Recommend an external skimmer for 600g

[zachfishman]

I'm looking for an external skimmer to fit under my tank, and have less than 36" of clearance. What would you recommend for a ~600g system? The Reef Octopus Regal 300EXT is perfect in size, height, and rating (500g<->700g for heavy<->light load) but I'm not impressed with them. Any other good options?

 

[daveM100]

I'm internal but I've heard these were good and they should fit if I'm reading things right.

Skimz Monzter SM252 External Protein Skimmer Rated for tanks 264 - 793 gallons (1000-3000 Liters)

Body Diameter: 9.84" (250mm)
Foot Print: 12.95” x 16.38” (329mm x 416mm)
Total Height: 23.62” (600mm)
Cup Diameter: 252mm

Skimz Monzter SM302 External Protein Skimmer Rated for tanks 396 - 1057 gallons (1500-4000 Liters)


Body Diameter: 11.81" (300mm)
Foot Print: 15.39” x 21.26” (391mm x 540mm)
Total Height: 25.39” (645mm)
Cup Diameter: 302mm

 

[zachfishman]

Looks nice. $$$$$$$

 

[daveM100]

Or of course Royal Exclusiv Bubble King DeLuxe 400 External Protein Skimmer - for aquariums from 1,500 liter - 4,000 liters (396 - 1056 Gallons) 30 1/2 inches high i think it was.

 

[daveM100]

Not cheap though lol

 

[Theokie]

For heavily stocked tanks I lean towards the foam producing might of the beckett based skimmers, My Reef Creations, has a nice recirculating external skimmer that is only 32.5" and rated for 600 gallons. They also will produce custom work, as I have an older model they no longer make, a 4R, rated at 1000 gallons, it is the same height as the 3R but has a larger diameter reaction chamber and pulls gunk like I have never seen when paired with a Hammerhead Gold to power the becketts. Becketts can also be paired with waste containers for auto shut off, that doesn't rely on electricity, a plus in my book, as who really needs more wires under their tank

 

[zachfishman]

Not cheap though lol

Yikes! Does it turn skimmate into golden eggs?

 

[slief]

Or of course Royal Exclusiv Bubble King DeLuxe 400 External Protein Skimmer - for aquariums from 1,500 liter - 4,000 liters (396 - 1056 Gallons) 30 1/2 inches high i think it was.

I'd probably lean towards the Supermarin or Deluxe 300 for that size system but it would really depend on the actual display size and how heavily stocked it would be with fish. Depending on the display size, they Deluxe 400 may not see enough DOC's to keep it happy.

Disclaimer: I am as of just recently handling support for Royal Exclusiv US but have been running Bubble King Skimmers for several years on my system. My display is 480G and heavily stocked. My overall system is 650 gallons and I run a Supermarin 250 and it does a great job of keeping up with my load. Thus, i would be more concerned about display size and stock load than overall system volume when it comes to these skimmers.

 

[nuxx]

Just replaced our Reef Octopus DCS300 with a Reef Octopus Regal 300sss.

Really like the DCS300 until I dropped it...

 

[zachfishman]

Great recs!

 

[nuxx]

Brand new Regal 300sss on our tank this morning.

Haven't had a chance to install our old neck cleaner and float switch yet, so I'm a little worried about overflows, hence the towels...

Also trying to fix the broken acrylic tube on the DCS300 to use on our frag tank...

 

[foxvalleypcgeek]

I have the 300 INT model running on 3/5 since I got it about 4 months ago.

 

[zachfishman]

We have the 300-EXT on a moderately stocked 600g FOWLR, and even with the DC pump on max it struggles to pull.

 

[hybrid]

Atb 12.5 should also work for you

 

[slief]

Atb 12.5 should also work for you

Another very good option provided they are available in the US. There is a new owner for ATB USA which is good news for current and future ATB owners. Hopefully the new owner invests adequetly to maintain the stock needed to service and support the market.

 

[Reel North]

I'm waiting for a lifereef to come that I just ordered. I'm surprised you only have 32" of space for such a big system.

I think the Venturi or Beckett are far superior as far as performance, especially in larger systems (over 180 gallons). They are long proven and won't become obsolete

 

[Claudio D]

Until you need a replacent Beckett nozzle and you are doomed,oat skimmers rely on Beckett 1048 nozzle that is discontinued and almost impossible to find, I am really happy with my old Beckett skimmer but is becoming very noisy dpi to wear of the injector