In sump or Recirculating Skimmer?

[maxxII]

Which do you feel is better and why?

I've used both in the past, but my tank was looking it's best in the past when I was running a recirculating skimmer that was appropriately sized for my system.

I'm now in the process of restarting my system and am leaning towards a recirculating skimmer for it, but I'm not married to the idea of it yet.

I'm curious about what people think about this....which do you prefer, in sump, or recirculating protein skimmers?

 

[d2mini]

To me, an external skimmer is just another opportunity for a leak/flood.
At least if something happens with an internal skimmer, water will just flow back into the sump.
These days, most people don't really need a huge 4-5' skimmer, so if you can fit one in your sump, that's the way I would go.

 

[ca1ore]

They're independent variables. Skimmer in sump can be a flow thru or a recirculator; skimmer external to the sump can be flow thru or a recirculator. The pros and cons of in versus out of sump seem pretty self evident. As far as flow thru versus recirculator, having used both, I find the differences in performance to be negligible.

Indeed, if you think about how skimmers work, there's really no reason to favor one over the other.

 

[oseymour]

Check out this video from BulkReefSupply - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myg8rz0Bzzc

I don't run one but from seeing a couple of them perform in person, I think a recirculating skimmer is better. I just ordered a Skimz recirculating skimmer from BRS, if I like it I'll sell my Vertex Omega 150.

Here are a couple of reasons,
Water level in sump doesn't matter - for a couple of reasons I need to remove the eggcrate and marinepure I use to raise my current skimmer.
Produces better bubbles/air water mix because it has separate pumps to feed the skimmer and to create bubbles
Easier to tune - you can set the feed pump to process as much/little tank water as you feel.

The drawback is they take up more space, need 2 pumps, so more heat (I have a hard enough time keeping my tank below 82 in the summer), and generally more expensive.

 

[Sonyardo]

Maybe a recirculating skimmer in the sump The best of both worlds.

 

[oseymour]

Maybe a recirculating skimmer in the sump The best of both worlds.

This is what I am planning to do. To me, a recirculating skimmer doesn't mean external but I could be wrong.

 

[FirstContact]

Recirculating skimmers are extremely easy to tune. My Skimz SK222 is in my sump. It's a recirculating cone skimmer. Love the gate valve adjustment and the fact that it totally disassembles. Feel like it could inject more air though. But it's definitely not the most expensive solution to get one's 30% of fish poop and detritus.

 

[Steve175]

My vote is also recirc in sump

 

[maxxII]

The skimmer will be in sump, whether or not it's a recirculating or an In Sump. If Recirculating, I will probably either feed it via drains into the skimmer, (what I used previously) or from the return pump.