This was my reply to someone asking about a good skimmer for their 185g. I typed enough that I thought someone else might be interested in reading it or filling in some blanks that I may have missed:
Here are your choices:
ATI BM250 - Latest technology, In Sump, Plug and Go, Can handle a 250g system easily - $770
Orca - Custom built, mesh modded for you, Recirc design, plug and go, can handle a 200g system - $430
Orca - Custom built, mesh modded, recirc design, plug and go, at least 500g - $840
DAS EX2 - Deltec design, recirc, plug and go, 200g - $400
DAS EX3 - Deltec design, recirc, plug and go, 300g - $630
AquaEuro Classic 400 - in sump, requires some modding to extract performance, 150g no mods, 250g+ with mods - $240 stock up to $500 modded
AquaEuro AE265 - recirc design, requires some modding to extract performance, 120g no mods, 250g+ with mods - $270 stock up to $550 modded
Octopus Dual Recirc 150 - recirc design, plug and go, 200g - $390
Octopus Dual Recirc 250 - recirc design, plug and go, 250g - $500
Octopus Triple Recirc 300 - recird deisgn, plug and go, 250g+ - $650
To me these are the best of the bang for buck skimmers.
The ATI is pulling probably more air than any listed. This doesn't mean it is the best, but it is a really good indicator. I certainly know it is spoken in terms of performance alongside the BubbleKing and Deltec skimmers which is really good company.
The Orca line is pretty hard to ignore. The guy basically builds a skimmer to suit your needs and uses the latest design technology to do it (true union cup fittings, flanged top for easy cleaning, bubble baffles, top of the line acrylic, etc). He can use any pump you want as well including the excellent Das knockoff of the AquaBee. He can build them any height and pretty much any width as well.
DAS skimmers are on the surface to me a fantastic idea. They licensed the older models from Deltec and started building clones right down to the pump. Basically you are buying a Deltec that is a few years old in design but with all new parts. Old Deltecs are still some of the best skimmers out there and the pumps are fantastic. Now these Das knock off pumps aren't as good as a new AquaBee Deltec, but they are still awesome pumps especially when you consider the cost. The problem comes in when something breaks as support has been very weak. Also, the acrylic used in their manufactoring is mid-grade leading to long term durability issues. Lastly, shipping from one of the few places you can buy one in the U.S. has been troublesome.
Now onto the next contender the AquaEuro USA skimmer. Both skimmers are hampered by a weak pump, but at half the price of most of the skimmers listed you are getting some down right great performance for the money. If you could mod these pumps for more performance, then they would be a steal but modding doesn't seem to help much. So basically you are into buying additional pumps, modding them yourself and cranking the skimmer up into the great performer range yourself. The good news is you can do this relatively cheaply and easily. If you buy the DAS knock off pumps which will cost you about $240 for two, you will basically be in the awesome skimmer category for around $500. If you buy 2-3 GenX pumps at $100-$150 and mesh mod, you will be in the really great skimmer department. There are a dozen other pumps you can buy and throw on a mesh mod to extract performance from these skimmers and you don't have to be in a huge rush to do it since day one these will give you OK performance. Aside from that the build quality is excellent and the acrylic is about as solid as it gets. My only real beef with the AE265 skimmer is it isn't as well though out as the others listed. Cleaning the main body is a pain, the intake nozzle could have been better designed as well and the way the pumps join to the body isn't effecient. However, we are talking about a skimmer than is 30-70% less than any skimmer listed above as well.
The final skimmers in my picks are the Octopus skimmers. These things work that is all that needs to be said for them. They use a EuroReef style design with an OceanRunner knock off pump. Not only do they fall into the affordable range you can also mesh mod the pumps easily and create some very good performing skimmers without paying a dime more. Without this mod, they will work just fine however with it they start approaching some of the top of the line skimmers in performance. Additionally the build quality of the octopus skimmers are very good. Acrylic is top notch as well as the assembly of the unit. The Dual 250 is very similar to the AE265 right down to my negatives. The Dual 200 and Triple 300 are much better thought out.
So had I $800 and didn't mind spending the cash, it is hard to pass up on the ATI. If I was more budget minded, I would probably go with the Orca. I like the DAS concept, but I worry about long term durability especially after plunking down that kind of cash. If I am budget strapped and don't mind DIY, the AEs are probably the best IMO. If I am on a budget and just want to plug and go, the Octopus skimmers are a tough model to walk away from as well.
