Show me your (or recommend) a external skimmer

[finksmart]

If you're running an external skimmer, show me some pics and tell me why you chose it. If not, recommend one please. Thanks.

Oh and if you're wondering why not in sump, that is because my sump space is very limited (barely fit my AquaC Urchin Pro) and I'm entertaining the thought of upgrading to something bigger, which leaves me with only external.

 

[KathyC]

MRC2 on my 120..plumbed externally, run off a Gen X 55 pump (pressure rated). Was too tall to go under the stand and it's a whole lot easier to clean it this way. It is actually in the room next to where the tank is.
MY ATO system is in the cabinet underneath the skimmer.

 

[finksmart]

Diesel, but maybe a little too diesel for my 90g. Does the pump the feeds water to the skimmer also pushes the water back out (to tank or sump)? I'm just trying to understand what additional plumbing/equipment I need besides the skimmer and how that ties into the whole overflow.

 

[KathyC]

Diesel, but maybe a little too diesel for my 90g. Does the pump the feeds water to the skimmer also pushes the water back out (to tank or sump)? I'm just trying to understand what additional plumbing/equipment I need besides the skimmer and how that ties into the whole overflow.

Indirectly I suppose...the Gen X feeds the skimmer (max 1190gph I believe, but obviously less with the head loss) (skimmer requires 600 gph IIRC) and gravity brings the water back to the sump.

My overflow(drain/return) is an entirely different pump (mag 9 or 12 ..don't recall). I don't depend on this pump to provide circulation in my tank..it provides some through lockline attached to my returns, but my in-tank flow is mostly controlled by the 4 powers heads I have in there.

The one thing I like about my skimmer being a separate system is that when I'm doing a water change, I don't have to turn it off at all due to where it draws from & returns to in the sump
btw...both of my bigger tanks are plumbed with the same type skimmer and set up (being out of the room the tanks are in).