Protein skimmer.

ThisCityIsDead

ThisCityIsDead

New member
I plan on getting my protein skimmer today. I have my eyes on the coralife and the reef octo.

Which one do you recommend? I've heard great reviews on both but not sure which does a better job or is better quality.
 
Coralife consitantly makes the worst skimmers on the market, send the price differece as a way of saying thanks for the wise advice!
 
just a note.. some reef octopus skimmers are very loud. I have one sitting in the garage for back up. couldn't take the noise
 
ThisCityIsDead said:
Oh no! What model? It is it just a hit or miss?
Click to expand...

not a hit or miss.. they are high quality skimmers, just louder in general. It's not the pump. Their return pipe is very high, but that can be fixed with a PVC pipe. The loudest part is the intake sucking in air. I made a DIY silencer (tube, bottle and cotton) but still too loud for me. I have the Diablo XS200.

I'm using the Eshopp skimmer now (with the diy silencer). very quiet. but feels very cheap compared to the Reef Octopus. like a walmart item.. some pieces broke when I installed it. but it works perfectly and very quiet. My tank is 10ft away from my bed.

there are other high quality and quiet skimmers. cost 2x reef octopus price
 
Last edited:
Skip the Coralife, they never seem to be consistent after you set them. Might be why they are very cheap in the classified section most of the time. I had a Vertex for my 150 gallon, but I have had an SC Skimmer on my 60 gallon for about 7 months and love it. I'd recommend one suitable for your tank size. They are MUCH cheaper than those Reef Octupus skimmers and do exactly the same job.

http://www.scaquariums.com/sc-aquariums-sca-302-180-gallon-protein-skimmer.html
 
m0nkie said:
just a note.. some reef octopus skimmers are very loud. I have one sitting in the garage for back up. couldn't take the noise
Click to expand...

My HOB Octopus is pretty quiet. "Loud" is different to each person. My light fixture is loud to me with the fans running.
 
Sugar Magnolia said:
My HOB Octopus is pretty quiet. "Loud" is different to each person. My light fixture is loud to me with the fans running.
Click to expand...

true. in comparison, my RO was loud enough that I couldn't sleep next dooor. Now, I can hear my MP40 and WP10 motor over the skimmer pump/air intake.

not bashing the reef octopus. works great and looks bad ***! just a bit noisy in my book.
 
I am a rookie and I got the Corralife 65. I am very happy with it.
I paid way too much for mine at LFS but I saw one on Amazon as 'Opened Box" for $60 and one with a missing top cover for $35.
If I were to do it again I'd be even happier by getting the latter and making the cover myself.
Tom
 
I was planning on using a fountain pump I have, but just noticed it has "stainless steel" so I don't want to risk using that. Will a pond pump do? I saw a cheap one at lowes for 60$ it's a koi pond and does 1400 gph.
 
TriCity: With the Koi pond pump are you after pumping water or skimming protein???
Pumps do not provide the vital aeration . . .
Tom
 
IMO a skimmer isn't something you want to skimp on. Spend the money to get a quality skimmer in order to skim efficiently. That being said, there are many affordable skimmer in the $140-$200 range.
 
I purchased the red octopus. I also just now purchased a return pump. It is a pond pump that does 210GPH. Not sure if this is too much for my 75g tank.
 
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