2. Skimmer's to avoid:
Anything by RedSea
Anything by Corallife
Anything by Seaclone
Anything that the LFS sells ( most likely )
Most that is a HOB (Hangs On the Back)
3. Skimmer's that really do work, but cost a lot. Which is why most LFS don't carry them.
ASM
Deltec
Octopuss
Euro Reef
Pasific coast
MSX
Tunze
E.T.S.S Protein
Precision Marine
Warner Marine
This is all JMHO on the topic. Most of the LFS don't carry the better skimmer's that work because they cost to much. Trying to get a new-bi to spend $300 or more on a pice of equiment is hard to do. After chuncking so much out for the tank, light's and other stuff, most would become detered from the hobby. That doesn't mean the cheap junk don't work at all. To some point it might. After you spend countless hours tinkering around with it, it might. Will it properly work??? Not IMO unless the tank is like a Nano. Nano= under 20 gallons and hardly no Boi-load.
By the time you spend $100 on it, and then it doesn't really work, or cause's a flood and then you have to find something else, you could have bought a good skimmer. Save $100, countless hours, Fusteration, and a flood, and get the better one. And when picking one out, if it "claims" to do 100 gallons, go for one that "claims" to do 200 gallons. They market them about half of what they can handle.
Not trying to be rude. Just trying to help.