Skimmer Q&A Thread

mojo~ said:
You can try running it a little deeper the sss model with the pump underneath can run a biit deeper. you have a lot of head pressure right now. Also adjust it up so the large bubbles are breaking about half way up the neck from the bottom of the cup. then let it sit. It has to slime up. And how old is the tank setup? It will take a while for your load to dirty up the water. give it time. but I would try running at 7.5 to 8 inches and see what you get.
Click to expand...

I tried running it deeper on my last tank, when it worked fine and the performance was much worse. The tank has been up for a few months and a few weeks ago it was working perfectly.
There are 3 things in my mind that could be causing this, let me know what you think:
-I added 25 lbs BRS dry eco rock to the already established 75 lbs last week
-There is not enough flow thru the sump. I am only getting about 200gph turnover with my current pump. I have a mag 18 on the way which should give me about 700 gph turnover.
-Last week i also changed out the sump from a 25 gallon to a 33 long. The 33 long had previously been used as a QT tank, so even though i sterilized it, some med could be remaining thats affecting the skimmer?

let me know your thoughts i appreciate it.
 
Did not get all too may responses in my thread, it seems most skimmer questions go here! My question thread.. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19407516&posted
Thanks in advance!!

As a summary, trying to upgrade my skimmer for 60 gal disply, 40 gal sump tank... My price high point is $350. Going as "big" as possible, not sure if there is a "too big". I figure if I upgrade tanks, I will be able to use this skimmer as a back-up, at least.

My normal water sump depth is approximately 11-12", not sure how adjustable these systems are so they work optimally. What would be easiest to maintain, quiet and "last"?
The total height I have available is 25" so they all fit within the clearance I need. How easy are pumps to maintain when they are inside the skimmer?

Looking at my options I am thinking of...
Super Reef Octopus XP1000 Space Saver SRO XP1000SSS, I heard mostly positive, but some negative about the pump
Reef Octopus Extreme XS 160 Protein Skimmer
Reef Octopus Extreme XS 200 Protein Skimmer
Bubble Magus BM-NAC7 Cone Protein Skimmer (or NAC77)
 
CAD Lights 2nd Generation Conic Protein skimmers (TIA-1150)


The New 2012 CAD Lights 2nd Generation Conic protein skimmers has many features that reef hobbyists of all types desire: High quality materials and components, professional craftsmanship, energy efficiency, aggressive performance, complete silence, durability etc.. These were all major factors during our designing of all 3 sizes of our Conic skimmers. All of our Protein skimmers are also Made In the USA. Our Conic skimmer bodies are liquid extruded mold formed into solid seamless tubes that are incredibly durable. Comes already fully assembled so it is ready to use the moment you receive it!


Features:

*Perfectly insulated to feature silent operations, only 5 Decibels of audible sound.

*High quality water pumps for long lasting high performance, minimal vibrations and silent operation.

*Flex-Plastic injection molded pin-wheel impellers for extended life and designed for high volume air draw.

*Liquid extruded Cell-Cast Acrylic body, Solid seamless with no joints. Extra thick Acrylic construction.

*Attractive Semi-gloss Porcelain color Acrylic.

*Newest built-in micro-bubble trapping mechanisms eliminates the micro-bubbles in the exhaust.

*Laser cut bubble plate dramatically reduces turbulence and improves direction of foam production.

*Easily disassembles completely for simple maintenance and cleaning.

*Each Conic skimmer come already fully assembled for simple installation the moment it arrives!

* 1 Year Warranty covers the entire skimmer from top to bottom (including pump, impeller, fittings etc).

*Dimensions: 9.75" x 6.5" x 18.5"

*GPH: 375GPH

*Wattage: 20W

Load recommendations:

Light bio-load (150G)

Medium bio-load (120G)

Heavy bio-load (90G)




The price is 225$

I just saw this skimmer and it says only 5 decibels of audible sound.
After a Google search I found a thread on N-R that has 1 member saying its silent. The other saw it at a trade show and had to put his ear next to it to hear anything. A quiet skimmer is one thing but a 5 decibel skimmer is amazing. I wonder what their definition of audible sound is? Maybe they say 20 decibels is audible and their skimmer is at 25? Do you think it's really possible that theres a silent, low cost, cone skimmer?

I'll e-email them and see about the decebel rating.
 
They're saying that they beleive they have the lowest level sounding skimmers on the market today.
Here is the e-mail conversation:


Im really not sure when we tested them with a sound meter thats what
they came out to be..

Thank you for choosing CAD Lights Aquariums,
Andrew Jenkins
Sales Manager
CAD Lights & Aquariums
Sales@cadlights.com
www.cadlights.com
909-605-1891 909-605-1891
909-489-6092 909-489-6092


On Thu, 3 Nov 2011 12:27:09 -0700 (PDT), Aaron Todd wrote:
> Cool, what is the decibel level that humans can hear?
>
> "sales@cadlights.com"
> Aaron Todd
> Thursday, November 3, 2011 10:57 AM
> Re: Message from CAD Lights
>
> Hi Aaron
> Our protein skimmers are very quiet. You can read about them on
> They are 5 decibels total above the human haering level... They are
> the lowest level sounding skimmers on the market today i believe...
> If you have any more questions please feel free to contact us..
> Thank you for choosing CAD Lights Aquariums,
> Andrew Jenkins
> Sales Manager
> CAD Lights & Aquariums
 
It would be interested to know the test. Decibel can be misleading. My skimmer is 0 decibels when the meter is on the other side of the house :). Or what is the decibel rating of a jet. You probably don't even notice the once at a 20-30,000 feet.

