I hate protein skimmers.

[sjm817]

Re: I hate protein skimmers.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14910930#post14910930 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daytonben
The one guiding factor for me is the monthly electric bill. I can front the cost of the skimmer just fine, but I run into a real problem when my wife sees the electric bill double, lol. No getting around that.

The OP's main concern was electricity use. Major improvements have been made in that respect. A NW skimmer will use much less power than some other technologies.

 

[sminker]

Heres an idea for cost effectiveness.

Try buying 2 of the MSO 200's with the Ricce pump modifications done to them from Marine Solutions for $210/each. Its the same thing as the Octopus NW200 just with a MUCH MUCH better needlewheel pump.

Supposed to work really really good for a $200 dollar skimmer.

I probably read a couple hundred threads in regards to skimmers for my 125 Gallon reef before i bought it.

 

[bergzy]

your tank inhabitants sound like the ones in my 110g garage tank.

rics, zoo, nems, some lps and clams...two big clams and 4 smaller clams.

the tank has been skimmerless for about two years now with zero ill effects. the only filtration method is a 2g (bucket) refugium growing chaeto macro. no algae issues at all.

heavily feed and do 10% water changes at most once a month.

this tank doesnt house sps, so i feel and found that a skimmer is not needed. all the inhabitants are doing great and growing!

thus...for me, a skimmer was not needed on this system.

lighting...

lighting uses the vast majority of electricity on the systems since they are all metal halide. much, much more electricity than my 24/7 pressure rated skimmer pump.

led's and t5's should be great with everything but the clams...but again, i have heard of people getting clams to survive with t5's.

cost

cost is a part of this and any other hobby. be thankful you live in ohio where electricity is sanely priced. here, with socal edison, your bill would be ten times more. no, i am not exaggerating...it would be TEN times more. that is why i installed solar pv panels on my house...to offset the high electrical costs. it has cut my bill by 2/3rd but is still in the hundreds of dollars per month. no way around it unless i live like a vampire and the savings would be pennies on the dollar (literally something like 2 or 3 cents IF you dont go over the allotted amount the electricity company assigns you...over that...and the rates are even more than regular)...life's too short for that.

 

[GSMguy]

Re: Re: I hate protein skimmers.

Re: Re: I hate protein skimmers.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14935039#post14935039 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
The OP's main concern was electricity use. Major improvements have been made in that respect. A NW skimmer will use much less power than some other technologies.

Not joking, my skimmer uses less energy than a compact florescent screw in bulb.

Go with something with a Sicce pump and you won't notice it on your electric bill.

 

[sjm817]

Even a big skimmer for a large system with dual Sicce or an Askoll uses ~ 45W. Not long ago you'd be looking at far more electricity use than that for the equivalent air and water throughput.

 

[Klaus Jansen]

Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14916111#post14916111 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Marinworld

.....That $2,000.00 skimmer may not really perform that much better than that $200.00 model.....

....as spending mega money on a handmade, cellcast acrylic skimmer, imported from overseas.....

Don

Hi Don....

A good question...

..your can buy a Massproduct, via Volkswagen.... or you can buy a imported, handmade Ferrari from Overseas...

What you think: ... with which car you have more Fun ?

best regards... Klaus

 

[sjm817]

@Klaus, with all due respect, protein skimmers are not for having fun. They are for keeping an aquarium clean. Cars (for some people) can be for having fun. A protein skimmer is a functional device.

It must
Do a good job keeping the aquarium clean
Be reliable
Be stable
Be user friendly

For some people
Energy efficient.
Quiet

Fun doesn't apply IMO.

 

[syrinx]

If our behavior is strict, we do not "need" fun.

 

[j tavares]

I agree and if the costs were more in line with more people able to buy them EVERYONE would benefit!!! the Manufacturer would sell more and most importantly the true aquarists would have a chance to use better equipment at a fair price and Our corals, fishes, and invertebrates would benefit from better water conditions.

 

[subman719]

Just wanted to put in my two cents since I'm in the same boat with skimmer decisions and electric bills. I'm currently running a Precision Marine "Bullet 2" skimmer with the Becket Inductor. I was feeding it with a Mag 12 but didn't think I was getting enough output so I bumped up to a Mag 18. That sucker eats about 150 watts and STILL doesn't seem to give me the output I'm looking for. Maybe I'm just asking for too much. I originally ran a Coralife needlewheel skimmer and the output was great but keeping it adjusted was an absolute nightmare! I've read many complaints about that same problem with that skimmer. From my extensive research, it seems like the needle wheel skimmer would have the best output with the least amount of energy consumption. I just purchased a Reef Octopus Extreme 300. Aquacave.com seems to have the best pricing on them. It uses the Italian made Sicce pumps which draw less than 30 watts! I haven't installed it yet (need to modify my sump to accomodate this larger skimmer) but from what I've researched, it should have excellent output at a FRACTION of the cost of the bigger names like Bubble King, Tunze, etc. Hope this helps with your decision!

