[ick sucks]

what is the best skimmer u can buy? i want the best i can get anyone know of one that is good.is the red sea berlin any good? or Euro reef. im not sure whats good pls help.

Also can anyone tell me if its good to have a tds meter(total disolved solids). if so, whats good range to have with a good skimmer?(in numbers)

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by ick sucks

what is the best skimmer u can buy?

That depends on the size of your tank. Skimmers come in all different sizes and price ranges. No need to spend thousands of dollars for "the best" skimmer unless you have a really large tank. The Red Sea Berlin skimmer and the Aqua-Medic Turboflotor (both are made by the same company) are reasonably good skimmers for tanks of 90 gallons or less and they don't cost an arm and a leg. There are many other good skimmers in that same price range. Euro-reef skimmers are better but they cost more. If you have a large tank and want to go nuts, get a Sander-Helgoland or a Schuran. They have all the bells and whistles and run in the thousands.

Also can anyone tell me if its good to have a tds meter(total disolved solids). if so, whats good range to have with a good skimmer?(in numbers)

You can't measure TDS on saltwater because the number would be in the thousands. Way in the thousands! A TDS meter is used to measure the freshwater BEFORE you add the salt mix to it. You can also use it to measure your tapwater before it is treated by R.O./D.I. to see what you are up against. If you are using an R.O./D.I. unit to process your tapwater before using it to make your saltwater, then your goal is to have a TDS reading of zero but a reading of less than 5 would be acceptable.