I am also interested in the whole to big or overkill skimmer. Some say they won't work as well. I'm sure that we can only pull out so much. But is there a down side after that if you replenish elements and do water changes? And if so can you just turn the skimmer off for a bit to make up for the larger size?
protein skimmer experiences
- Thread starter reeflord
- Start date
tkeracer619
New member
Zero skimmer production. Must be a good skimmer that did skim incredible at one point. Everything is ok and up to par. Just sits there boiling.
You can run a skimmer on a timer if you have one that is way too large. It might reduce the life of the pumps if there are any start up issues.
You can feed more with an over sized skimmer.
You can run a skimmer on a timer if you have one that is way too large. It might reduce the life of the pumps if there are any start up issues.
You can feed more with an over sized skimmer.
jjk_reef00
New member
IMO you cannot overskim. People try to match their skimmer to their tank requirements because they want to save on electric, and/or space. The large skimmers usually have larger pumps, and take up more space.
Get the best skimmer you can, and don't worry about getting one that is too big. If you think it is overskimming adjust it to skim dryer.
Like you said you will have a heavily stocked tank. That means you will constantly be feeding these fish, and with the bigger skimmer you can feed them much more. Your fish will be much happier, and their colors will show it by their diet.
Get the best skimmer you can, and don't worry about getting one that is too big. If you think it is overskimming adjust it to skim dryer.
Like you said you will have a heavily stocked tank. That means you will constantly be feeding these fish, and with the bigger skimmer you can feed them much more. Your fish will be much happier, and their colors will show it by their diet.
I recently went through your same search for skimmers. I have about same volumes / biolods. After countless hours of reading on multiple forums and review pages I decided on ATB 840. It is probably just as good (probabaly not any better) than all the others listed...Vertex Alphas, MSX, BKs etc. The one deciding fator for me was the customer support. I must have sent 10 short little question emails to ATB and I got a response within the hour almost every time!
Also, when I purchsed mine I had wanted to get the larger pinwheel, Again, the ATB guys stepped up and sent me one free of charge. I recall reading all positive reports about customer support for these guys and they were all true.
As for he skimmer....rock solid build, works great, looks cool (white) yada yada yada..Like I said most of the top end Skimmers are going to be neck in neck in this regard..Good luck in your purchase.
Also, when I purchsed mine I had wanted to get the larger pinwheel, Again, the ATB guys stepped up and sent me one free of charge. I recall reading all positive reports about customer support for these guys and they were all true.
As for he skimmer....rock solid build, works great, looks cool (white) yada yada yada..Like I said most of the top end Skimmers are going to be neck in neck in this regard..Good luck in your purchase.
I asked mojo the same question and he said to get a skimmer to fit your bioload. Not to big or to small. To big and the skimmer will not produce a good foam head. As far as skimmers are concerned he is the man here. He has a thread for people to ask skimmer questions like yours. I'm sure he will say do not go too big. Get one a little big and you will be fine. Too big and it will not pull as much out.
Chris27
New member
Trust me, with the volume of water that you are planning on it will be very hard to find, let alone afford, a skimmer that would be "too big" for your tank. At that point you'll be going the custom route, and it will cost anywhere from $3K to $5K (ballpark).
As for a large skimmer not pulling enough skimate - it's only because the skimmer will pull a great deal of DOS from the water column within the first few days of being in there - after that it will just be running so well that you really won't have any "protein" in there for it to skim. Without DOS, there is nothing to cling to the bubble that the skimmer produces, so nothing ends up in the cup.
Again - very hard to do - unless a very very large skimmer is used in your case.
Everyone has given some great suggestions and recommendations - now it's time to spend $700 on something that just makes bubbles. Doesn't that kill you - that much money for a bubble maker!
As for a large skimmer not pulling enough skimate - it's only because the skimmer will pull a great deal of DOS from the water column within the first few days of being in there - after that it will just be running so well that you really won't have any "protein" in there for it to skim. Without DOS, there is nothing to cling to the bubble that the skimmer produces, so nothing ends up in the cup.
Again - very hard to do - unless a very very large skimmer is used in your case.
Everyone has given some great suggestions and recommendations - now it's time to spend $700 on something that just makes bubbles. Doesn't that kill you - that much money for a bubble maker!
tangtang clown
New member
I run an OCTO EXTREME 200 w/ BB3000 with 3 layers of mesh. 50+scfh (my meter only reads to 50)
I just put the mesh on Saturday so it is still breaking in and these pics were taken right after I started it up.
I just put the mesh on Saturday so it is still breaking in and these pics were taken right after I started it up.
JRaquatics
New member
I agree that you really can't over-skim a mature tank with a good bioload. But with the high powered skimmers on the market these days you really can have too much skimmer for a given system. Example: if you place a skimmer with a 6" neck on a 90 gal system you will have poor results due to the fact that there is not enough organics within the skimmer at a given time to create a stable head of foam to crown into the cup. I am a firm believer of matching skimmers up to their systems and their owners.
I myself have two skimmers on my 180gal DT one that is over-sized (6" neck) and one border lining being too small. Having a smaller skimmer on my system helps stabilize my system from the yo-yo effect I was experiencing with just the large skimmer running. I will be downsizing my large skimmer for one that matches my system within the next couple of weeks.
To the OP-
I suggest spending some time and determine what your are looking for in a skimmer (looks, functionality, reliability, warranty, build quality, performance, noise, ease of service, type, etc) and look through some of the great builds here on RC. Search for systems that are close in size with your own and see what they are using, what their maintenance is like and maybe ask what they like about their skimmer. There are many great performing skimmers on the market today with some great feedback by our RC community. Good luck with your search.
I myself have two skimmers on my 180gal DT one that is over-sized (6" neck) and one border lining being too small. Having a smaller skimmer on my system helps stabilize my system from the yo-yo effect I was experiencing with just the large skimmer running. I will be downsizing my large skimmer for one that matches my system within the next couple of weeks.
To the OP-
I suggest spending some time and determine what your are looking for in a skimmer (looks, functionality, reliability, warranty, build quality, performance, noise, ease of service, type, etc) and look through some of the great builds here on RC. Search for systems that are close in size with your own and see what they are using, what their maintenance is like and maybe ask what they like about their skimmer. There are many great performing skimmers on the market today with some great feedback by our RC community. Good luck with your search.
Charlie Davidson
New member
Very well put !!
DT's_Reef
New member
I completely agree.
rkaires
Active member
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