Hang on Skimmers

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10227521#post10227521 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stanlalee
as the water level drops and the skimmer pump gets closer to the water line it works BETTER. the farther submerged the pump is the harder it is for the pump to pull down air into the skimmer deeming them less efficient. this is why almost every sump skimmer has a maximum level it should be placed in and wont draw much air if submerged too much. the closer to the surface the better. anytime a pump is drawing more air it is drawing less water. simply raise the water level in the skimmer to where it was before the water level dropped and the skimmer will be more efficient. not exclusive to HOT operation since sump levels (being a fraction the size of the tanks they are attached to) usually drop much faster then the waterline on tanks without sumps.

for the same reason coralifes dont overflow due to evaporation like people acuse it of. evaporation makes it pull more air LOWERING the water level within the skimmer. also puts less backpressure (though there shouldn't be any to begin with if working/set up properly) on the output tube in the bubble diffuser further reducing the chance of overflowing.
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Your assumptions are incorrect:

(1) The Remora pump does not pull in air. There is no air hose leading to the pump. It is not a Venturi pump. Drawing air is not the issue. The issue is the vertical distance that water must be pumped above the tank water level.

(2) A submerged pump does not have to perform any work to get the water level in the output hose to match the tank water level. The pump's work starts when the water level in the hose has to rise above the tank's water level. The lower the tank water level, the harder the pump has to work.
 
Yeah, stanalee, what you are talking about doesnt apply here because the remora isnt a needlewheel/asperating skimmer setup. Its a variation on a venturi. So all that matters is the pressure and flow of the pump. Being that remoras get MJ1200 size pumps which cant generate alot of pressure, the output sucks. That same MJ1200 can get 2x the air intake, even at 22" of depth, when set up as a needlewheel.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10230534#post10230534 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pjf
Your assumptions are incorrect:

(1) The Remora pump does not pull in air. There is no air hose leading to the pump. It is not a Venturi pump. Drawing air is not the issue. The issue is the vertical distance that water must be pumped above the tank water level.

(2) A submerged pump does not have to perform any work to get the water level in the output hose to match the tank water level. The pump's work starts when the water level in the hose has to rise above the tank's water level. The lower the tank water level, the harder the pump has to work.
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You are correct about the remora in point one however your statement was in the context of "There are 3 problems with HOB skimmers" not the remora specifically

you are correct in point two as well but I was not referring to water I am referring to drawing air from above the waterline and pulling it down thru the pump. the farther down the pump is the harder it is to do. you can drop a venturi skimmer under two feet of water and it will pump water just fine but it will draw virtually no air.
 
Whatever you do do not get a Deltec mce600, expensive garbage, I would advise the Tunze 9010 in tank and later on can add to a sump...comes complete with the kit
 
I recently modifyd my Bak-Pak by replacing the pump with a Maxi 1200. The only problem was the original venturi for it is not good. I found a tube to fit into the in take, then drilled a hole in the tube. Took the tube off of a needle valve put airline tubing on one end and put into the hole. Then connect airline to the other side and out to the air. Pulls alot more air in, increased the kunk output significantly. Try this first before purchasing a new skimmer.
 
any of you having success with the remoras care to share how you've set it up? using mj1200 or other? surface box? etc..
 
dont worry happy face, ill still answer your question! :D

i had a remora, and i can see both sides. they claim it can handle up to a 75, which i would NEVER do. i would MAYBE put a remora on a 55 and even thats pushing it.

you never mentioned what size tank you have, but the bak-pak claims to handle 60 gallons. so im going to assume you have a 55. even if this is wrong, which im sure it is, its better to assume a bigger tank, because you really should use an oversized skimmer.

so based on the two things i just said, depending on your bioload, as well as what your keeping, i would either "yeah" or "nah" a remora. it really depends. also, are you using any additional filtration of any kind? all of this will help you/us decide the best skimmer

also, you dont necessarily need a sump to have a skimmer that is not hang on. i know the Aqua-C EV series can be inline. this would require you to use an overflow box, which would plumb to the skimmer, which would plumb bakc into your tank. but, depending on where our tank is, this may or may not be possible. and, this can be quite expensive

but if money is not an issue, there is a remora pro that is a larger remora, the regular remora, and also deltec makes a few hang on skimmers, but i believe those are around $400.

my remora (not pro) was $150 new and came with a maxi-jet 1200. i liked it. i got a bigger setup, which included a sump, so i no longer use it

if you have any other questions, let us all know

good luck and let us know what you choose to purchase! :)

(nothing ****es me off more than when some petty debate breaks out in a thread, like the one thats going on here. guys, this person asked us about what skimmer is good for their tank, they are replacing a hang on. they never asked what makes remora's terrible or why all hang on skimmers suck. and now, twenty-something replys later, they havent even responded to their own post because of all this crap floating around and back and forth. honestly... )
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10226084#post10226084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WVfishguy
I've had great luck with Turbofloter 1000 Multis, from Aquamedic. These are the ONLY HOB skimmers I'll even consider - and I've used 3 other brands and have seen a lot more than that in operation.
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This is a very good skimmer that dose not get enough credit for how good it is.
 
