skimmer comparison
- Thread starter michealprater
- Start date
luke33
In Memoriam
240g tank, the reeflo would work well, the ati bm 250 would work, ATB cone skimmers would work, the msx 250 would work. It all depends on price in my book. The reeflo and atb's are built sturdier than the ati and msx but the ati and msx will both skim a tank that size well. I would definately tell you to read up on these skimmers. And i'd have to say the ASM is a bad idea as its overpriced and underpowered, not to mention its build quality.
Have you owned a Reefflo or ATB? Your profile says you are running a MSX. Are you happy with it? Where do they sell them.
It seems like most people will recommend the most expensive skimmmer out there right off the bat. If I were shopping for a car, I am sure I would get lots of recommendations for BMWs and Mercedes. But Chevrolet still makes really nice vehicles and they are in my price range. Long story short, there is no way I will over pay for a skimmer.
I have seen Aqua Cs in action and they pull out tons of gunk. To say that they do not work well is ludacris. Good marketing allows some of these companies to jack thier prices through the roof for a couple of acrylic tubes, and all of them have designs that can be recognized by just looking at them. Some of the best marketers for these companies are right here on this board. I have seen lots of people recommending the highest price item they can think of and they have not even owned one.
Back to the original subject, I have a list of skimmers up above that are in my price range. I am looking for the opinions of people who have owned one of these skimmers.
I appreciate everyones comments, I am just really trying to find some information on the skimmers listed, if it is not listed, I will entertain information on other ones, but not if they are over 700 bucks.
Thanks.
It seems like most people will recommend the most expensive skimmmer out there right off the bat. If I were shopping for a car, I am sure I would get lots of recommendations for BMWs and Mercedes. But Chevrolet still makes really nice vehicles and they are in my price range. Long story short, there is no way I will over pay for a skimmer.
I have seen Aqua Cs in action and they pull out tons of gunk. To say that they do not work well is ludacris. Good marketing allows some of these companies to jack thier prices through the roof for a couple of acrylic tubes, and all of them have designs that can be recognized by just looking at them. Some of the best marketers for these companies are right here on this board. I have seen lots of people recommending the highest price item they can think of and they have not even owned one.
Back to the original subject, I have a list of skimmers up above that are in my price range. I am looking for the opinions of people who have owned one of these skimmers.
I appreciate everyones comments, I am just really trying to find some information on the skimmers listed, if it is not listed, I will entertain information on other ones, but not if they are over 700 bucks.
Thanks.
luke33
In Memoriam
The turbo shortly would be my favorite on the list. Yes i've played with the reeflo's, there nice but like you said there to expensive. The atb is pry what i would buy if i were to spend 1k or more on a skimmer but i'll never spend that much on acrylic when there are other skimmers half the price that will skim a tank just fine. The ati's are nice but design is a bit flawed imo. The MSX is easily the best bang for the buck hands down. marinesolutionsinc.com
As far as the Aquac comment, i didn't say anything about them. The 240's and up skim well but they are very sensitive skimmers and require high wattage imo. The msx 250 uses 30-50w and pulls 2200-2800lph air. 25" tall, 10" diameter. At $500bux. There's nothing even close to there performance and price range.
Good luck with your choise as there are lots of nice skimmers out there. But i would scratch asm 4 off the list. You'd be better off modding an octo 200 for 199bux as it will outperform the asm.
As far as the Aquac comment, i didn't say anything about them. The 240's and up skim well but they are very sensitive skimmers and require high wattage imo. The msx 250 uses 30-50w and pulls 2200-2800lph air. 25" tall, 10" diameter. At $500bux. There's nothing even close to there performance and price range.
Good luck with your choise as there are lots of nice skimmers out there. But i would scratch asm 4 off the list. You'd be better off modding an octo 200 for 199bux as it will outperform the asm.
JRaquatics
New member
MSX skimmer are only sold at Marine Solutions, and they are a lower priced performance skimmer. I have never owned one but Have seen good results when dialed in with these skimmers.
I have owned AqauC, Turbofloter, seen and tested ASM (but would never buy one), Precision Marine, Octopus, MRC, Aqua Euro, EuroReef, Reeflo and I am sure I am forgetting some. None of the ones I used however were the ones posted above, as they were their smaller version. I have seen many of the ones listed on other tanks.
I currently use a Reeflo 200 and love the performance and build/design quality. I know a ton of Reeflo users that owned and upgraded from the skimmers above.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1344058
I also like the design of the ATB skimmers, and if I could afford one I would add that skimmer to my list along with a BK.