Good news is you probably can't go wrong with any of the skimmers I listed.
Here are your choices:
ATI BM250 - Latest technology, In Sump, Plug and Go, Can handle a 250g system easily - $770
Orca - Custom built, mesh modded for you, Recirc design, plug and go, can handle a 200g system - $430
Orca - Custom built, mesh modded, recirc design, plug and go, at least 500g - $840
DAS EX2 - Deltec design, recirc, plug and go, 200g - $400
DAS EX3 - Deltec design, recirc, plug and go, 300g - $630
AquaEuro Classic 400 - in sump, requires some modding to extract performance, 150g no mods, 250g+ with mods - $240 stock up to $500 modded
AquaEuro AE265 - recirc design, requires some modding to extract performance, 120g no mods, 250g+ with mods - $270 stock up to $550 modded
Octopus Dual Recirc 150 - recirc design, plug and go, 200g - $390
Octopus Dual Recirc 250 - recirc design, plug and go, 250g - $500
Octopus Triple Recirc 300 - recird deisgn, plug and go, 250g+ - $650
To me these are the best of the bang for buck skimmers.
The ATI is pulling probably more air than any listed. This doesn't mean it is the best, but it is a really good indicator. I certainly know it is spoken in terms of performance alongside the BubbleKing and Deltec skimmers which is really good company.
The Orca line is pretty hard to ignore. The guy basically builds a skimmer to suit your needs and uses the latest design technology to do it (true union cup fittings, flanged top for easy cleaning, bubble baffles, top of the line acrylic, etc). He can use any pump you want as well including the excellent Das knockoff of the AquaBee. He can build them any height and pretty much any width as well.
DAS skimmers are on the surface to me a fantastic idea. They licensed the older models from Deltec and started building clones right down to the pump. Basically you are buying a Deltec that is a few years old in design but with all new parts. Old Deltecs are still some of the best skimmers out there and the pumps are fantastic. Now these Das knock off pumps aren't as good as a new AquaBee Deltec, but they are still awesome pumps especially when you consider the cost. The problem comes in when something breaks as support has been very weak. Also, the acrylic used in their manufactoring is mid-grade leading to long term durability issues. Lastly, shipping from one of the few places you can buy one in the U.S. has been troublesome.
Now onto the next contender the AquaEuro USA skimmer. Both skimmers are hampered by a weak pump, but at half the price of most of the skimmers listed you are getting some down right great performance for the money. If you could mod these pumps for more performance, then they would be a steal but modding doesn't seem to help much. So basically you are into buying additional pumps, modding them yourself and cranking the skimmer up into the great performer range yourself. The good news is you can do this relatively cheaply and easily. If you buy the DAS knock off pumps which will cost you about $240 for two, you will basically be in the awesome skimmer category for around $500. If you buy 2-3 GenX pumps at $100-$150 and mesh mod, you will be in the really great skimmer department. There are a dozen other pumps you can buy and throw on a mesh mod to extract performance from these skimmers and you don't have to be in a huge rush to do it since day one these will give you OK performance. Aside from that the build quality is excellent and the acrylic is about as solid as it gets. My only real beef with the AE265 skimmer is it isn't as well though out as the others listed. Cleaning the main body is a pain, the intake nozzle could have been better designed as well and the way the pumps join to the body isn't effecient. However, we are talking about a skimmer than is 30-70% less than any skimmer listed above as well.
The final skimmers in my picks are the Octopus skimmers. These things work that is all that needs to be said for them. They use a EuroReef style design with an OceanRunner knock off pump. Not only do they fall into the affordable range you can also mesh mod the pumps easily and create some very good performing skimmers without paying a dime more. Without this mod, they will work just fine however with it they start approaching some of the top of the line skimmers in performance. Additionally the build quality of the octopus skimmers are very good. Acrylic is top notch as well as the assembly of the unit. The Dual 250 is very similar to the AE265 right down to my negatives. The Dual 200 and Triple 300 are much better thought out.
So had I $800 and didn't mind spending the cash, it is hard to pass up on the ATI. If I was more budget minded, I would probably go with the Orca. I like the DAS concept, but I worry about long term durability especially after plunking down that kind of cash. If I am budget strapped and don't mind DIY, the AEs are probably the best IMO. If I am on a budget and just want to plug and go, the Octopus skimmers are a tough model to walk away from as well.
Good news is you probably can't go wrong with any of the skimmers I listed.