Is the Reef Octopus the Best Protein Skimmer out there?
- Thread starter that Fish Guy
- Start date
Please let me know how it goes with the SRO 2000... I want to upgrade my SRO 1000SSS that is working great but i am undecided to the 2000 or the Aquamaxx EM-300 or the Cone 2.
Thanks in advance..
makxc50099
New member
Just came in. I still probably have a month or so till I can gather all the parts to get the tank running. I'l let you know though how I like it. First impression though. It looks well built. Havnt heard many things bad about the BB pump. One thing I don't care for much is I don't see how to clean the bubble chamber easily. Cup seems large to hold a good amount of skim and comes off with a good pull. It's held in with an o-ring. Cup does have a drain and they include a hose for it already so that can always be an option. Here's a pic. I just threw it together quickly.
Reeferz412
Coral Hoarder
I loved my Vertex IN-80 when I had it in my sump. It pulled better than the previous octopus skimmer I had. That was before the bubble blasters though.
Kyuss
Megistered Rember
Looks like the big difference there is only the pump, the bodies look pretty much identical in design. The Diablo has a DC pump (ie variable speed) and the Bubble Blaster on the SRO pulls a bit more water & air (per info on coralvues website.) So the question would be is that extra water & air flow worth the extra price to you? Also note the warranty on the two pumps is different, if that matters to you. I don't see a rating for the wattage on the Bubble Blaster, but I would wager it is going to be higher than what the DC pump uses, so energy use & some extra heat dissipation might be another thing to consider.
That said, I have no experience with the Diablo skimmer or the dc pumps they use, but I've been very happy with my SRO 3000 with Bubble Blaster pump running on a 150g FOWLR.
In my case i clean the whole simmer once in a while with vinager....
RAJOD
Member
That was a good article on skimmers. This quote is interesting.
"protein skimmers appear to have a much larger variation in their prices than they do in their ability to remove TOC from aquarium water. Recent design innovations like bubble plates, conical sides, or pinwheel impellers do not seem to impact significantly on either rate of TOC removal or amount of TOC removed, at least for the skimmers tested. Thus, skimmer manufacturer claims about enhanced organic removal capabilities should be met with skepticism in the absence of compelling and quantitative TOC removal data."
From reading that it seems people should be running carbon and doing water changes and not assuming the big skimmer is getting it all.
Since they all do a decent job (Reef octopus worst of the bunch) I would look at ease of cleaning,
and build quality. For that euro reef or reef dynamics are best.
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makxc50099
New member
That seems to be the only way that you can.
Caviness81
New member
I just purchased the SRO LX2000s HOB. I have a 75 gallon Reef with Medium to heavy bio-load. I can't wait till it comes in. I heard nothing but good things about it.
I had a reef octopus and upgraded to a Vertex Omega. The octopus worked well, but maintenance on it sucked on the pump and the body couldn't be cleaned. So on the Omega the pump pulls out instead of dealing with a union, the entire skimmer comes apart for cleaning, built better, pump is quieter, etc. I have zero regrets.
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