Need advice on a good external skimmer!

[mattyice]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if i could get some advice on what you guys think is a good external skimmer for a 125G planning on upgrading down the road to a 300+G tank, my precision marine skimmer has been with us since they first came out i believe (it was my fathers before it became mine) and it has seen much better days and to tell you the truth it just doesnt seem to be working as well as it used to, could you guys give me some good external skimmer ideas for those sizes of tanks?

 

[itZme]

ATI Bubble Master 250 or 300, Euro Reef RC250 or 500, H&S External A200-1260, 835 GEO PROFESSIONAL SERIES, Tunze DOC Skimmer 9015 (9015.000), ASM G5

That is listed in the order of what I would choose. You may not want to spend $2,000+ on a skimmer so the Euro-Reef might be out of the question etc...

Hope that helps
-- Kevin

 

[Fdfiremedic]

I use the ASM G-6 on my 300 Gallon system and I love it!!!!! It works great.

 

[scottfarcuz]

Jump on this quick. Deltec is normally overpriced IMO, but that is almost $400 off. If I read the threads right it's brand new

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1047108

ASM, ATI, and Tunze doc arent external

 

[no1tiger2001]

foer a tank that size get a sump and get an asm g4 will save u some cash

 

[mattyice]

is the bubblemaster even out yet? if it is i would deff. like to get one and im sureit could be made external

 

[mattyice]

i have a sump but it is really hard for me to fit a skimmer in a stand that is only 24" tall, if i could have a taller stand i would do it

 

[scottfarcuz]

Yes it's out. Making one external isn't going to be easy without killing performance.

If you are going to buy new and want external I would look into ER RC series (Eheims are a must IMO), or H&S.

 

[mattyice]

i might just make a 36" tall stand and transfer the tank to that, i really hate having such a low stand it makes the tank look so small i think

 

[mattyice]

so is it a better idea that i make a taller stand and look at getting the bubblemaster 250? i like hows its foot print is bigger but its not as tall

 

[itZme]

I would say any recirculating skimmer could be run externally if you can just have the output flow back into the sump. You may have to raise the skimmer on a stand to allow gravity to do the trick. For your 125g the bubble master would be great. I question if the 250 would be sufficient for a 300+ gal system. It would be better than most affordable skimmers out there but if you are serious about going to that large of a system you might want to look into a larger skimmer instead of paying twice when you upgrade.

On the other hand, the bubblemaster should be easy to sell off if you decide to upgrade later. You should be able to get pretty close to what you paid for it.

The taller stand would be a great move in my opinion. Mine is 48" to the bottom of the tank and it is perfect for standing and viewing. I have a bar with barstools in front of it so you can sit there and the tanks are at eye level.

36" would be a nice height.

 

[scottfarcuz]

From what I saw when Andy let me borrow his ATI it is enough skimmer to handle the 500+ gal they claim it will...

I don't think it would be overkill, but I do think it would be plenty of skimmer.

 

[mattyice]

well it would be elevated i would say probably 12" above the bottom of the sump i would just have to get lines from the sump to the pumps on the skimmer, but in all reality i would much rather move my tank to a higher stand and have it in the sump underneath the tank