I am not saying it is not quite (never seen one), but you need to ask what the test setup was.
 
My setup is a 40b with a 29 sump, 50lb live rock, 3" sand bed in dt 4" sand bed in sump, hob filter with a sponge and carbon.
I have a mf 121 that i just got. when i set it up the other day on my 3week old tank it ran good for the first 18 hrs then it started to overflow. now i set it and it will work for a while then it will overflow. If i catch the overflow and open the micro valve the water level stays, but it will drop back down at some point and then i have bring the water back up and it will go good for a while then overflow again. any idea's on what to do would be great.
thanks
mike
 
Last edited:
holdyourlight said:
I tried running it deeper on my last tank, when it worked fine and the performance was much worse. The tank has been up for a few months and a few weeks ago it was working perfectly.
There are 3 things in my mind that could be causing this, let me know what you think:
-I added 25 lbs BRS dry eco rock to the already established 75 lbs last week
-There is not enough flow thru the sump. I am only getting about 200gph turnover with my current pump. I have a mag 18 on the way which should give me about 700 gph turnover.
-Last week i also changed out the sump from a 25 gallon to a 33 long. The 33 long had previously been used as a QT tank, so even though i sterilized it, some med could be remaining thats affecting the skimmer?

let me know your thoughts i appreciate it.
Click to expand...

sump turnover should be around 5x tank volume. 200 is really low and would explain performance issues.
 
starshrike said:
Did not get all too may responses in my thread, it seems most skimmer questions go here! My question thread.. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19407516&posted
Thanks in advance!!

As a summary, trying to upgrade my skimmer for 60 gal disply, 40 gal sump tank... My price high point is $350. Going as "big" as possible, not sure if there is a "too big". I figure if I upgrade tanks, I will be able to use this skimmer as a back-up, at least.

My normal water sump depth is approximately 11-12", not sure how adjustable these systems are so they work optimally. What would be easiest to maintain, quiet and "last"?
The total height I have available is 25" so they all fit within the clearance I need. How easy are pumps to maintain when they are inside the skimmer?

Looking at my options I am thinking of...
Super Reef Octopus XP1000 Space Saver SRO XP1000SSS, I heard mostly positive, but some negative about the pump
Reef Octopus Extreme XS 160 Protein Skimmer
Reef Octopus Extreme XS 200 Protein Skimmer
Bubble Magus BM-NAC7 Cone Protein Skimmer (or NAC77)
Click to expand...

The sro 1000 would be great but it will need to run about 7 inches the octo xs 160 would be ok too but starting to get too big and it will run well 8 to 9 inches. so keep in mind you will have to run the skimmer on a stand.
 
Todd100 said:
CAD Lights 2nd Generation Conic Protein skimmers (TIA-1150)


The New 2012 CAD Lights 2nd Generation Conic protein skimmers has many features that reef hobbyists of all types desire: High quality materials and components, professional craftsmanship, energy efficiency, aggressive performance, complete silence, durability etc.. These were all major factors during our designing of all 3 sizes of our Conic skimmers. All of our Protein skimmers are also Made In the USA. Our Conic skimmer bodies are liquid extruded mold formed into solid seamless tubes that are incredibly durable. Comes already fully assembled so it is ready to use the moment you receive it!


Features:

*Perfectly insulated to feature silent operations, only 5 Decibels of audible sound.

*High quality water pumps for long lasting high performance, minimal vibrations and silent operation.

*Flex-Plastic injection molded pin-wheel impellers for extended life and designed for high volume air draw.

*Liquid extruded Cell-Cast Acrylic body, Solid seamless with no joints. Extra thick Acrylic construction.

*Attractive Semi-gloss Porcelain color Acrylic.

*Newest built-in micro-bubble trapping mechanisms eliminates the micro-bubbles in the exhaust.

*Laser cut bubble plate dramatically reduces turbulence and improves direction of foam production.

*Easily disassembles completely for simple maintenance and cleaning.

*Each Conic skimmer come already fully assembled for simple installation the moment it arrives!

* 1 Year Warranty covers the entire skimmer from top to bottom (including pump, impeller, fittings etc).

*Dimensions: 9.75" x 6.5" x 18.5"

*GPH: 375GPH

*Wattage: 20W

Load recommendations:

Light bio-load (150G)

Medium bio-load (120G)

Heavy bio-load (90G)




The price is 225$

I just saw this skimmer and it says only 5 decibels of audible sound.
After a Google search I found a thread on N-R that has 1 member saying its silent. The other saw it at a trade show and had to put his ear next to it to hear anything. A quiet skimmer is one thing but a 5 decibel skimmer is amazing. I wonder what their definition of audible sound is? Maybe they say 20 decibels is audible and their skimmer is at 25? Do you think it's really possible that theres a silent, low cost, cone skimmer?

