Skimmer Q&A Thread

[mojo~]

I haven't heard of any, but was curious which pump Mojo was referring to.

I have had 2 that took a dump in 3 days as well as a local reefers bmk 150 with a atman 2500.

 

[iwishtofish]

Are most of the good skimmers designed to sit in only 4-5 inches of water? At the moment - regarding that - I'm especially curious about the Reef Octopus Extreme skimmers. If this is the case, I might have to reconfigure my plumbing to get enough vertical space...

 

[mojo~]

Most are 7 to 9 as optimal. Some pull so much water and air they have to be deep enough or they will suck air from the top of the water !

I set up baffles at 7 inches and I go from there.

 

[iwishtofish]

Most are 7 to 9 as optimal. Some pull so much water and air they have to be deep enough or they will suck air from the top of the water !

I set up baffles at 7 inches and I go from there.

Ok, that might be workable, then, although I think I set my lower baffles around 12". I just don't want to have to raise the skimmer too high. Thanks for that info.

 

[stangd1909]

Well I ordered my SWC 160 cone skimmer today, can't wait to get it.

 

[sneaton]

you will love it...what did you have before?

 

[iwishtofish]

I've narrowed it down to these two skimmers, I believe, for my 75g/40b tank (~90g twv):

Reef Octopus Extreme XS 160
Reef Octopus Extreme XS 200

Any reason NOT to go with the 200? It's only $30 or so more. Will be a heavy SPS tank, at some point - I hope.

 

[stangd1909]

you will love it...what did you have before?

Nothing, this is my first skimmer.

 

[AugustWest]

Need help deciding on a skimmer for my new set-up. 70G Cube 30"x30"x18"H.
Budget is 350$.

I haven't built the sump yet so footprint doesn't matter . It's going to be an SPS and LPS mixed reef.

I have these skimmers on my list: SWC extreme 160
SRO 1000
SRO 1000 XP (cone)

Which of these 3 skimmers and any other suggestions?

Thanks

 

[mojo~]

The sro 1000
aquamaxx am 150
BM nac 7
bm NAC 6
Octo xtreme XS 160

 

[smokey30]

mojo I had a question I currently have an swc 160 that I upgraded with a sicce psk 2500 pump and red devil propeller. I like the skimmer but not totally excited about it, was thinking of getting something different that would perform better. I think my budget would be $400. Any suggestions? The tank is 50 gallons with 22ish gallon sump

 

[rroselavy]

Mojo-

Any thoughts on the Planctonite ACC-150? Looks like a pretty sweet skimmer to me...albeit expensive at $619. Not sure how the Aquabee 2000/1 rates these days compared with the Sicces. Also, I've never seen a scalloped lip on a skimmer neck like that before. The outlet valve looks like it makes fine tuning a cinch. Haven't been able to find any pics/vids of one in actual use.

 

[phenom5]

Hey Mojo,

I'm sorry to ask, because the answer is probably in here somewhere...but what are your thoughts on the Vertex IN skimmers.

The pump on my ER rs-80 is living on borrowed time, and for the price of replacing it (from RD or something comparable) the Vertex IN-100 is very tempting. But reading through the Vertex Owners thread, the general feeling seems to be that the skimmer is good, but the stock pump is bad (unreliable, rust issues, etc). Well, the skimmer ($200) plus a new pump ($130-150) and all of a sudden the IN-100 is a lot less of an attractive option.

Then it boils down to either a SWC 160 cone or one of the Octo's (no friggin clue which one BTW, because there seems to be a thousand different lines/ models of those skimmers).

Also, thoughts on a Tunze Hydrofoam 9410 on my ER vs the modded Sedra that RD sells?

 

[sneaton]

smokey, did you have the cone or the cylinder swc 160

 

[cthedaytrader]

Hey Mojo,

Great thread and I was also reading through some of your review threads very helpful.