 

[kc350twin]

Octo Extreme 200 on the FS threads right now.


I recently have switched from a Power hungry Mag9 driven skimmer to the ATB multi-use. Energy is a main concern right now. Also having a skimmer with bells and whistles is nice to. Expensive though. I'm sure it will take a few electric bills before I come out with any real savings.



I would not drive anything from Italy. Not even a Ferrari.

 

[bergzy]

Re: Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

Re: Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14937375#post14937375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Klaus Jansen
Hi Don....

A good question...

..your can buy a Massproduct, via Volkswagen.... or you can buy a imported, handmade Ferrari from Overseas...

What you think: ... with which car you have more Fun ?

best regards... Klaus

klaus,

personally, i prefer the AMG line!

on skimmers...i would definitely have more fun with a bubbleking than an euroreef...though, in my opinion/observation, i think their comparative performance are very similar.
note: my OPINION.

that is the part of 'fun' with the reef hobby...the equipment aka boys with their toys!

 

[davocean]

I just got an octo extreme w/ sicce pump and it rocks!
My last skimmer was a bubblemaster, also w/ a sicce, also great, but more$$$
MSX would be another great choice.

 

[Marinworld]

Klaus,

If I spent $2,000.00 on a skimmer when I could have bought one for $200.00, and probably get almost the same results, I wouldn't be having fun.

A skimmer isn't fun. Neither is a Volkswagen!!!!!

You do make a beautiful skimmer, I must admit. However, i feel it important to let people know that they don't have to spend 1,000's of dollars to be successful in Saltwater.

Regards,

Don

 

[Your Ad Here]

Re: Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

Re: Re: I Hate Protein Skimmers

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14937375#post14937375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Klaus Jansen
Hi Don....

A good question...

..your can buy a Massproduct, via Volkswagen.... or you can buy a imported, handmade Ferrari from Overseas...

What you think: ... with which car you have more Fun ?

best regards... Klaus

:lolspin: :lolspin: :lolspin: :lolspin: :lolspin: :lolspin: :thumbdown

great analogy.....NOT

Chris

 

[Mike31154]

Used DIY counter current air stone skimmer came with used 75 gal system I purchased. Did a couple of mods including a ball valve on the output to regulate the water column height and a small acrylic manifold for two wooden air stones. Aquaclear 301 powerhead (8 watts) provides the flow, Stellar W60 air pump (3.2 watts) provides the bubbles. Works for me, low power consumption, very quiet, good water/bubble contact time with the small power head pushing the water through the tube. Produces nice dry skimmate and collection container requires infrequent emptying. Able to run this for quite a while on a small inverter powered battery backup in the event of a power failure. Dirt cheap, came with used set up.

I like my skimmer!

 

[recife111]

Do it once and get a decent skimmer, like Deltec, ATB. Bubble king, dont waste your money on knock offs like reef octopus, most of the chinese skimmers are poor quality.

decent skimmer will last and have a much better resale value.

 

[mikeatjac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14960605#post14960605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by recife111
Do it once and get a decent skimmer, like Deltec, ATB. Bubble king, dont waste your money on knock offs like reef octopus, most of the chinese skimmers are poor quality.

decent skimmer will last and have a much better resale value.

Have you seen some the new skimmers by Octopus or MSX? They are not cheap but rather well made. My Cat1 is quality product. The difference between Deltec or BubbleKing and the Chinese is not quality but research.

 

[sminker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14960605#post14960605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by recife111
Do it once and get a decent skimmer, like Deltec, ATB. Bubble king, dont waste your money on knock offs like reef octopus, most of the chinese skimmers are poor quality.

decent skimmer will last and have a much better resale value.

thats a pretty ignorant statement

just because you wanna make yourself feel better about buying a $600+ skimmer doesnt mean you have to bash other brands that are proven and cheaper.

 

[MrPike]

Be careful about comparing the Klaus's bubblekings to a 200 dollar import that does the same thing. Just because some Chinese company is abusing patent laws, and using cheap labor doesn't make it an apples to apples comparison. A lot of those 200 dollar skimmers benefited from Bubbleking's research and development.

Im a bit of a hypocrite though, I can't come even close to affording a bubbleking so I would go with the cheap import. Lets just show some respect to the original designers.