400g Build - Skimmer Advice

Khazmodain

Khazmodain

Member
Recently moved across the state and took the move as an opportunity to change things up with my tanks. Previously had a 180g in wall SPS tank and I feel like I pretty much beat the game on that front... corals grew incredibly well and I was having difficulties keeping up with fragging frequently enough.

I've decided I'd like to try a more aggressive FOWLR tank this time around. I've ordered a 400g display that I'll be putting in a wall. I'm sure the bioload will be significantly heavier in the new tank and would like some advice on a skimmer. My existing skimmer is an H&S A100.. and while it has been a pretty solid skimmer I know it's too small for this tank and I'd prefer to get away from H&S and go a more modern/common route.

The stand will be a Schiemer type stand (cinder block and steel I-beams). One benefit of this stand is that it allows a lot of open space for equipment. Haven't settled on a sump yet but I'm leaning towards a 100g stock tank. I'm also open to an external skimmer since I will have plenty of space in the fish room behind the wall.

Would a Reef Octopus 8000 be overkill for this build? Would the RO 6000SSS be more suitable? I know people love Bubble King but it seems a bit too expensive per gallon for my taste. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
 
That's a bit more spendy than I was hoping for. It seems like there are quite a few options that are rated in the 900+ gallon range for around $1200. Anyone have experience with any of the following or think these are too much or too little for this build?
Reef Octopus SR XP-8000INT (claimed heavy bioload rating of 800g)
Reef Life Support Systems R12-i (claimed heavy load of 528g)
MRC-4 w/ Reeflo Barracuda (claim 900g)

These are all in the $1000-$1200 range. I've also looked at some of the Skimz skimmers and I'm not sure I'm impressed with the pumps they are using.. they seem a bit undersized/cheap to me. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I would be elated if I could get away with a $675 skimmer. I just want to make sure I don't end up in a situation where I have to repurchase a skimmer down the road because I tried to save a little money today. Does that seem like a better fit than the RO SRO XP-8000 or RLSS R12-i? It seems like there is some debate on whether or not it's okay to have an oversized skimmer... which is why I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on the RO 8000.
 
I had a SRO XP5000 Ext for my 366 DT / 450 System and it did quite a nice job. From my experience, you don't want such an oversized skimmer as it wont provide consistent results.
 
supermarin 300, that thing handle my 50+fish and 3 oz mysis shrimp daily feeding without an issue. super quite and almost no need to clean because the way they design the pump.
 
ClownNut, I think the supermarin 250 would be a better fit. Slief runs one on his 480 with 50 fish in it and it keeps up no issues.

Corey
 
biecacka said:
ClownNut, I think the supermarin 250 would be a better fit. Slief runs one on his 480 with 50 fish in it and it keeps up no issues.

Corey
Click to expand...

i feels the 300 doing a better job than the 250. i had the 250, i end up upgrading to the 300 after about 1 year. for the amount of the food i am putting into the tank, the 250 seem having a hard time keeping up. the 300 seem doing a better job keep the glass cleaner then the 250.
 
Bubble King is a bit more than I'd like to spend.. I understand their build quality is second to none though. I've recently started looking outside the typical needle wheel box at MRC, MTC, and LifeReef. I'll definitely have the space since I have a large aquarium room behind the scene. LifeReef's VS3 60" or even 72" seem like an attractive option at the price point. Does anyone know how these monster venturi skimmers compare to a similarly priced Reef Octopus SRO XP-8000?
 
save up then. The skimmer is the heart of the system you dont want junk equipment on a 400 ;-)
My BK 250 is extremely overkill for my overstocked 185 and I have to feed so much its ridiculous just to get detectable po4 and no3. Id rather have that then overfeeding with a value skimmer and have nasty algae.
I remember back in the day when i had a 120 gallon with a "value" reef octopus. I had green hair algae everywhere. I didn't change anything but bought a deltec skimmer. One week later the tank was spotless. Skimmers are the most important thing in my opinion and experience. Go big and nice or go home.
 
Going big. Talked to Jeff at LifeReef yesterday and I'm going to go the VS3 72" route. Truly impressive customer service... he actually seemed happy to chat about skimmers for a half an hour with me. Now I just have to figure out the pump to drive it with.
 
lol..That skimmer is $1100....I thought you didnt want to spend a bunch?

Whats another $400-500 to get an insump bubble king? I for one would not want that 72" skimmer taking up all that room not to mention how loud its going to be running an external pump to feed it. Ouch and the power too :)

Also show me an absolute gorgeous reef tank running a lifereef and I'll shut up. Better yet show me a picture of the nog collected from a lifereef that matches a BK :)

Dont hate on me for expressing my opinion. This is a forum and you obviously came here for advice. I have had every type of skimmer you can think of. I've even had friends with lifereef skimmers. I dont get it but some people still think they work good and that design is sound.

I would rethink your decision and give it more time than only 7 days since you posted the original question.
 
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if this is going to be FOWLR and no sticks why be so concerned about a skimmer? You obviously don't want them going thru the roof but you could probably maintain acceptable nutrient levels with regular water changes and a smaller skimmer or try an algae turf scrubber. Cant see justifying spending big money on a bubble king or ATB skimmer unless you plan on adding sticks at some point. I personally like the RO Regal line of skimmers and think they are a great value.
 
I agree with SPotter if this is going to be FOWLR.
I only advocate large nice skimmer like BK because you said its going to be heavy bioload and it will surely help keep algae at bay and will allow you to be more lazy with WC's..
But you also said your 180 was full of coral. There is no-way someone that has had the coral bug goes FOWLR. You might want only fish right now but sticks will surely come ;-)
 
Heh, I'm not hating on you for expressing your opinion. I will try to avoid taking this tank back into an SPS dominated tank though. And I did say I wanted to avoid a super expensive skimmer - notice that the BK 300 was what previous posts suggested which runs around $2300 while I was looking around the $1200 range. I have the room for a tall skimmer since I have a large open fish room behind the scenes so there's not any advantage with an in-sump skimmer for me. This was around the same price point that I was originally looking at when I was strongly considering the Reef Octopus 8000 and MRC MR-4. However, the apparent satisfaction from LifeReef customers speaks volumes while the RO customer service sounds like it has gone downhill a bit since CoralVue got involved. Not speaking down about BK I'm sure they are fine skimmers and if I required a skimmer to fit into a stand maybe I would consider spending the extra grand.
 
you can get a BK SM 250 for ~$1500
You dont need a 300. Heck i know a guy who is running a BK SM 250 on a 500 gallon tank just fine.
 
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