What skimmer for a 180 FOWLR?

[Hulley]

Hey guys, I'm setting up my 180 very soon. I've got the tank, sump, return pump, I'll have my custom stand/canopy this weekend. I'm having trouble decideing on a skimmer. I'm leaning towards a MRC2 with a blueline 55hd or a PM bullet 2 with the same pump. I'm not dead set on these skimmers, I've never run a beckett skimmer before and am open to suggestions. I'm not to fond of NW skimmers because it seems that people are always modding them to have to get them to work right! I want a good skimmer from the get go! Money is a factor, I would like to keep it under $700.00. I may have a few softie in the tank later on, otherwise it would be a FOWLR.
Thanks
Hulley

[Fly Guy]

The mods required for the needlewheel skimmers are VERY simple. All that is required is the gate valve mod and setting your sump up so that the water level never changes in the skimmer section.

I say throw the biggest ER or ASM that will fit in your sump, save a couple hundred bucks to spend on your fish and have a "set it and forget it" type skimmer.

[Hulley]

I'm looking for an external skimmer. I have a ASM G2 on my 90 and am not too impressed with its performance. I have the gate valve mod and a sump that the water level never changes. I'm kinda lookin at the Octopus DNW-200. Any thoughts on this? Its an external skimmer.

[TitansFan]

A MRC2 would skim circles around an Octopus. For FOWLR tanks I think becketts are nice. Only draw back with the beckett is the noise and power consumption from the large pump needed. I would look at an euroreef RC180. On my FOWLR I ponied up for a Deltec skimmer and love it. I run it external and gravity feed it from one of my overflows.

[REEF-DADDY]

An MRC-2 with a pcx55 pushing it will run circles around anything under double its price.