Which protein skimmer should I use?

[toi_ss]

I know I have made many threads about different tanks but I am waiting on moving to a house that has a concrete slab floor compared to trashy wood and plaster 80's townhouse flooring so I can build a tank over 40 gallons without worrying about my bedroom turning into a basement.
Currently I am planning out a 480 gallon 300x140x48cm tank, it is going to be primarily look-down so it will have a very short stand.

I am wondering about choices for skimmers (the sump wont be under the stand so height isn't a factor for the most part). Currently I have planned to either use a AE-EC40 or a BM Curve 29+. I really hate noise so I'm now looking at flashier dc skimmers and I like the look of the reef octo regal 250-INT or maybe a tunze 9430 dc. The tank will have a quite light bioload with mostly small fish and lps corals. There will be a few acros and plate corals mixed in but it won't be dominated by them.

The skimmer air intake will be run through a co2 scrubber or directly out the window. And the skimmer will be placed on a silicone mat to limit vibrations

Any good recommendations for skimmers under $950? I am wondering if I should go with the cheaper curve or ae (aquaexcel), or if I should spend 2-3x the price on a dc skimmer. I just want a quiet and reliable skimmer.

 

[toi_ss]

bump

 

[PharmrJohn]

Well, to preface, I've not used an RO skimmer. That being said, I will be in my next build. Ive done my own research. They are not cheap. But they are high quality. I've not looked into Tunze, but they tend to be on high end with other hardware. IMO, a skimmer isn't something to skimp on. Not saying you're of that mindset, please know, just tossing it out there. And the 250 would handle your bioload if kept from light to moderate. You'd have some issues with heavy stocking.

 

[toi_ss]

Well, to preface, I've not used an RO skimmer. That being said, I will be in my next build. Ive done my own research. They are not cheap. But they are high quality. I've not looked into Tunze, but they tend to be on high end with other hardware. IMO, a skimmer isn't something to skimp on. Not saying you're of that mindset, please know, just tossing it out there. And the 250 would handle your bioload if kept from light to moderate. You'd have some issues with heavy stocking.

for now its between the RO Regal 300-INT ($920 usd) and the Aqua Excel EC-40 ($310 usd). I think the tunze 9430 will be underpowered for my system size because for a mixed reef with moderate stocking it says to use a 60% reduction when sizing the skimmer so the 9430 would be rated for only 1360 litres.