think there needs to be more DC powered aquarium pumps out there, as using them on voltage controllers makes for easy wave-control, and DC pumps have many advantages as far as needlewheel pumps are concerned. Im sure a loopwheel RD2 at 5000rpm will just kill most everything that is out there... but $$$$!