customdusty
New member
I know I have read a lot of threads on this forum where people have had a variety of problems and some negative things to say about these skimmers; I wanted to share my experience - the stories that often aren't shared - good ones
I put a 9010 in on my 90 gal reef tank a few months back after using an Octopus Extreme 150 for about a year. The Octo had a much larger footprint, a large and power hungry pump, a much larger and taller reaction chamber, and a larger collection cup. I had struggled with this skimmer after cleaning it to get it to start skimming again and it really required constant monitoring and adjusting to keep it skimming properly. Sometimes, it would take a week after servicing it before it would start working properly again. After not skimming for a week you blink your eyes, and all of sudden it is overflowing. I do have to say, once it was dialed in, it did skim quite well - but I would estimate downtime being at least one third of the time on a monthly basis. To help make it more consistent and in an effort to reduce the start up problems, I started researching a variety of different mods. In having done the research I decided that it just wasn't designed to do what I was expecting it to do, hence the need to modify it.
I entered the skimmer market with great skepticism, and would proceed to scrutinize every skimmer that I considered. Because of the tight area in my sump, I narrowed the field to skimmers that would take up less space (smallest possible footprints) and be easier to get in and out for service.
I took the time to research, post some threads, and read as much as I could on each skimmer - I also called my friends at Premium Aquatics and other resources to get some input. After spending some time on this forum, reading some of the not-so-good stories and seeing several threads requesting help for problems - I became very skeptical, however when I got to thinking about it I realized everybody actually had a place to ask for help, where living humans would respond and offer answers and solutions to correct issues (rather than a phone menu that leads to nowhere but frustration).
In the end, this forum is what sold me on the Tunze product. With the dedicated people representing Tunze to serve their customers - either by answering simple questions, giving basic instructinos, or facilitating repair service - it gave me the piece of mind that I needed. In this hobby, like in many other aspects of life, it is important to have that smart friend - the one that you take along to help you pick out a new computer, or to make sure you aren't getting ripped off on a repair for your car.
Now, to the skimmer itself - I installed it a few months back now. The instructions were relatively easy to follow (my Octo came with nothing, a napkin to wipe the sweat away while you struggled to figure out what to do with all the pieces would have been helpful) and I had it installed shortly thereafter. I did happen to find that the brackets for hanging had come with two left side parts - rather than a left and a right - rendering it useless. I was not planning on using it anyways, but others may have found it more inconvenient.
Within hours, bubbles were climbing neck - and by the next morning it was chugging along - and it hasn't stopped since. Typically, I pull out more than 100 ml of skimmate per day - and clean the cup every 2-3 days once the neck starts to get some excessive build up on it. I am very pleased with how well it has performed - much better than the Octo, with the main difference being the fact that it actually is running probably twice as much because of the downtime after cleanings. I am absolutely happy with it, and surely I am happy to know that I have help here if I need it.
Thank you!
I put a 9010 in on my 90 gal reef tank a few months back after using an Octopus Extreme 150 for about a year. The Octo had a much larger footprint, a large and power hungry pump, a much larger and taller reaction chamber, and a larger collection cup. I had struggled with this skimmer after cleaning it to get it to start skimming again and it really required constant monitoring and adjusting to keep it skimming properly. Sometimes, it would take a week after servicing it before it would start working properly again. After not skimming for a week you blink your eyes, and all of sudden it is overflowing. I do have to say, once it was dialed in, it did skim quite well - but I would estimate downtime being at least one third of the time on a monthly basis. To help make it more consistent and in an effort to reduce the start up problems, I started researching a variety of different mods. In having done the research I decided that it just wasn't designed to do what I was expecting it to do, hence the need to modify it.
I entered the skimmer market with great skepticism, and would proceed to scrutinize every skimmer that I considered. Because of the tight area in my sump, I narrowed the field to skimmers that would take up less space (smallest possible footprints) and be easier to get in and out for service.
I took the time to research, post some threads, and read as much as I could on each skimmer - I also called my friends at Premium Aquatics and other resources to get some input. After spending some time on this forum, reading some of the not-so-good stories and seeing several threads requesting help for problems - I became very skeptical, however when I got to thinking about it I realized everybody actually had a place to ask for help, where living humans would respond and offer answers and solutions to correct issues (rather than a phone menu that leads to nowhere but frustration).
In the end, this forum is what sold me on the Tunze product. With the dedicated people representing Tunze to serve their customers - either by answering simple questions, giving basic instructinos, or facilitating repair service - it gave me the piece of mind that I needed. In this hobby, like in many other aspects of life, it is important to have that smart friend - the one that you take along to help you pick out a new computer, or to make sure you aren't getting ripped off on a repair for your car.
Now, to the skimmer itself - I installed it a few months back now. The instructions were relatively easy to follow (my Octo came with nothing, a napkin to wipe the sweat away while you struggled to figure out what to do with all the pieces would have been helpful) and I had it installed shortly thereafter. I did happen to find that the brackets for hanging had come with two left side parts - rather than a left and a right - rendering it useless. I was not planning on using it anyways, but others may have found it more inconvenient.
Within hours, bubbles were climbing neck - and by the next morning it was chugging along - and it hasn't stopped since. Typically, I pull out more than 100 ml of skimmate per day - and clean the cup every 2-3 days once the neck starts to get some excessive build up on it. I am very pleased with how well it has performed - much better than the Octo, with the main difference being the fact that it actually is running probably twice as much because of the downtime after cleanings. I am absolutely happy with it, and surely I am happy to know that I have help here if I need it.
Thank you!
