Comments for Protein skimmer in small area

jgatmaitan

New member
I have a 100 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump/refugium. I am looking for an in-sump skimmer that is small enough to fit in the stand under the tank. The height I have in the stand is only 20 inches(yikes). I really wish I had more.

Anyway, a couple on skimmers that I'm looking at at the $300 range are AquaC EV-120 and Tunze DOC Protein Skimmers 9010. Are there any other skimmers I should consider?

On a side question, do you include the water volume in the sump/refigium to compare against the manufacturers recommended tank size? For example, my total volume is 130 (100g for the tank + 30g for the sump) or should I just use 100g for the tank.
 
Your total water volume is not 130 gal, unless your sump is filled to the top. This could be dangerous. As far as the skimmer goes, I like the AquaC.
 
Can the skimmer go outside of the sump/cabinet?

It is possible have the skimmer outside the cabinet but that will require some changes to the area where my tank is located. Have to move some furniture around or I guess I could possibly put the skimmer right behind the tank; not sure if I have enough room there either(don't really want to move the tank few inches forward).

Anyway, I am considering those options but I first want to try having the skimmer in-sump.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
 
I second the AquaC. They can be finnicky, but when running properly pull out a lot of gunk. I had the exact same problem with my 240 gal...nothing big enough would fit under my stand but the EV-240...and it barely fit.

Keep in mind that you also have to supply a pump with this skimmer, and that the pump you choose will have a big part to play in how well it works. Go check out the AquaC Club thread in this forum for more on this...

jds
 
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