Is the Reef Octopus the Best Protein Skimmer out there?

that Fish Guy

Frag Swap Crusader!
I have heard of a lot of people buying the Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer by CoralVue and mentioning how much they love it.

So is the Reef Octopus the Best Protein Skimmer out there?
 
I have heard of a lot of people buying the Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer by CoralVue and mentioning how much they love it.

So is the Reef Octopus the Best Protein Skimmer out there?

I wouldn't say the best. There are so many different skimmers out there and so many different opinions on what would be the "best". They make great quality skimmers for affordable prices. That's why they are popular. I personally love mine. It skims very well. Worth every penny.
 
No. They do pull tons of crud but there's better skimmers for sure. Deltec, ATB, Reef Dynamics, Bubble king with the red Dragon pumps, just to name a few. Pound for pound great skimmers yes.. the best.. nope.
 
Quantify "the best skimmer". Best at what? For who? Which tank? The best for my system is different from Joe down the road.

There is no "best" skimmer. You can't find just one that is always better than the rest. Best salt, best pump, best light, best looking coral.....etc etc. It is all dependent on you and your system. There is no "best".
 
Asking this question will result in a war of bias opinions. What really defines the best skimmer anyways? Truthfully as long as you have a skimmer that is not purchased at the local pet store you are usually going to get a good one. Some skimmers are not justified for there price. I don't think a deltec skimmer that sits 2' tall is worth $3000+. These skimmers will remove gunk from your tank maybe 25% quicker than a skimmer that cost $500. If I was going to buy a skimmer for $3000, it will be a skimmer that is 6' tall with a hugh collection cup, doesn't get clogged, and has amazing contact time.

Reef octopus diablo is definately an amazing skimmer in terms of value/price. Diablo and bubble magnus probably are just as quick to remove detrius as a bubble king rated for the same size (but costing 4 times more).

In conclusion i would not buy a skimmer based on price but more on price/performance/ value. If a bubble king or deltec skimmer made a difference such as removing all phospates, all pest algaes, all diseases, etc than the price is justified. But they do the same exact thing as every other skimmer on the market: make bubbles in a chamber and let nature runs it course. mean while you have all these people on reef central debating about how good there skimmers are and showing pictures of there collection cup. It's a skimmer people get skimmate on old undergravel filters tops (when they discovered it). I have used a odyssea $35 skimmer with success when I used a name brand pump. I highly doubt the quality of their build is justified by there pricing. They are build with the same exact material and thickness with the other brands out there. Ultimately, don't go crazy on a skimmer, instead buy them affordable so you can switch them out every few years. No one should be over-stocking there aquariums with too many fish and corals justified by there amazing skimmer.
 
I love my super reef octopus skimmer. I have the SRO XP3000 on a 180g SPS dom tank, and it works great. One thing is how consistently it skims. I never have to adjust the gate valve, just clean it once a week and its good to go.

One difference between "the best" skimmers and just "ok"skimmers, is how efficiently they skim. U might buy a bubble magus skimmer and it might do the same thing as a bubble king, but a bubble king skims twice as much with half the electricity.


Sent from my iPhone
 
I have an old SWC rated for 250 with new sicc pump, and a reef octopus rated for 250. I like the octopus because it pulls heavy sludge waste, as opposed to my SWC that pulls liquid waste really great. they both have bubble plates, same pump but different end results. No way to test the waste product...Yet
 
I love my super reef octopus skimmer. I have the SRO XP3000 on a 180g SPS dom tank, and it works great. One thing is how consistently it skims. I never have to adjust the gate valve, just clean it once a week and its good to go.

One difference between "the best" skimmers and just "ok"skimmers, is how efficiently they skim. U might buy a bubble magus skimmer and it might do the same thing as a bubble king, but a bubble king skims twice as much with half the electricity.


Sent from my iPhone

Here is an article and study that seems to disagree.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature
 
When I say " better" I'm referring to build quality as well as performance. How loud is the pump? How thick is the acrylic? Easily cleaned? Watts used? Set and forget or do you have to constantly adjust it? I modified a super skimmer that pulled crud out the color of tar (I swear it worked like a champ) but I had to adjust it daily. I used an aquamaxx that was set and forget that cost me 350$ but never any tar colored skimmate but my skills as a reefer grew tremendously by then and it was on a sps tank that had nutrients in check via diligent husbandry plus a filter sock which imho hurts a skimmers performance. Variables variables, variables... I believe there's a best skimmer but " bubbles are bubbles" Right?
 
Best and most popular do not always equate to the same thing. CoralVue has sold probably more Octo's than any other skimmer ever, but that does not mean it is the best. McDonalds sells more burgers than any other company but it is not the best, in fact it is one of the worst. Volkswagen sold over 20 million Beetles in about 60 years, that does not make it the best car. Octo's will skim your tank, a Big Mac will fill your tummy and a Beetle will get you from point A to point B.

Aside from all of that, there is really very little difference in skimmers. What does matter is getting a skimmer that is balanced and appropriately sized for your tank.
 
Well - Thats what I heard and bought the NW 200. Its not pulling much out though and im wondering whats the problem with it ... nitrates are at 40ppm :(
 
i did not read this thread expecting to find the "best" skimmer, but i also did not think i would find this info...you people always amaze me! awesome info!
as always, thanks!
 
Here is an article and study that seems to disagree.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

Two completely different skimmers.
The one tested uses the otp pump and really is the bottom of the line. A better comparison would have been one of the Diablo skimmers with either the sicce 600 or the 1000 pump.

I don't think there is much difference in skimmer design when comparing all of these differnt skimmers, but it really comes down to the pump itself.
 
My sro1000sss kind of sucks... I always have to adjust it so its skimming . One day the bubbles are way down in the skimmer and then next day it over flows on me. Its in the right water depth and I have a ato so the water is always at the same level
 
Upgrading my Protein Skimmer

Upgrading my Protein Skimmer

Hello Everybody there ;
I'm upgrading to a 75g and will use my current 38g (36"x12"x20"h) DT as a sump/refugium. I have not do it yet so I can baffle the tank as I want. It will have (2) 4" socks, the new protein Skimmer that I haven't selected yet, refugium, bubble trap and return pump.
I am between the SRO 2000 Internal for $409.99 or the Diablo 6" for $329.99.

What's your opinion? I'll be buying it tomorrow! Thanks in advance!
 
I should say that I love corals and the reason for the upgrade is because the 38 is almost full. Everything is going fine and growing up and multiplying. Later I will be adding to the system a 15-20g only seahorses and rock tank to the system.
 
I have heard of a lot of people buying the Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer by CoralVue and mentioning how much they love it.

So is the Reef Octopus the Best Protein Skimmer out there?

No matter what skimmer you get I think you might want to see this you tube video on skimmers. Jeff does a good job at explaining pros and cons of different types.

LA Fishguys, Episode 88 pt 2, Protein Skimmer, Jeff Macare Reef Dynamics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v-vCri7Xk4
 
Back
Top