Gravity feeding vs. Pump feeding

[Capt. Nemo]

Would I get bettter performance out of an external skimmer with gravity feeding or pump/powerhead feeding the skimmer? Would one way be advantageous over the other and how? Would it be okay to have the skimmer, feed pump/powerhead and the return pump in the same chamber of the sump?

Thanks,
Gary

 

[rustybucket145]

#1. Gravity NEVER fails...
#2. If your skimmer is recirculating it is best to feed it gravity and valve it to control flow IMO.

 

[kydsexy]

agreed

 

[poppin_fresh]

The nice part about feeding from the overflow is that the proteins dont have a chance to avoid the skimmer. When you use a feed pump, it lays on the bottom of the sump. The proteins flow down from the display, rise to the surface (away from the feed pump), and then get returned to the display.