Has anyone tried using Via Aqua skimmers?

[navotasnewbie]

The design im working on limits me to a very short skimmer, i've been doing some online window shopping and stumbled on this Via Aqua Skimmer Sk-388. It really caught my interest since it has a very short footprint, i think less than 14". tried scouring the net for any review but most of them are extreme reviews. Half the people say "it is worthless and the designer should be punched in the face" although the other half says "it is the best skimmer that you could possibly get for its price range" i must admit it is really cheap for a skimmer that claims to be able to support hundreds of gallons. i was just wondering if anyone here in RP has actually tried and succeeded using them. Any comments about it would be greatly appreciated! many thanks!

[immortalbreaker]

tried that same model before. kinailangan ko pa imod para mag produce ng ok na foam. yun pump nasira agad. nang pinapalitan ko, kasi under warranty pa, nasira din agad yun pinalit.

Mag DIY ka na na lang using PVC or buy a 2nd hand reef octopus.

Here's my DIY pvc skimmer .
mas ok pa foam production niya kesa dun sa stock na via aqua.

Eto yun via aqua ko naka recirculating mod.

Pwede mo gayahin concept sa page na to for DIY skimmer.
Palitan mo lang yun ibang parts, kasi mahirap hanapin yun mga ginamit niyang parts. pede din hindi recirculating, kagaya nun ginawa ko.

[navotasnewbie]

Thank you so much po sir Immortal sa prompt reply. Mukhang okay nga ung modifications na ginawa nyo. Siguro nga ill settle with 2nd hand na reef octo nalang and setup a seperate tank outside the cabinet for my sump. Or hanap external skimmer. Thanks dn po sa link. Really helpful. A couple of thousand nalang dn naman kasi difference ng bnew via aqua at 2nd hand na reef octo, so i guess, obvious choice nq talaga ung reef octo. Thanks again sir!