I have owned AqauC, Turbofloter, seen and tested ASM (but would never buy one), Precision Marine, Octopus, MRC, Aqua Euro, EuroReef, Reeflo and I am sure I am forgetting some. None of the ones I used however were the ones posted above, as they were their smaller version. I have seen many of the ones listed on other tanks.
I currently use a Reeflo 200 and love the performance and build/design quality. I know a ton of Reeflo users that owned and upgraded from the skimmers above.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1344058
I also like the design of the ATB skimmers, and if I could afford one I would add that skimmer to my list along with a BK.
Thanks for giving me opinions on the skimmers listed. I really do appreciate it.
I am definately going to check into MSX.
I am definately going to check into MSX.
I was checking out Marine Solutions and they do not list the gallon ratings of the MSX skimmers.
JRaquatics
New member
If you want an honest rating on the MSX skimmers ask Luke33
I ran a google search on MSX skimmers, not much positive came back except for your comments it picked up off of reef central. That is strange.
JRaquatics
New member
The skimmer is new and had alot of problems. I personally would look into a Lg needle wheel or becket. I don't care for mesh style skimmers for certain reasons.
I am seriously not trying to be a smart*** here, but why would anyone recommend a skimmer that has had "lots of problems"? I am confused.
luke33
In Memoriam
It "had" a few pump probs in the first generation. They have all been fixed. Many skimmers have had first generation problems. Look at the BM, MSX, Octo Pro.....etc. Enough R&D wasn't put into them and they users basically defined the problems, then they were corrected. So i'm not recomending a skimmer with alot of problems. I simply said take a look. But they are the best bang for your buck around period.
Thank you for your opinion. Maybe more users will chime in and share their experiences.
law086
Premium Member
I currently own two skimmers. I ran an ASM for a number of years. When I bought it, it was THE bang for the buck skimmer out there, but now that they've raised prices, I can't imagine ever buying one again. If I was looking for a bang for the buck NW, I'd consider the Octos.
I've also owned a large dual beckett skimmer in the past and will never own another beckett driven skimmer. It was a monster when clean and dialed in, but that didn't happen very often. Generally speaking it was a hassle.
I currently own a Bermuda Aquatics skimmer and love it. It destroys the ASM. The cool thing about the Bermuda is that it's truly a set and forget it skimmer. It has a super consistent foam head. It runs with off the shelf pumps - so there's no special over priced pumps needed. I have the 8C, which is likely out of your price range (over the 700 area you mentioned), but the 5C can be had for around 500 and it's rated up to 500 gallons.
Cheers
I've also owned a large dual beckett skimmer in the past and will never own another beckett driven skimmer. It was a monster when clean and dialed in, but that didn't happen very often. Generally speaking it was a hassle.
I currently own a Bermuda Aquatics skimmer and love it. It destroys the ASM. The cool thing about the Bermuda is that it's truly a set and forget it skimmer. It has a super consistent foam head. It runs with off the shelf pumps - so there's no special over priced pumps needed. I have the 8C, which is likely out of your price range (over the 700 area you mentioned), but the 5C can be had for around 500 and it's rated up to 500 gallons.
Cheers
Looks nice and is in my price range. I am going to add it to the list of skimmers I am considering.
Anyone else running a bermuda?
Anyone else running a bermuda?
Updated list of skimmers I am trying to get owner comparisons on.
Turbofloter 5000 Shorty
AquaC EV400
ASM G4+
Precision Marine Bullet 3
Tunze 9015 or 9020
Trigger Systems TS500
Octopus Dual Recirculating 250
MRC MR-3
Bermuda 5c
MSX 250 or 300, not sure of rating.
EuroReef and Bubble King are not on the list simply because I know I cannot afford them.
Turbofloter 5000 Shorty
AquaC EV400
ASM G4+
Precision Marine Bullet 3
Tunze 9015 or 9020
Trigger Systems TS500
Octopus Dual Recirculating 250
MRC MR-3
Bermuda 5c
MSX 250 or 300, not sure of rating.
EuroReef and Bubble King are not on the list simply because I know I cannot afford them.
law086
Premium Member
I know making a skimmer decision is hard as hell. There's so many out there, they're so expensive and you'll find a person that loves and hates each one. Many people feel that air draw is the only measuring factor to performance, whereas I, take many other factors into consideration.
You may want to start with the pros and cons of each style of skimmer, that being beckett, needle wheel and venturi.
