50g sps tank bk skimmer recommend

[lxn9901]

Hi .
My tank is a 50g high density sps and fish tank.Now I use a BK MINI200 RD3 skimmer run on 50% power for a year,I think it is still so big for me(overskim).Any other size bk skimmer recommend？or run my mini200 on 20-30% power？
I only want to usd BK.
Thank you.

 

[slief]

Hi .
My tank is a 50g high density sps and fish tank.Now I use a BK MINI200 RD3 skimmer run on 50% power for a year,I think it is still so big for me(overskim).Any other size bk skimmer recommend？or run my mini200 on 20-30% power？
I only want to usd BK.
Thank you.

It's way too large for your system. It's not going to overskim though. Kind of the opposite. It's just not going to be consistent without running it really wet and even then, the organics will build up in the system until there are enough proteins in the water to create a foam head dense enough to fill the neck with foam. Then the skimmer will drive the organics out until it can't maintain enough foam to fill the neck then it will slow down until the organics build back up. The ideal speed for that skimmer is 28-32 watts. Sounds like you are fairly close to that. For your size display, a Mini 160, double cone 130 or Double Cone 150 would be the best choices. The smaller the better with your size display. A heavy load would be 25" worth of fish in that size display. Even the Mini 160 would be on the large size but it would perform much better than the Mini 200.

 

[lxn9901]

If mini160 lager for me,sounds like cone 130 is the only choice for me？One more question,what's mini200 run on low power and smaller size like 130 the different？

 

[slief]

If mini160 lager for me,sounds like cone 130 is the only choice for me？One more question,what's mini200 run on low power and smaller size like 130 the different？

The pump is different. The smaller Mini's and smaller Double Cones don't use the RD3. The design of the RD3 allows it to create a very linear air to water ratio throughout the power range. The Red Dragon pumps on the smaller Mini's and Double Cones are very similar in their current draw but each has a different volute/impeller combo to insure that the air rate is appropriate to the skimmer body. The caveat is that the Double Cone 130 and Double Cone 150 have an adjustable nozzle that when turned adjusts the air to water ratio. The impeller spins at a set rate but when you open the nozzle up, the air flow increase and the air displaces the amount of water going through the pump. By increasing the airflow via the nozzle, you are decreasing the water flow. On the smaller Double Cones, you use that adjustment to tune the skimmer. The Mini's are more set it and forget it. With the large double cones and Mini 200 that have the RD3, you use the pumps speed controller to fine tune the skimmer. As you decrease the speed, you decrease the wattage as opposed to the AC blocks that spin at one speed.

That said, don't discount the Mini 160. It's still a great skimmer and if you have a reasonably decent fish load and regular feedings, it would work fine. On the flip side, there is nothing wrong with the Mini 130 or the Mini 150 for that matter. They just require more tinkering with the nozzle to get them fine tuned for the load. The sweet spot for the nozzle setting is usually between 3.5 and 5 turns out depending on the load, sump depth, water tension in the sump, salinity etc. A fraction of a turn can make a big difference so it takes some time to get them dialed in but they work wonderfully well once you find the sweet spot for your setup.

 

[lxn9901]

The pump is different. The smaller Mini's and smaller Double Cones don't use the RD3. The design of the RD3 allows it to create a very linear air to water ratio throughout the power range. The Red Dragon pumps on the smaller Mini's and Double Cones are very similar in their current draw but each has a different volute/impeller combo to insure that the air rate is appropriate to the skimmer body. The caveat is that the Double Cone 130 and Double Cone 150 have an adjustable nozzle that when turned adjusts the air to water ratio. The impeller spins at a set rate but when you open the nozzle up, the air flow increase and the air displaces the amount of water going through the pump. By increasing the airflow via the nozzle, you are decreasing the water flow. On the smaller Double Cones, you use that adjustment to tune the skimmer. The Mini's are more set it and forget it. With the large double cones and Mini 200 that have the RD3, you use the pumps speed controller to fine tune the skimmer. As you decrease the speed, you decrease the wattage as opposed to the AC blocks that spin at one speed.

That said, don't discount the Mini 160. It's still a great skimmer and if you have a reasonably decent fish load and regular feedings, it would work fine. On the flip side, there is nothing wrong with the Mini 130 or the Mini 150 for that matter. They just require more tinkering with the nozzle to get them fine tuned for the load. The sweet spot for the nozzle setting is usually between 3.5 and 5 turns out depending on the load, sump depth, water tension in the sump, salinity etc. A fraction of a turn can make a big difference so it takes some time to get them dialed in but they work wonderfully well once you find the sweet spot for your setup.

Finally,the skimmer for 50g sps tank you recommend which one？

 

[slief]

Like I said, you could go with any of the 3. How many fish do you plan and how much do you plan on feeding?