another skimmer suggestion thread

[super stooge]

Thats right ladies and gentleman, its another skimmer suggestion thread. i hate to unleash another one of these onto the forums but i really need help :sad2:

im currently planning a 6x2x2 180 gal display + sump and am looking to start buying equipment soon. The problem is when it comes to skimmers, i have no clue . There are so many options out there that i dont know where to start looking.

id really appreciate a few a suggestions on different in sump skimmers that i can look into. im looking to buy a quality skimmer that i wont need to upgrade in 2 months time and am willing to pay the money necessary (id rather bite the bullet now and make a solid purchase rather than buying something cheap now and upgrading later anyway)

a few criteria that are important in my choice:

1. quiet as possible (tank will be in a bedroom)

2. reliable. id rather not have to constantly be tuning and adjusting my skimmer. id like to set it up, dial it in, and then not have to worry about it breaking down or spazzing out on me.

3. uncomplicated. id rather not have to heavily modify the skimmer in order to get it working well.

4. it must pull great big gobs of nastiness out of the tank (obviously)

Thank you very much

 

[110galreef]

swc 180 or SRO xp2000....

if you plan very heavy stock & SPS go swc 230 or sro xp 3000

the SWC's may be a tad quiter.

Very similar skimmers & pricess. Both are VERY good and in their price range about the best w/o dumping another $500

 

[jtma508]

Look into the I-Tech Model 200.

 

[nauticac4]

Depends on price range... Bubble King 200 would be awesome

but an SWC, Octopus, Avast Marine skimmer would work well also.

 

[solitude127]

If you're looking for quiet, I'd stay away from the Sicce 2500. When I had one on my WM K2 skimmer, I could hear a hum when all the ambient noise was off. If you're budget is less than $1000, check out ATB skimmers. I recently change to the ATB Elegance 200 and I'm very very happy with it. The pump is a lot quieter than my old sicce and it pulls out a ton of junk. What I used to pull in a week, this skimmer does in 4 days. Plus it's an ATB so quality is great as well as the customer service. I haven't had to use customer for my skimmer, but Victor is great getting back to me with my questions.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2007209&highlight=christmas

 

[KSzegi]

I have a bubble king mini 200 on my 180 gallon right now. I originally didn't want to spend that kind of money on a skimmer but due to size constraints of my cabinet and sump dimensions, it was one of only a few that would fit. It has been the best piece of equipment I could have bought. I'm upgrading tanks now and will be sticking with a bubble king for sure!

It fits your criteria well .....

1. it is extremely quiet - the only time I can tell it is running is when I get rogue little snail caught in the impeller

2. I have made adjustments only a couple times in the 1.5 years it has been running. It does not seem to be much affected by things going into the tank either (arms, feed, additives etc).

3. Was truly 'plug and play' right out of the box

4. And, it pulls some real nasty looking scum out of the tank - a lot of it!

I don't have a lot of other skimmer experience for comparison but will say that it is a high quality, well made piece of equipment and I've not had one single problem with it.

 

[rkaires]

If it's not going to be heavy stocked I would go with the ATB 840. For heavy go with the Elegance 200. Performance and excellent customer service.

 

[ksed]

+1 ATB
Great service, great pump very quiet, excellent balanced skimmer result in excellent performance.

 

[super stooge]

thanks guys, i appreciate all the suggestions. youve given me some good ideas across a number of price ranges.

id still appreciate any other suggestions or input into skimmers that have already been suggested

 

[unbelievable]

I personally have a skimz sm-201 the skimmer is awesome. I can't hear it at all. A buddy of mine has a skimz and a bubble king that are comparable size wise and he says the skimz is right with it performance wise and was half the cost. That's what made my decision and I'm very happy with it.

 

[110galreef]

everything suggested is a great one. just gonna come down to taste, fit, price budget. Howevr, just know that all suggested will work VERY well and will exceed your expectations.

Have to figure out what is most important, price, size, performance...etc.

But again you won't go wrong with any suggested

 

[Chromey316]

IS their a reason Why no one thinks about Vertex? Is it old dog new trix complex?

Most LFS around me use them and swear by them.

Great bang for your buck.

 

[Whyireef]

IS their a reason Why no one thinks about Vertex? Is it old dog new trix complex?

Most LFS around me use them and swear by them.

Great bang for your buck.

+1 on this- I went from Deltec to Vertex and am VERY happy.

 

[forddna]

Tagging along, as I need a new skimmer for my 220g.

To the OP, my suggestion is to narrow it down to a few that you are comfortable with, and try to find a used one. That's what I've always done and plan to do again.

I can contribute here with this...the first skimmer I had on my 220g was an old style Octopus. It was awesome. It did need a silencer on the air thingee. (again, this was an older model) It was undersized, though, and as I started stocking the tank, I sold it and bought an Aqua C EV400. I hate it.

I also bought a 50g tank a while back and did a ton of research picking a skimmer for it and decided on a SWC cone skimmer. I never got to use it, but I loaned it to someone, and he LOVED it. So I would be very comfortable going with an Octopus or SWC, and both are priced very well.