skimmer for 400 gallon system

[90reefernyc]

Hello
I have been out of the hobby for a while and was wondering what would be a good skimmer for a 270 gallon tank with a 130 gallon sump. Heavily stocked mixed reef tank.

 

[elFloyd]

I have a My Reef Creation MR-2R for sale. Includes Swabbie neck cleaner, Recirculation pump (ReeFlo BH1100), and waste collector.

Rated at 450g. Mods available from MRC if you have a larger water volume.

$600 shipped.

 

[hobbzz]

What's your budget? Without one, I would say ATB 1050 or MTC. You want to size your skimmer for the volume of water that contains fish. If there are no fish in your sump or frag tanks don't count them. There is also no need to oversize when buying a quality skimmer.

 

[slief]

What's your budget? Without one, I would say ATB 1050 or MTC. You want to size your skimmer for the volume of water that contains fish. If there are no fish in your sump or frag tanks don't count them. There is also no need to oversize when buying a quality skimmer.

I agree! You definitely want to base the skimmer size on the display load/size. Especially with the high end skimmers.

I have a 480g display and run a Bubble King Supermarin 250. I've owned an awful lot of skimmers over the years and by BK is by far my favorite and most consistent. A Supermarin 200 would be a great option for your tank as would a BK Double Cone 250.

 

[Chris135reef]

What's your budget? Without one, I would say ATB 1050 or MTC. You want to size your skimmer for the volume of water that contains fish. If there are no fish in your sump or frag tanks don't count them. There is also no need to oversize when buying a quality skimmer.

Def a atb i run a atb 840 and its the best skimmer ive ever had

 

[tom obrecht]

I'm on the ATB wagon as well! Excellent product and performance! Would be my choice if budget allows! I currently run a 1050 deluxe and love it!

 

[90reefernyc]

Thank you all for the reply will be looking into an ATB but I think there not easy to find in the U.S.?

 

[Raoul5Duke]

I have suggested this before and some have thought it was too big, but it works great on my system that is approx. 450 total gallons. JNS Shark Series 7, its the exact same as the Aquamaxx Series 7 just cheaper and a little more difficult to find. Rated for up to 1000 gallons and priced under $1,000.

 

[tom obrecht]

Thank you all for the reply will be looking into an ATB but I think there not easy to find in the U.S.?

They are Austrian and recently lost their US rep but according to thread here they are back up. I just checked and their website is back up here for the states so I'm hopeful they have service again.

 

[hobbzz]

Yes they are sold in the US again, for a while now. The US distributor is a member here. The 1050 is great for the money. Bubble King quality and performance for Alpha price. Less than a lot of appropriately sized mid-range skimmers. They're on sale right now for $815 (regular is $899) from ATB usa. That JNS mentioned is $999 and the quality of the ATB is going to be higher, it should also perform better. An sro5000 is $600. I odered mine directly from austria and got it in about two weeks.

 

[hobbzz]

Also the laguna (askoll) based pump the ATB uses is a little more reliable than the sicce's or bubble blasters.

 

[Chris135reef]

I have suggested this before and some have thought it was too big, but it works great on my system that is approx. 450 total gallons. JNS Shark Series 7, its the exact same as the Aquamaxx Series 7 just cheaper and a little more difficult to find. Rated for up to 1000 gallons and priced under $1,000.

I have the aquamaxx version of the jns cone 3 its a great skimmer as well im sellin it cause i got my atb

 

[m3lacoste]

Aquamaxx ConeS CO-3 is legit. It's quiet and pulling good skimmate after adjustiing to correct sump level.

 

[thefuz]

Resurfacing this discussion a bit. I bought an MRC MR-2R Beckett skimmer a while back when planning my 250 display. Is a Beckett skimmer still good vs. these other options?

 

[slief]

Resurfacing this discussion a bit. I bought an MRC MR-2R Beckett skimmer a while back when planning my 250 display. Is a Beckett skimmer still good vs. these other options?

Beckett skimmer are typically very effective. Their downsides are that the beckett valve requires regular maintenance to maintain consistency. I had to clean my beckett valves weekely when I ran a beckett skimmer to keep the skimmer operating at it's best performance. The beckett valves are no longer produced by Beckett so if you do have a beckett skimmer, I would suggest buying a couple spare becketts from MRC so you have them down the line when the becketts fail. Beckett skimmers are typically pretty noisy. When the water is pushed through the valves, it makes a water jet sound. The pressure rated pumps also tend to be noisy. The other downside to a beckett skimmer is their efficiency or lack of. Beckett skimmers require inefficient pressure rated pumps that consume a lot of power. Especially compared to the efficient pumps used on the other skimmers mentioned above. Other than that, if you can live with those pitfalls, a good beckett skimmer is about as effective as any of the best skimmers on the market. Suffice to say that a good beckett skimmer is a great skimmer as long as you stay on top of the valve maintenance and can live with the power consumption and noise.

 

[kegogut]

I run a skimz sm201 on my system.

 

[ericarenee]

I run a skimz sm201 on my system.

1+

This has been working great and has never overflowed once like almost every skimmer i have owned.. it seems very well balanced

 

[bernie lyons]

skimmer

skimmer

I've owned a lot of skimmers over the years including high end pinwheels but my favorite is the MTC recirculating Mazzei veturi design . They have a dual Mazzei that is a recirculating counter current skimmer , 48" high that will handle you capacity with room to spare for a "high" load. The construction is second to none !

 

[ca1ore]

+1 on the MTC

I had mine modded with a taller 'reaction' chamber. Been quite happy with it. Plus, I've known the MTC chaps for many decades and nobody makes better quality equipment.

 

[bernie lyons]

Mtc

Mtc

+1 on the MTC

I had mine modded with a taller 'reaction' chamber. Been quite happy with it. Plus, I've known the MTC chaps for many decades and nobody makes better quality equipment.

Nice my man,that skimmer will last you a long time with that kind of build and quality of parts.