Newbie Looking for skimmer/return pump suggestions

[money88]

So I am starting my 40 gallon breeder finally had a bit of a hiccup in getting it going and I am looking for some advice on skimmers, return pumps and overflows.

I am looking for some well rated skimmers preferably in the $100-$250 ($350 being the limit)

Here is the setup I plan on running.

• 40 Gallon Breeder
• 20 Gallon Long Sump with Melevs DIY kit
• 24" Euphotica LED
• Bean Animal Overflow setup

I was looking at different overflows as well, such as:

• Synergy Reef Overflow - 16 Inch
• CPR Retrofit Overflow with backing (medium / large)

And was looking for suggestions on both overflows and a return pump for the sump. Any help / suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[money88]

Bump.

So I was looking at a few skimmers.

Vertex Omega 130

Reef Octopus Classic 110

Reef Otopus Classic 150

Any experiences with those for a similar system size? Etc?

Then for overflows I just heard that they should support more than my return pump really. Ive heard / read my tank should have a 20-50x the tank volume an hour for flow. I have a powerhead Hydor Koralia Nano 425 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 425 GPH to help with flow as well.

 

[Potatohead]

The 20-50x is basically powerhead/in tank flow, you don't want to run that through your sump (lol). Sump you want about 5x give or take. So with a 40g tank and probably another 10 in the sump you'll want about 250 gph return pump at whatever you head height is, probably about 3.5'. Something like a Tunze 1073.02, Eheim Compact 2000 or Sicce 2.0 would be plenty.

I've never used a Reef Octopis but if it fit in my sump I would have got the classic 110. It was just a tiny bit too large so I went with an Eshopps PSK100. The Bubble Magus line has a good rep too.

You are going to want bigger powerheads, or more of them. In my 36 gallon I have two Tunze 6045's, maxed out they will do about 1150 gph each. The small Koralias will be alright if you are only keeping fish and soft corals though.

 

[money88]

I plan to move into more SPS corals which will require more flow so I will have to pick up more powerheads. Suggestions on how many more etc for the flow?

Thanks

 

[bshow24]

If you're willing to spend the money I'd look into a maxspect gyre on one end and possibly a small jebao or mp10 on the other...at the same time, you may honestly only need the gyre and your return pipe.

On my 28 gallon (26 inches long) I use a gyre 130 at 30% and have zero detritus build up, my corals love it, and my fish enjoy it as well. I have used vortechs before and they are a great product, but believe me when I say the gyre can move water like crazy!

 

[dattong]

I'd say go with Reef Otopus Classic 150. I have the Bubble Magus 160 as spare, it did wonders on my 40B setup so I think ROC 150 would do even better .) I'd never buy space saver skimmer again. It's such a hassle when it's time to clean the pump.

Overflow - go with Herbie style, it's simple and easy to diy and it's pretty quiet too.

Return pump: Quiet One 4000H is a great pump if you don't mind a little hum. I've had it for more than 8 yrs and it's still running great. I now use it as spare. Now I'm running DCT6000, very quiet but not completely dead silent, I like the feed mode and controllable output. I have an older model of this pump, DC5500, that drives my 8" skimmer for 4 years and I haven't had to clean it yet, still running great so I think this pump should be reliable. You can go with the lower output model DCT4000, but I think it's better to go with 6000 model just in case you need more flow for reactors or sump.

For flow: one Jebao wp25 is sufficient for the 40B. I have one running for 3 years straight without cleaning and it's actually still running right now.

 

[slay]

I'd go with the Reef Octopus 150 too myself, might be a little oversized but that won't hurt. I have a 12" Super Reef Octopus running on my predator tank, and a Reef Octopus HOB skimmer (that I'm not currently using, but not because of the product) and both have been excellent skimmers. Sorry I don't have any direct experience, but I've had good experience with the brand.

 

[JammyBirch]

My picks for you...

Skimmer: SCA 301 i have this skimmer it's a knock off of RO but the quality is very good.

Return Pump: Eheim Compact 3000 ~$75, submersible, quiet and bullet proof

Circ Pump: I second the Jebao WP25 plenty of flow and controllable.