Replacing my skimmer in a 70 gallon setup

tsinpoo

New member
I've gone through a few skimmers trying to find one that's 'set it and forget it' in nature. My latest Simplicity skimmer just can't seem to produce any waste consistently after about 6 months of use and I'm ready to try another option.

I've narrowed it down to the following and wanted to get some feedback from people who have experience with them:

AquaMaxx FC-80
Bubble Magus Curve 5 Elite
Eshopps S-Series Protein Skimmer S-120
IceCap K2-120

Also open to other suggestions.

Cheers
 
I really like the bubble magus and have a curve 5 myself...
However...simplicity are decent too and if you cant get if to work then either your expectations need to change or you have something wrong going on..
 
Interesting. My big issue with the Simplicity skimmer is anytime I do any sort of work in my tank it basically stops skimming for days sometimes weeks.
 
What size Simplicity skimmer do you own? Often, I see people grossly over sizing their skimmer, the result being inconsistent skimming. It will work fine, and when their aren’t any available organics to skim, it will idle for a good bit of time.
 
Interesting. My big issue with the Simplicity skimmer is anytime I do any sort of work in my tank it basically stops skimming for days sometimes weeks.

Changes to the surface tension of the water will cause skimmers to perform differently.. Use/exposure to certain chemicals can cause the foam column to either collapse or be overactive..
Maybe you have something on your skin.. soaps/hand lotions,etc...
What constitutes doing work in your tank?
 
LQT I believe I'm using the Simplicity 240 which is rated for 120 gallons with a heavy bio load. My impression is that a lot of skimmer companies over rate their skimmers capacity but maybe Simplicity is better than other? I have a couple large Perculas, a dwarf angel, couple Chromis, a blenny, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 pistol shrimp, a melanus wrasse and a large derasa clam. The tank is about a year old so no big corals, just a few small zoa colonies and a couple mushrooms.

Mcgyvr I'd say mostly changing carbon/gfo, maybe flipping a snail back over...I tend to leave the tank alone as much as possible. I'm pretty good about keeping my hands clean going in, I don't use soap but will give them a good rinse with RO water to prevent oils etc.
 
I had a sneaky suspicion that you had the 240 as opposed to the 120. I am not a fan of grossly over sizing skimmers exactly for what you are experiencing... inconsistent skimming. I think any of the smaller skimmers on your list would serve you well for your given volume of water.
 
I run an old ASM G2 skimmer. I love it!! It just chugs along with no adjustments, no maint. NO ISSUES! I just rinse the top and cup once a month.
Cheers! Mark
 
Just got the BM curve 5 elite. Great little skimmer and I think it would do great on your setup. I was eyeing the NYOS, but with my current skimmer dying, and x-mas just getting over, I couldn't fork over the 400$ for the NYOS, so I went with the cheaper BM.



One the biggest complaints I read about with BM was the elcheapo Chinese pumps they use. The elite series(just came out this year) use a sicce needle wheel pump. You can't get much better then a sicce motor block.



It took about a full week to break in, but at 9 inches of water, its a skimming beast!
 
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