Protein Skimmer for 75gallon reef system

[qburgess]

Any thoughts on a solid protein skimmer for a 75 gallon reef setup?

I would like to have the option of an in sump and out of sump choice, plus as quiet and energy efficient as possible.

Also, would it ever be worth having an expert help with my set up? If so what is a reasonable price?

[gregony]

There's a lot of experts on these forums. Unfortunately I'm not one of them. But they may chime in.
What kind of advice do you need?
The protein skimmer question is pretty easy. The most energy efficient protein skimmers you can buy will be the needlewheel variety. The manf's would be Reef Octopus (Super Reef series and Extreme Series), ATB, Tunze, Bubbleking, Royal Exclusive, SWC Extreme Series, and there's probably a half dozen I'm forgetting.
For a premium pump model, I think the best deal for the money would be the new Super Reef SR1000 in sump for a 75g. A mid quality pump skimmer, though not as efficient as the Super Reef that gets tons of good reviews would be the AquaEuro 135. Another option in-sump that isn't quite as energy efficient (but isn't bad) would be the Urchin Pro from Aqua C (with the Mag 3).
If you want the best of the best of the best, the ATB, Royal Exclusive cones are pretty nice.
If money is no object the Bubble King Super Marin 200 for around 1500 bucks is a winner.
The key to picking out a good skimmer, is primarily the pump, IMHO. The Super Reef uses the new Bubbleblaster pump from Honya. Honya makes a block called the "Laguna" and that block is used in the Red Dragon pumps and the Atoll pumps. Red Dragons are used in Bubbleking and Royal Exclusive. The Laguna block itself is verrrry expensive, hence the high price of skimmers that use it. Another great pump is the Sicce pump. It's used in the ATB (they call their modded version the Aerostar), the Extreme series from Octo and SWC and MSX, ATI, and probably a few others. The Tunze skimmers use these little bitty Tunze pumps that consume very little electricity.There's a noticeable dropoff after these pumps, but the Sedra pump may be the best of the rest. They're used in Warner Marine skimmers, and ASM skimmers. The OTP pump by Octopus has a solid reputation as well. The MAG pump that's used on the Aqua C Urchin is a very reliable pump, but it just moves the water, the Aqua C uses a "spray injection system". For a vague explanation of that see www.proteinskimmer.com.
What makes the good pumps good is not just energy consumption, and the reliability, but the amount of air they pull in. Think of the air bubbles as filter media. The more air bubbles you put in the skimmer, the more filtering it can do. Of course, there's a point where too much air and not enough water will compromise what you're trying to do.
There's a lot of choices, but almost all of the "decent" skimmers will work fine. Remember to get a skimmer rated above the capacity of your tank. For a 75g tank, a nice rule of thumb would be to get a skimmer rated for at least 100g preferably 120 to 150g. A 200 would be too big and would just be wasteful.
My list for a 75 (based on your monetary situation)
Broke or near to it - Octopus NW-110 (around $160)
Frugal - Super Reef Octopus 1000 int (around $250)
Decent Living - ATB Econo Cone 840 (around $670)
Good Living - Royal Exclusive 170 Cone(around $790)
Wealthy - Bubble King 160 (around $900)

[gdwats]

Hydor also has some nice options for silence and in or out of sump. I have used the performer 1000 both in and out of the sump. A quiet relatively inexpensive skimmer.
And Precision Marine has the new Red-line series in sump for tanks 100-200gal

[Bloodydecks]

My personal favorite is the Euro Reef Skimmer. They sale a CS and RS series. A RS or CS-100 would be fine for a 75 gal. If you can afford it, and have room in the sump, and enough height space in the cabinet area, go to a CS or RS 135. The RS is a little less expensive, and would work just as well. One is made out of a different material, and has a different cup housing....but I would recommend either one. Do a web search for details.