Protein Skimmer for 125 reef tank

[Bluecrabber]

Hey guys,

I'm on the fence between a Reef Octopus 150INT and an SCA-302 skimmer. I was leaning towards the Reef Octo because I'm familiar with the brand name and have heard lots of good things with them. Heard decent reviews for the 302 as well recently and I wouldn'd mind going with that since it's a tad cheaper.

Other thing is the 302 is rated for a 180 gallon and i keep reading to go with a skimmer rated for a bigger tank than yours especially if your bioload will be high (and I know mine well). I've heard the 150INT is suitable for up to 120 gallons. I think I did read where a reefer had one on his 150 gallon with decent results but I don't want to short myself.

Any thoughts?

 

[moondoggy4]

I would go on BRS and read the reviews for the Reef Octopus skimmer.

 

[Bluecrabber]

I did and they are all great for the Reef Octo. 5 stars and everyone says it does a great job of skimming right off the bat just takes a little finesse to get it going.

 

[Salty Waffles]

I'll throw out the Simplicity skimmers for consideration. I run their 240DC on my system and I'm very happy with it. It's very quiet and does a nice job. I've been running mine about a year now. No issues.

 

[Bluecrabber]

Bugger. Now the choice is even harder lol! That simplicity one does look nice. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Reefer Tom]

I run the Reef Octopus 150 and love it. Would definitely recommend it.

 

[tc2007]

I would stick with Reef Octopus. Currently have Simplicity DC-120 but the bubbling process makes it a bit louder even with the DC pump. Reef Octopus is a workhorse skimmer that will last years. Other newer brands are a bit of a risk in my opinion.

 

[Formulator]

From my own experience as a fairly new reefer (my tank is about 4 years old), I would highly recommend the octopus. The only downfall is that its a bit short in height, so if your sump has high walls, its hard to plumb into a drain. You have to remember to dump it every few days. If you like to automate things, get the external model so that isnt an issue.

 

[Bluecrabber]

Do you guys think the 150 INT would still be sufficient running on a 125 g with heavy bio load?

 

[billwill]

That is what their website says it can handle with heavy load. The pump on their classic series is kind of middle of the road if you're looking at the 150SSS, but it's a solid value and cheap enough to keep a spare pump on hand.


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[mounts327]

I’m in the middle of building a 120 and just purchased a Skimz Leopard SL203 DC. It’s rated up to 190 gallons at a heavy bio load . BRS has them 50% off right now. I haven’t used it yet and there’s not a ton of info out there on Skimz but what I could find about them was positive. I have a hard time passing up a good deal