I currently have a 75G with 15G sump. Heavy sps, moderate fish, but I want to add some more fish and lean toward a heavier stocked tank as it matures. I plan on upgrading the sump shortly, so it will probably be closer to 30-40Gallons if that makes much of a difference.

I currently run the Octo Extreme 160 sicce 2500 with the red devil pinwheel. Not the newer Extreme with the Sicce 160 I think, and the gate valve, as mine has the wedge pipe. Since I changed to the red devil I havent had any start up issues which as been nice.

I have been going for the ultra low nutrient system, which I think I have acchieved, and I have begun to increase feedings and want to be be able to feed relatively heavily without worrying about skimming.

I was debating on upgrading the skimmer or just the pump on my 160.

My choices would be:

upgrade the pump to the bubble blaster 2000

Upgrade to the:

ATB 840 v2

Bikini mini 160, or 180

Octo xp-2000, or the sss1000.

Vertex 170

Sorry for the long post but from your expereince, do you know which of these might be just too much skimmer (aka Vertex or mini 180). Which might not be much of an upgrade at all (aka Octo sss1000), and which you would recommend overall.

Thanks again.

 

[coralreefdoc]

Mojo,

Ive narrowed my skimmer choices down to three models for a high bio load 60G w/ 20L sump. Footprint must be within 9x12

Which would you go with if it were you :

1. Reef Octopus SRO1000SSS

2. Reef Octopus SRO1000Int

3. SWC 160 Cone

All ears for any other suggestions as well, thanks !

 

[Dawman]

Hi , I`m looking for a HOB skimmer and have had the Sea Clones in the past and worked descent . Been looking at the Eshopps skimmer and wondering if this is a good choice ?


Thanks ,

Brian

 

[Kevin012]

experienceaquamaxx cone 3 series ore JNS SK3

experienceaquamaxx cone 3 series ore JNS SK3

any experience out there regarding the aquamaxx cone 3 series skimmers, ore JNS SK3, JNS SK5, JNS SK6 ore JNS SK7 skimmers

thy are fairly new, and cant find that much info on them

 

[mojo~]

Mojo-

Any thoughts on the Planctonite ACC-150? Looks like a pretty sweet skimmer to me...albeit expensive at $619. Not sure how the Aquabee 2000/1 rates these days compared with the Sicces. Also, I've never seen a scalloped lip on a skimmer neck like that before. The outlet valve looks like it makes fine tuning a cinch. Haven't been able to find any pics/vids of one in actual use.

yea pretty nice. Kind of a cross between the aquamaxx and the skimz

Not quite a justified price though

 

[mojo~]

Hey Mojo,

Great thread and I was also reading through some of your review threads very helpful.

I currently have a 75G with 15G sump. Heavy sps, moderate fish, but I want to add some more fish and lean toward a heavier stocked tank as it matures. I plan on upgrading the sump shortly, so it will probably be closer to 30-40Gallons if that makes much of a difference.

I currently run the Octo Extreme 160 sicce 2500 with the red devil pinwheel. Not the newer Extreme with the Sicce 160 I think, and the gate valve, as mine has the wedge pipe. Since I changed to the red devil I havent had any start up issues which as been nice.

I have been going for the ultra low nutrient system, which I think I have acchieved, and I have begun to increase feedings and want to be be able to feed relatively heavily without worrying about skimming.

I was debating on upgrading the skimmer or just the pump on my 160.

My choices would be:

upgrade the pump to the bubble blaster 2000

Upgrade to the:

ATB 840 v2

Bikini mini 160, or 180

Octo xp-2000, or the sss1000.

Vertex 170

Sorry for the long post but from your expereince, do you know which of these might be just too much skimmer (aka Vertex or mini 180). Which might not be much of an upgrade at all (aka Octo sss1000), and which you would recommend overall.

Thanks again.

I would keep what you have if it is working.

if you truly want to upgrade then save up for the bk mini 160 get a used one. Or the new 840v2.