I'll e-email them and see about the decebel rating.
Click to expand...

have you ever bought anything from cadlights ? Cant say much about the skimmer, But I would not go back to them as a customer. poor service and very hard to get a hold of from my past experience.
 
whitemarlin said:
My setup is a 40b with a 29 sump, 50lb live rock, 3" sand bed in dt 4" sand bed in sump, hob filter with a sponge and carbon.
I have a mf 121 that i just got. when i set it up the other day on my 3week old tank it ran good for the first 18 hrs then it started to overflow. now i set it and it will work for a while then it will overflow. If i catch the overflow and open the micro valve the water level stays, but it will drop back down at some point and then i have bring the water back up and it will go good for a while then overflow again. any idea's on what to do would be great.
thanks
mike
Click to expand...

leave the air valve open. No need to close it down. and when you do start it let it run. I think you are running it too high and when it starts to skim it overflows.
 
Deepsea2005 said:
Hello,

I have a 500g SPS heavy stock tank.
I'm using the reeflo 250 skimmer now.
What is a better skimmer should I get?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

the reeflo isnt a bad unit. but if I were looking now I would look at the sro 7000. Great skimmer pulls a ton of air and moves a lot of water. Good bang for your buck.
 
looking to upgrade the skimmer on a dual tank system:

180 with LPS tank medium/heavy fish
240 which will be medium/heavy fish few corals
----
420G

skimmer must be external

The XP cones work great on another system - unfortunately there seems to be a big gap between the 5000XP and the 8000XP - worried the 5000XP is a touch too small with the Bubble Blaster 5000 pump

as options considering Super Reef Octopus 6000 External with Bubble Blaster HY6000 pump or Super Reef Octopus 7000 External with Bubble Blaster HY10000 pump

thoughts on these or any other alternatives?
 
Thanks a ton Mojo. I just got the SRO-3000sss in today and hooked up. The 180 goes up tomorrow. I already love the skimmer and I really haven't even used it. I didn't realize that pretty much everything comes apart. I thought the bottom was permanent. I'm also surprised at how quite it already is. I thought I remembered my hy2000 starting off pretty loud then quite down. And love that I can direct the gate valve in what ever direction I want. I do need to do the T adapater mod on it though. I have the skimmer in 6.5" of water and when the bubbles get up to the neck the water flow comes out of the gate valve really fast and splashes water everywhere. I have it covered for now but I would like something better then a bowl. I just need to find what size pipe I can get to fit into or around the gate valve exit.
 
mojo~ said:
leave the air valve open. No need to close it down. and when you do start it let it run. I think you are running it too high and when it starts to skim it overflows.
Click to expand...

I just started the skimmer 15 mins ago with the air and micro valve fully open and the water level has gone up the bayonet and is makeing foam, what is going on with this thing.
 
Thanks Mojo.. just ordered the SRO, going to put it on a stand. Wanted something that has long term potential.. ie maybe a bigger tank :)

mojo~ said:
The sro 1000 would be great but it will need to run about 7 inches the octo xs 160 would be ok too but starting to get too big and it will run well 8 to 9 inches. so keep in mind you will have to run the skimmer on a stand.
Click to expand...
 
No I haven't bought anything from Cadlights before. That sucks to hear they could be better on their customer service.

"It would be interested to know the test. Decibel can be misleading. My skimmer is 0 decibels when the meter is on the other side of the house . Or what is the decibel rating of a jet. You probably don't even notice the once at a 20-30,000 feet.

I am not saying it is not quite (never seen one), but you need to ask what the test setup was." -TheFishMan65


I actually got 2 different people that responded to the one email. The other response was this:
Hi, Aaron

For both the TIA-1150 and the TIA-1220, we are getting readings of around 5dB with the doors opened in front of the cabinet. we shut off all the other equipment in the cabinet with only the skimmer running.

Thank you
Eddie



It doesn't say how far away the sensor was but to be fair there isn't an established distance that all manufacturers have agreed to measure decibels at.

I was contemplating buying one to send to Mojo (after asking if he wanted to)so he could review it then send it on to me. It would be wasting money for me though since I just bought a nice skimmer a couple weeks ago. I was still contemplating wasting that cash to get a quieter skimmer. Mojo saying customer service has been a past problem made the decision for me a no brainer not to do it. When the source of information on something that seems to be too good to be true, could've done better in the past, its more likely it is too good to be true.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Replacement Pump for Vertex Omega 150 Protein Skimmer
Replies
4
Views
2K
r1racer
R
S
Why do oversized protein skimmers not adequately remove protein from a tank?
Replies
17
Views
3K
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
S
Small Sump Leak - Worth fixing?
Replies
1
Views
110
griss
griss
Broken reefer
Skimmer
Replies
7
Views
762
wvned
wvned
S
Back up power supply
2
Replies
24
Views
3K
ironwill723
ironwill723
Back
Top