Becketts are a good bang for the buck for large tanks when you have plenty of room and don't mind a huge pump with noise. It'll also need much attention to keep running well. So, if you're looking to a low maintenance skimmer, I would recommend you do not get a beckett driven skimmer. I'm sure somebody will disagree, but that's my experience. I've never owned a downdraft, so I can't really comment on them.
Needle wheels are nifty in that they typically draw less power via the smallish needle wheel pumps. They're pretty quite and are fairly maintenance free. In my experience with my ASM, I had to clean the pump fairly often and also had to clean the venturi fairly often to keep it running well. The other downside is that many of the lower cost models will need some modding to pull the kind of air that you want. If the pump goes bad or the impeller needs replacing, it can tend to be costly since many of the pumps are proprietary.
I personally don't see any of these downsides with the Bermuda. I'm running my 8C with a Mag 18, which drives it wonderfully. Something like the 5c can probably be driven with a Mag 7-12 area. I've owned the skimmer for well over a year and I think I cleaned the venturi twice. I don't think I've never cleaned the pump... and it's running just as good today as the day I got it. It truly is a God send for the lazy reefer like me. I'll have to apologizes to those who will ask me for air draw as I don't have an air meter, but I believe they show some on Bermuda's web site.
I hope that helps. I'm sure it looks like I pushing to the Bermuda, but that's only because of my experience with the other styles. I can honestly say that I would never consider a Beckett skimmer again. I surely would consider a needle wheel again. In fact I think the Reeflo Dart skimmer looks great. If I didn't drop the $800 on the Bermuda, that would have been my next likely choice. I'm sure the Deltics and H&S skimmers are awesome, but I'd never drop the money on one of those as I can't justify the cost to benefit.
Best of luck
You may want to start with the pros and cons of each style of skimmer, that being beckett, needle wheel and venturi.
Becketts are a good bang for the buck for large tanks when you have plenty of room and don't mind a huge pump with noise. It'll also need much attention to keep running well. So, if you're looking to a low maintenance skimmer, I would recommend you do not get a beckett driven skimmer. I'm sure somebody will disagree, but that's my experience. I've never owned a downdraft, so I can't really comment on them.
Needle wheels are nifty in that they typically draw less power via the smallish needle wheel pumps. They're pretty quite and are fairly maintenance free. In my experience with my ASM, I had to clean the pump fairly often and also had to clean the venturi fairly often to keep it running well. The other downside is that many of the lower cost models will need some modding to pull the kind of air that you want. If the pump goes bad or the impeller needs replacing, it can tend to be costly since many of the pumps are proprietary.
I personally don't see any of these downsides with the Bermuda. I'm running my 8C with a Mag 18, which drives it wonderfully. Something like the 5c can probably be driven with a Mag 7-12 area. I've owned the skimmer for well over a year and I think I cleaned the venturi twice. I don't think I've never cleaned the pump... and it's running just as good today as the day I got it. It truly is a God send for the lazy reefer like me. I'll have to apologizes to those who will ask me for air draw as I don't have an air meter, but I believe they show some on Bermuda's web site.
I hope that helps. I'm sure it looks like I pushing to the Bermuda, but that's only because of my experience with the other styles. I can honestly say that I would never consider a Beckett skimmer again. I surely would consider a needle wheel again. In fact I think the Reeflo Dart skimmer looks great. If I didn't drop the $800 on the Bermuda, that would have been my next likely choice. I'm sure the Deltics and H&S skimmers are awesome, but I'd never drop the money on one of those as I can't justify the cost to benefit.
Best of luck
I'm new to SW and have just started my cycle. After tons of research and forum-lurking I went with the AquaC 180. I'd read threads of people saying they could never get it to work etc. but there were at least as many from people saying they loved it. With real estate a premium in my sump I went with the 180.
I started running it as soon as I put the water in the tank in order to get it dialed-in. Within hours of adding my LR the sucker kicked-in. I'm in the process of tweaking the settings to get the wetness/dryness of the skimmate where I want it. Patience and small changes seem to be the key for this skimmer. I'm also running it on an oversized pump (a Mag 9.5 vs. 7). Very happy so far.
I started running it as soon as I put the water in the tank in order to get it dialed-in. Within hours of adding my LR the sucker kicked-in. I'm in the process of tweaking the settings to get the wetness/dryness of the skimmate where I want it. Patience and small changes seem to be the key for this skimmer. I'm also running it on an oversized pump (a Mag 9.5 vs. 7). Very happy so far.
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