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I've noticed that some reefers prefer internal protein skimmers to external. My question is what's your preference and why? And are the advantages to using an internal to external?
I don't know if it is really a preference, or more just necessity due to size restraints. The majority of people are under stand which limits your available space which means a lot of people go in sump. I have had both and I like the external a lot better because it is easier to dial in and there are less variables, however when we had the 57g and 45g we had in sump because there was no room to do external. Also the big downside to externals overflowing can be a massive problem in sump so I think that pushes people away too.
The first part of this in NOT TRUE. I have had both an MRC 2 and MRC 3…..external becketted skimmers. They were, without doubt, the best skimmers I’ve own as far as pulling the gunk out of the tank…..absolute beasts. However, dare you look at them cross-eyed or sneeze or say something bad about them and they would spew there skimmate galore…..for no apparent reason. Because of this, I was convinced that when it came to the case of assigning a gender pronoun (typical to other languages…i.e. with German, it’s der, die and das for masculine, feminine and neuter “the,” respectively), I am 100% certain that an MRC skimmer would be feminine….extremely temperamental.
The second part of the above statement is true….fluctuating water level will typically have an impact on skimmer performance.
Having owned both….no real difference. You clean the cup once a week and that’s similar. However, with a beckett skimmer, you need to clean the beckett. So I’d say an external beckett skimmer is more difficult to clean than and internal cone skimmer.
Bottom line, it’s what fits your needs, desires and space requirements that will dictate if you go internal or external. If you are uncertain of these choices, flip a coin.
I've been going back and forth with the internal vs external debate on for 2 months and still haven't made up my mind. MTC has an external mazzei recirculating skimmer that I've been eyeballing but the thought of overflows has held me back. On the other side there are a mind numbing number of options for internals. Decisions, decisions....