Ahhh... I hate those things and Im glad Aqua Medic is getting rid of them. They have a new one, I forgot to mention, but its perhaps the only HOB I would consider. Its the new T3000 'blue', and it uses a Oceanrunner 3700 for about 28scfh of air... thats alot for a HOB skimmer... more than the deltec MCEs even.
 
I had an AquaC remora on a 30 gallon and it worked alright for a few months and then seemed to just get worse and worse. I am now upgrading to a 75 gallon tank and got a AquaC Urchin Pro and it has worked great so far. But yeah- be sure to get the largest pump available
 
I have a 45g and was wondering what is a good skimmer? I current run a CPR bak pak and it sucks. And I dont have a sump and please dont bash me with the HOB are crap and etc. I already did a search and everyone says they are crap, the tank I have is a FOWL. I dont want a Deltec, tunze or any of thoes expensive ones. I know someones going to say save your money for a better one. So skip thoes lines please. I am looking for a good HOB under 100 dollars. I am interested in the typhoon.
 
the typhoon will serve you fine. Be sure to order the anti-siphon kit from D&D marine and install it (they will send it for free), other than that it is fairly easy to install. You have to build it (to an extent), but it is not hard. You can easily improve it by hooking the air line up to a whisper 60. For the price it can not be beat.
 
Wow, who thought the topic of hang on the back skimmers would cause such a ruckus!

I had the larger Remora Pro on a 58 gallon. It did a fine job for the tank size and bio load I had in it. Is it the best skimmer that uses the best method...no, but for a hang on, it was pretty good.

The key point for me was that I bought a size larger than what my tank size was and I bought a more powerful pump for it. I think it would have worked even better if I had purchased the box that would skim the top water, though it was a little large.

So from someone who has OWNED and USED a Remora, for Hang On Skimmers (as per the post topic) the Remora Pro worked well for me on the 58gal it was on. It works a lot better than the Bak-Pak version of my buddy's tank that my old Remora Pro now resides.

Good luck in picking one out. Skimmers are like used cars you get what you pay for and do your research. Deltec even makes a hang on and I bet a lot of the people harping on how bad hang on skimmers are, wouldn't dare speak bad words about Deltec's version of a hang on.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10226533#post10226533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Musho3210
I dont see why so many people hate remora's, its like you either love them or hate them. Ive seen great skimmate pics that are very very dark and even a tiny bit dry.
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A lot of people love remoras because they've never used anything better, and dont know what a skimmer SHOULD do.


The rest of us hate them because they can't even keep up with a $39 in sump skimmer, and they cost $200+



FWIW, the Turboflotors have their issues, but they kick the crap out of pretty much everything else available as a HOB. (Including the deltec, IMO.) You wont see any upgrade, IMO, moving from a bakpak to a remora. You may even see a downgrade. I've owned both. I still run a bakpak on one tank. I wouldnt let a remora in my house.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10226801#post10226801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pjf
There are 3 problems with HOB skimmers:
(1) They are marketed with undersized pumps. When a seller of HOB skimmers offers pump choices, woe to those that do not choose the strongest pump.
(2) Evaporation will weaken the skimmer. When the water level drops, the pump has to work harder and has less pressure to generate foam.
(3) HOB skimmers are usually "starter" skimmers. Since most aquarists that stick with the hobby eventually acquire sumps, HOB skimmers occupy the lower end of the market.

There are cultural differences between Remora haters and lovers.

-Remora haters tend to be aquarists that started out with an HOB and later acquired sumps and undercabinet skimmers. They don't mind throwing away old equipment and buying new equipment that work "out of the box."

-Remora lovers do not mind modifying their HOB skimmers to keep it going as they upgrade their systems. You can find Remoras with Mag 7 pumps to satisfy this market (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...t_Code=AQUAC-REMORAP-M7XT&Category_Code=AquaC).
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I will have to disagree with this. The "cultural differences" seems more like the people who don't like Remoras are people who KNOW what a real skimmer is suppose to be able to do. While the ones that tout the Remora as the best HOB skimmer out there have never actually used a real skimmer before to know any better.

Besides you can't mod the Remora. Unless you call swapping out the pump for a larger Mag 7 "modding"
 
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