Skimmer help

[t kish]

Well after getting the run around for the last couple of weeks as to when my Octopus skimmer would be shipped , they sent me a refund instead .

Now I find myself looking at skimmers again ,I have a Coralife Super Skimmer rated for 65g that is new but I am concerned about using it because of what I have read about there quality and lack of performance.

Are they that bad , will it get me going until I can get something better?.

What would be a good suggestion for approximately 70g sump included , no height restriction sump is in the basement.

Thanks TKish

 

[PRDubois]

I like the Coralife.

Some people say they leak, but if you know what a "O" ring is and make sure it is in place you should not have an issue.

You have to adjust the flow, but I understand you need to do this with all skimmers.

If you add water or add chemicals you need to check the flow so it does not skim too light and fill the cup rapidly.

Basically, I think it is a skimmer that alot of new people start with and they have no clue what they are doing. They expect "set it and forget it". I dont think any skimmers allow this.

I have been using one for 10 months with no issues. Read the instructions and follow them. Watch the flow and adjust the skimmer to what you are doing.

 

[faze07hd]

Something is better than nothing... Use it at first until you get a better one... Who knows, you might be fine with its performance

 

[svynx]

I had the CSS NW for a while on my 30-40 gallon system. It worked pretty well. I did have to keep adjusting it because of how my sump was set up. I didn't have enough room to keep the skimmer section the same depth. But I will have to say that the main reason I switched skimmers was becasue I upgraded tanks to a 90 gallon system. And, I went with an Octopus.

 

[kraze3]

i agree with svynx. If there is a place you can put it where the water depth stays the same it will perform much better. They do need fine tuning especially when first set up. Keep the bubbles low at first and adjust accordingly. I used a 125 for a while on my tank. They arent the best skimmers out there but they will pull out some nasty crud. The css will deff be ok until you get a new one.

 

[Juruense]

My Coralife skimmer is great works fine. I have it hanging on my tank and the water level varies up to 1.5" inches and causes no problems whatsoever.

You have to actually clean and maintain the Coralife skimmer, you cannot just plug it in and check on it a month later...

 

[vyerous]

I personally love my Octopus 150 Recirculating. It was my first protein skimmer for sump operations and coming from a HOB Aqua C Remora, I was sold from when it kicked on. On top of that you can run it in sump or out of sump, I don't know about in sump but out of sump you just need to have your pump submerged. I back it 100%

 

[t kish]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am not in any hurry nor am I trying to save a few bucks I am just concerned that it won't work properly and cause a lot of unnecessary grief.
Apparently it should work fine so i will give it a shot.

My only other concern was that it may be to small for my set up.
The aquarium is only 50g but the sump is a converted 35g so I estimate I will have around 60gallons of water to maintain.
Everything I have read says go as big as you can and run at least double what they are rated for.

Thanks again
T Kish

 

[svynx]

That's very true. Almost everyone on here would suggest running a skimmer that is rated for about 2x your total water volume. I'd say your SS will be fine for now as long as you don't stock your tank heavily. Just keep an eye on the water parameters. If they start to go out of wack, and everything you do can't seem to fix it, then a new/bigger skimmer might be the answer. Now I just need to follow my own advice. I have a 55 gallon with a 75 sump. Upgrading to a 75 tanks, 75 sump, and 20 gallon frag tank. I run the octo 150. And with the addition of a tang, I'm going to need a bigger skimmer.

 

[t kish]

How much do you want for the Octapus:lol: \\

T Kish

 

[t kish]

Sometimes life is to funny

After getting the run around on the Octopus then finally getting
a refund.

What shows up at the door today , that's right a brand new Octopus skimmer LOL.

I sent the person an email asking if it was a gift:lol: .
Have not heard back from them but something tells me I will.

Well at least I have it now.

T Kish