one large skimmer or 2 medium?

[Big Chippa]

I am changing my system around and want some skimmer input. The current system is aprox 135 gal but will be 260 gal in a week. I have a euro reef cs 135 and want to know if i should add one large euro reef in place of the existing one, or should i add a slightly larger one than the existing one and run both. Please chime in, thank you.

 

[howser]

My vote would be to use both. From a cost perspective and from a backup perspective it seems like it's a good way to go.

 

[gudgreef]

Good question. I'm sure someone knows how the energy usage and heat output would compare. Has anyone ever compared skimmate quantity and quality with 2 vs. 1 ?

 

[drock59]

bump

 

[dragonforce]

Make life easy. Run a single good skimmer, maybe a little oversized for your setup. This will make it easy on you and you will have room for upgrade later.

 

[mraafat]

Running two skimmers is a bad idea. You will constantly have to keep adjusting both, because what will happen is one of the two will throw the other one off. As a result, only one skimmer will work efficiently while you struggle to get the other one to work. Plus you should go with one larger skimmer to provide you with more contact time than two medium ones with smaller chambers.

 

[Hop]

There is an article written by one of the experts (forgive me, I'll have to remember who) who tested this exact question. He found that running two smaller skimmers, with different injection methods... IE 1 beckett and on NW had significantly higher benefit that one large skimmer.

I'll try to find the article, I think it was in RK mag in about 2004 or so.

 

[jer77]

I know Anthony Calfo says in his Book of Coral Propagation Vol. 1, "The operation of dual protein skimmers can be the single greatest improvement in system hardware for marine aquarium systems."
I run two skimmers on my prop tank, a CSS 65 and an AquaC EV180. The CSS is set for wet skimming and the aquaC is set for a drier skim. This method seems to work for me.

 

[synthesis]

TOTM runs dual skimmers. I also run dual skimmers. A Euro c135 and a CSS 120. I run the Euro dry and the CSS wet. Both do a great job and I never have to adjust them. But thats just the way I have them setup. Running 2, wet and dry, could be better then just running a single skimmer. One could argue a single recirc would be better then 2 non recirc skimmers though.

 

[SDguy]

I agree that if you are going to run two, make them different types (beckett, NW, whatever). Otherwise, I see no benefit to running two of the same small ones.

 

[UCanDoIt]

You asked about the Bubblemast earlier on another thread... bite the bullet and get a big BM250, will definitely do better than 2 individual EuroReefs. Air draw, foaming action and foamhead is outrageous.