go with the eheim. i have a ev180, in which the rec is a mag 7. got decent skimmate but very inconsistent. after reading the aqua c club thread, i bought a eheim 1262 (for your skimmer 1260). skimmer pulls out alot more nasty skimmate now. during this time, i was in contact with aqua c (steve). though they recommend the mags for their skimmers(i think it may be a cost issue, since the skimmer is kind of expensive), they will admit that the eheims are better for it. the reason is that eheim are pressure rated pumps and this is what is need for the skimmer to make its microbubbles through the injection port. after adding a eheim, instead of using your gate valve, you will use the air injector to adjust water level and skimmate consistency. overall, buying the eheim, at least for me, was the best decision in regards to my skimmer.