[NicoleC]

I would go with TWO skimmers, both good quality ones. That way you can clean them on alternating days and don't have down-time when the skimmers don't skim well because they are either too clean or too dirty.

I would worry less about the skimmer's "rating" (which is pretty much a made-up number by the marketing staff) and focus on best placement and other practices to get a high quality skim. This is a good chance to set up your skimmer so it is fed from the overflow if you have enough flow, and have one less pump running using electricity and generating heat.

If you go with carbon (I don't see a downside if you change it regularly, but wait for the more experienced to chime in), definately buy in bulk. Locally we have set up a couple of group buys from a company that supplies carbon to water companies (and the big Aquarium of the Pacific). We carefully checked out the supply, it was an excellent grade, and ended up paying about $1/pound... in 50 pound sacks!