Skimmer for 325 gallons...

yoboyjdizz

yoboyjdizz

Active member
i only have room for a 24'' skimmer in my stand was wondering what would be a better choice the asm skimmer g4 plus rated for 400 gallons ( 250 asmskimmer.com ratings ) (359 dollars )

euro-reef cs400 rated medium bioload +/- 400 gallons (989 dollars )

deltec ap701 rated normal stocking 380gallons heavy stocking 250 gallons ( 1,028 dollars )

in two years when i get a new home i will be able to make the stand taller and upgrade the skimmer but was wondering which one would be the better choice for reef tank with few lps, soft corals but with mostly fish as the main attraction..?
 
asm is the cheaper version of the euro reef company I believe --Euro reef has better build materials like cell cast acrylic, but I think they perform the same --just the skimmer cup screws off on the ER while the asm pops off. That's my impression from seeing them for sale on ebay and online

deltec is kinda like a mercedes to me -- built nice and you hear great things about it, but I can't afford it. I'm sure someone will answer this question for you
 
I doubt the ASM can honestly handle that much. I run an ER on my 125 that is almost the same size. I'm not saing ASM's aren't good> I'm just saying that one is undersized and you will regret buying it.

I think the ER will provide the size in diameter, as well as the pump power and air-draw that will work well for your system.

The 701 is also a bit undersized IMO. The 702 would be a great choice if you have the $$$.

You say you want to keep mainly fish, so a big skimmer is nesserary. Fish create alot of waste, and you need a skimmer that can handle that sized load to keep even your softies happy.

So either the ER or a 702 if you have the cash. Eventhough you plan to upgrade in the future, the ASM would be a waste.
Jim
 
honestly if it was me for the price i would be looking at 2 asm's over a single euroreef and if u ahve the extra cash why not throw in the gate valve and recirc mods u will be skimming the hell out of that tank

they are almost the same skimmer body and having 2 operating skimmers would be much better than one any day of the week
 
i was also thinking of running two skimmers but will they perform as good as one euro reef or deltec or would one out perform the other.?
 
You know, it's all in what you value and what kind of system setup you run. Personally while I think that becketts are certainly a viable option, they are not necessarily "the best" way to go. They are certainly probably the cheapest front end way to go however. Given my druthers, I'll always take a quality recirculating needlewheel, but I will admit as you get into larger tank sizes the costs increase dramatically.

I would NOT go with any skimmer that uses in particular a submerged large hot ineffecient pump.
 
any skimmer you would suggest thats in the 24'' tall range other then a bubble king ( not sure if they make one or not ) ?
 
If you are constrained to 24" then you definitely are looking at needlewheel and I would suggest the AP702
 
the G3 is a dog. The sedra 5000 isn't enough. The thing is that the sedra9000 is a heat generating animal. do the recirc mod, feed mod and RESEAL EVERYTHING with a lot of silicone and run it external and I suppose. It'll be 1000 bux when it's all said and done, and I wouldn't be surprised if a AP701 (which is undersized IMO) outperformed 'em still.
 
I've got a ASM g4 on my 180 & 60 gallon.. The tanks are plumbed together.. The skimmer works great.. For the money I don't think you can beat it.. IMO for the money since you have height issues I would go with the two G4s I don't see how that wouldn't be enough.. Mine has been jugging along for about a year.. I started with a G2 on my 72 a couple of years ago..Both work great I use my G2 on a 125 at my office.. .. The BKs are like 1800+ you could buy four g4s with money to spare for what one BK costs.. I just dont think they are worth it.. Inless its beside your bed and you need it as quiet as possible.

BTW I'm pretty sure the the AP701 is 28" tall he needs one 24" tall
 
All these things get back to what you expect out of skimmers and how your system is setup. Personally, I'm not all that impressed with ASMs. They work. They are good bag for the buck. They are NOT what I would considered optimized. But, yes if you are on a very tight budget by all means its a viable option. I am not a big ASM skimmer fan, but they are very popular b/c they are indeed a good value for the money and they are easy to setup/use.
 
I think they do very well.. I've got 17 fish several of them 3"+ Between my 180 and my 60.. My water is dead on and I hardly do water changes.. like once every 2 months.. All thats on one G4 With NPs.. My ozone doesn't even run cause my orb stays at 360 to 370 ;) I also have Lots of coral.. Check my Gallery. I didn't really mean to make them sound cheap.. Heck they are almost 400 bucks. I just ment I think you could do a better job for less money with two good skimmers insted of one High-end one.

Now if you want to get out cheap.. A couple of Coralife supper skimmers rated for a 220 would probably work ok and would be very cheap:D
 
Deltec is a recirculating skimmer. If you want comparable models, then you would need to compare recirculating models with ASM and Euroreef.
 
I am in the same boat right now, needing a 24" skimmer for my 250 gal with high fish load
The euroreef CS400 is currently at the top of the list.
At about $1000. it seems like it should do the job
any other thoughts on this topic?
Good info so far
 
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