Remora HOB

[Bernie21]

I am going to purchase one of these skimmers for my tank.
1) I was wondering which one of these skimmers should I get, whats the difference between them? Which is the best bang for my buck? http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~protein_skimmers_aquac_remora_pro.html

2)I was wondering if any body had a discount or promotion code for Marine Depot?
Thank you!!

 

[ReefWreak]

what size tank? If it's for the 28 bowfront, you should be fine with a remora. Are you ever going to add a sump? It makes life a lot easier, cleaner, and cheaper in the long run.

 

[Bernie21]

I'm turning my AC 70 into the sump. But I do need to purchase a clamp light & get some cheato. Its in the works right after the Skimmer arrives.
Whats the difference between the Maxi Jet 1200pump, the Rio 1400 pump & the Mag Drive 3 pump? Whats the drain fitting?

 

[ReefWreak]

You mean a 'fuge (refugium).

Don't use Rios at all costs. They're notorious for burning up and heating your tank water. Can't go wrong with MaxiJets or Danner Mag Drive pumps. The Mag3 will make the skimmer more efficient (i.e. skim more out of the water) but I've got a MJ1200 on my remora standard, and it's skimming well for a low-end skimmer, Very well, in fact, and very consistently.

The Drain fitting allows you to hook up a bottle underneath the skimmer and just have the excess skimmate that is skimmed out drip down into that vessle, rather than you having to remove the cup of the skimmer to drain it every few days. It works on the Remora, but I wouldn't use it on a higher end skimmer, as it can reduce efficiency very quickly.

 

[jeryl]

Get the MJ1200 and the drain. The drain allows you to attach a tube to the drain and have the tube flow into a larger container. This way you do not have to empty the collection cup frequently. I find this extremely useful when I am lazy or go out of town.

The MJ1200 is more powerful and more reliable than the Rio.

 

[Bernie21]

Should I get the pre-skimmer as well, does it mke a difference?

 

[ReefWreak]

I had it when I had the RemoraPro with a Mag3, and it's a huge freakin box... however it was a tiny tank, so it was disproportionate.

I would get it if this is going in-tank so you can skim the surface as well as catch the return bubbles. I only run the skimmer at night for that reason, the microbubbles during the day are killer.

 

[918ReefCpl]

We've got two different Remora's running on our tanks. The 55 has a Remora w/ MJ1200 and a prefilter box and the 125 has a Pro with the Mag3 and prefilter box. We had initially a Rio800 on the 55, but upgraded to a MJ1200 (had to replace the prefilter box too, the Rio prefilter wont fit an MJ pump). Found more nasty stuff coming out with the MJ on the 55 and had to raise the collection cup to get a drier skimmate than what had previously came out with the Rio. As for the 125, the Mag 3 (350gph) works well in the amount of skimmate it removes but its prefilter box doesnt seem to have the suction (comparing to the MJ1200 (295gph) in its box) so we're going to upgrade that pump to the Mag 5 (same dimensions-stronger pump-500gph) and should start seeing more 'gunk' come out... Granted those preskimmer boxes are LARGE, but honestly we dont notice them on our tanks as they are black and against the back wall, plus the Coralline has started to grow on them. An interesting side note is that the filter sponge (use a cut down Aquaclear foam insert) in the return side of the prefilterbox actually acts like a mini-refugium and is teeming with little copepods/amphipods due to the constant water flow thru the sponge from the skimmer return...plus kills off those funky little microbubbles... plus a cheap (free) little MOD you can do to diminish the sound of the injection chamber spray is to use the leftover foam from the Aquaclear insert you just cut down for the preskimmer box return and trim it to fit around the injection nozzle inside the skimmer housing - really cuts down the noise better than the paper towel method plus its safe to use in contact with the saltwater...just our two cents worth and personal experience---good luck

 

[Bernie21]

Great, thanks for the info. All ithe iformation I can get is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bernie21]

Does any one have any picture of how the skimmer sits in the tank? Does it sit inside the tank or outside?

 

[Bernie21]

Thanks for all the advice. I just got the Remora HOB skimmer w the MJ1200 and am really excited (better water quality, less $$$ down the drain [pun intended]). I just have one question about it. I ordered it w the drain fitting & I do not know what to attach or use as a drain container. Any suggestions?

 

[jessp]

a two liter soda bottle

 

[Bernie21]

bump