External Skimmer - In or Out of the Sump?

[Wlachnit]

I believe I know the pros and cons, but am hoping to get a crisp answer (wishful thinking)....or opinion.

I have a Reef Octopus 250EXT for my 300g mixed reef. Both my skimmer and the sump have to fit under the tank, so I have limited space....and I need to rebuild my sump. Do I maximize my sump size by placing the skimmer in the sump?....or do I build a smaller sump (60” vs 75” long) to accommodate the skimmer externally? Seems to me that I would gain some sump volume if I went with a bigger sump but not a lot since the skimmer would displace some of that.

Also, I know that I have seen skimmers that are plumbed remotely. For those installations, Does anyone know how the increased back pressure is dealt with?

 

[rygh]

Opinion: Maximize the sump, and put skimmer internal.
Skimmers can overflow. Not often, but they do. Salt buildup in air intake, something dies, etc.
With a big skimmer, that is a big mess.

 

[Wlachnit]

That is my leaning as well since it seems the only significant downside is you "lose valuable sump space". But, in my case, the sump would just be smaller.