Hey all,
I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this, but I know a lot of people have been dying to figure out a cost effective skimmer option for their biocube, so I thought I would post my solution.
First I tried the biocube skimmer.........................guess what? a $30 skimmer skims like a $30 skimmer..........i.e. pretty much not at all.
I decided enough was enough! I got out my tape measurer and my Dremel tool and went to work. I cut the back of my hood open from just about hinge to hinge to accommodate a HOB skimmer. It wasn't very tough, but the key is to cut the light wires out of the back first to get them out of the way.
I made sure my cut big enough the accommodate an Aqua C Remora (the standard, not the nano). Not particularly because I believe them to be a great skimmer, but because of how cheap and readily available used ones are these days.
I was able to pick one up for $70 (no pump) and after picking up a maxijet 1200 I had my self a fairly capable skimmer for just under $100.
I imagine there are better skimmer out there that would fit as well, but this is the route I went.
And last but not least here are some pictures!
http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc222/dandubya/Biocube with Remora Skimmer/