Skimmer Recommendations

[Will T]

My skimmer recently broke...I am looking for a new one that does the job but not hella expensive!! Can anyone recommend a skimmer that is under $100 but works well for a 30 and 55 gallon aquarium.

I know I should oversize it so anything for up to 100 gallon would be appreciated!!

 

[tridacna]

I have the same size tank. My skimmer is home made. It is about 4 feet high and 4 inches wide. It is very simple design. you can make it all out of PVC. I use a powerhead with an airline shoved into the impellor region for the microbubbles. The powerhead also supplies the water. It works very well and produces alot of foam. My skimmer cup is black with skimate. It is imporatnt t install a valve on the intake and out take of the skimmer. this will allow u to dial in the right flow to produce foam. If you are interested in building your own skimmer I can go into more detail.

 

[Feelers]

Im getting a weipro 2014, it was the best budget skimmer brand in an online poll outa about 150 ppl, and thats about $160 NZ with the pump. From what I can figure you'd definately be best with a needle wheel skimmer second hand, perhaps sign up on reefcentral.com and post in the private trade exchange section with your price range, and research on what offers you get, (to see if its a good skimmer or not).
Im gonna use the weipro on my 300L tank, its rated to 500 I think, I have heard its a great deal for the cheapness, beware some of the skimmers such as seaclones get pretty bad reviews overall- note I havent tried them I've been doing lots of research.

 

[Will T]

Thanks for the posts. Yes, I would definitely like to learn how to build one myself. about how much time does it take to put it together after I aquire all the parts?

How can I get more info on how to build one? I would imagine you will need an intake and outtake...just can't envision how I would design it...