Skimmer envy=upgrade?

[CAReefer]

Hey fellow ZeoHeads.
I have been watching the BK thread and must admit I have skimmer envy. Unfortunately, the BK is out of my price range at the moment. I currently run a EuroReef CS12-2 with a 3 rd recirc pump added. I have never felt this an adequate skimmer for my 250 gallon total volume. I have a medium/high fish load. I have been running Zeo since Dec 04 and have found what I believe to be the "sweet spot" for dosing my system. I still have algae issues, hair algae in the display is finally nearly gone. I still have soft plating algae growing pretty quickly in the main tank, as well as some grape caluerpa that migrated from my fuge to the display tank growing quite rapidly. All params are spot on and continue to wait for the hanna to arrive. I also get a brown hair tuft like algae growing in my prop tank, but that too seems to be receding. I need to keep the skimmer in sump, but like the recirc so I will put external in sump. As I see it, here are my options.

1st choice
Deltec AP702- to be fed directly from overflow (in itself another post for a later date)

2nd choice
H&S A-200-2x1260

3rd choice
Wait several months and
BK 300 external

I feel I would see enough of an improvement to warrant the cost of replacing the current skimmer.

What are your thoughts?

CAReefer

[Detritivore]

I have never felt this an adequate skimmer

i think your just using that as an excuse j/k

i think any of those would be a great choice

[CAReefer]

Thanks Jonah, not really an excuse, just trying to justify in my own mind the expense of a new skimmer. Well ok, I guess it is an excuse albeit, necessary change.

[moonpod]

CAReefer where are you? You wanna p/u a second hand 702?????

[Heinz]

i am sure you know which one i would get
what i was wondering is, you said you had to wait a few month to get a BK, is that what your dealer told you ? or are you just assuming ?
i thought waiting for a Bk was a thing of the past, and gary got BK's in stock now
am i wrong ?

[mshur]

careefer,
i think u should wait and get b-k...i am not saying that #1 or #2 is bad choice.))
b-k is the best!!! i"ve been using this skimmer for almost 10 month...and belive me this is the best investment in my reef i ever made...
u will never regret it))

mike

[GTR]

Even if there were hundreds in the states I'd still have to wait to save up the dollars. That's what made it possible for me... the waiting... so I could save.

I call it my lay-away skimmer.
SteveU

[Miguelito]

Choices #1 or #2 are MORE than enough for your system. Anything bigger and you're throwing money away. I had your #2 on a 340 and it stayed ahead of my tank, and I had a lot of big tangs. The Deltec & H&S will produce over 1,700lph.

If you can get one used, that would be awesome. I wouldn't hesitate one moment to buy Moonpod's.

Your #3 choice obviously would be nice, but it's more than you need from my exerience of owning a few big re-circs (I also owned the 12-2RC).

[CAReefer]

Heinz the reason for having to wait would be the cost factor, not the import. What is the lag time these days anyway?
Moonpod- you have PM

I am leaning towards the lay-away-skimmer plan myself. The H&S seems all too similar to the euroreef I currently have. I know the R&D makes a huge difference, but if I'm gonna spend that kind of cash, I want something significantly different.

Marshal