Skimmer Q&A Thread

Yep agree. I'm over going for the super over rated skimmer. The two reef octopus skimmers I had were absolute beasts for the tanks I had and were the recommended size for them (aka doubled tank size rated). A SRO lx2000 hob on my 55 and a SRO 3000 on my 180. Both produced great skimmate. Both were also prone to shutdown of production (some people say this is good or Ok or should happen with a properly rated skimmer) and overflowing. I don't know anyone that believes overflowing is good but many expect it to happen at some point. Shouldn't happen on a well balanced skimmer unless you add something crazy like prazipro or don't have your sump designed right and the water level fluctuates.

My most consistent and favorite skimmer was a bubble magus NAC hob and bubble magus NAC in sump( I don't remember the numbers). Cheapo Chinese "knock offs". Neither of them huge beasts or overly impressive looking but they were very consistent. Which I'm really happy seaside aquatics is around taking those skimmers and getting a good quality pump on them. I'm hoping to now get the same results with my current Seaside Aquatics ES5 as I did before with the NAC line and Atman pumps.

Its a smaller skimmer then my previous sro3000 and less air draw but man its easily keeping up with the production and maybe even a bit more. If it keeps this up and goes more then 3 months with out over flowing I'll have myself a new favorite.

I've had a lot worse though like seaclones and coralife super skimmers. Had a CPR hob and it was Ok. Also a eshopps hob and it was good but it came with a mesh wheel cheap pump and I found I don't like mesh wheels at all. I don't know if they still come with mesh wheels or not though.
 
I need recommendations for a 120 or 150 heavily stocked Barebottom sps tank that I will be upgrading to. I'm not looking for a cheap skimmer and I want it for a heavily stocked tank. Sump will be either a 40 breeder or I will have something made.
 
Crackem said:
I need recommendations for a 120 or 150 heavily stocked Barebottom sps tank that I will be upgrading to. I'm not looking for a cheap skimmer and I want it for a heavily stocked tank. Sump will be either a 40 breeder or I will have something made.
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My vote would be an ATB if you don't want cheap but a great well balanced cone skimmer. 840v2 but call them up and let them know your specs.
 
I'm in the market to buy another skimmer and would like to try an external skimmer this time around. I currently run an JNS SK-3 on my Elos. My tank with sump is 150g total water volume. It is SPS dominate and I have a few fish. I would like to add more fish so it'll be a heavy bio load. My budget is $500 to $600. Any recommendations on an external skimmer?
 
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clowninaround74 said:
I currently have the Eshopps s-120 skimmer for my 60 cube and it's running the sicce sk200 pump. Yesterday I noticed the pump was off so I took it out and cleaned it. It fired right back up after that... But this is where my issue is. Now, it will run for 5-10 minutes and shut off at random. It then stays off for 5 minutes or so and kicks back on at random. This process continues to repeat.

I took the skimmer and pump apart a second time and made sure the pump was as clean as when it was brand new.... Still doing the same thing. Nothing clogged in the air line and everything is in like new condition.

It's only 1yr old.

Wondering if anybody has had this issue in the past. Is it as simple as replacement of the impeller, or is the pump failing?
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Have you inspected the impeller? I don't like the remove the impeller from the pump this will cause the impeller to break away from the shaft. This is what happened to my Vertex Omega 150 now I just soak the pump and run the pump in vinegar.
 
EddieC said:
I'm in the market to buy another skimmer and would like to try an external skimmer this time around. I currently run an JNS SK-3 on my Elos. My tank with sump is 150g total water volume. It is SPS dominate and I have a few fish. I would like to add more fish so it'll be a heavy bio load. My budget is $500 to $600. Any recommendations on an external skimmer?
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You could run a Life Reef SV3-30 externally and it would be a rock solid and low maintenance skimmer
 
What would you guys recommend for a 50 gallon total volume system. Heavy on the stocking side and primarily SPS. I currently run an SCA 302 and it works well enough but I think improvements could be made. I was originally thinking of a vertex omega 130, but also ran across the BM Curve 5 and just recently saw the Skimz SN123 and SN143 models (which are very appealing). Any suggestions?
 
Spartanman22 said:
What would you guys recommend for a 50 gallon total volume system. Heavy on the stocking side and primarily SPS. I currently run an SCA 302 and it works well enough but I think improvements could be made. I was originally thinking of a vertex omega 130, but also ran across the BM Curve 5 and just recently saw the Skimz SN123 and SN143 models (which are very appealing). Any suggestions?
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Yeah that's a bit much for 50g. If I still had my 55 I would love the seaside aquatics cs5.5. Its like the BM NAC but with a better pump. Seaside es5 is the same as the bm curve5 but again a better pump but has less punch then the cs5.5.

Another good option would be the aquamaxx cones co-1.

Both 5" body and sicce pumps. The seaside cs5.5 a bit more airdraw and a bit taller.
 
jason2459 said:
Yeah that's a bit much for 50g. If I still had my 55 I would love the seaside aquatics cs5.5. Its like the BM NAC but with a better pump. Seaside es5 is the same as the bm curve5 but again a better pump but has less punch then the cs5.5.

Another good option would be the aquamaxx cones co-1.

Both 5" body and sicce pumps. The seaside cs5.5 a bit more airdraw and a bit taller.
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What do you think of the new skimz. It's the monzter series and they seem to work pretty well. The SN123 seems to be a good fit or the 143 dialed down (would leave more wiggle room/upgrade possibility)
 
Spartanman22 said:
What do you think of the new skimz. It's the monzter series and they seem to work pretty well. The SN123 seems to be a good fit or the 143 dialed down (would leave more wiggle room/upgrade possibility)
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I personally decided to stay away from DC pumps for now regardless of make. I would rather have a reliable standard pump matched to the proper skimmer body for stability and shouldn't need to constantly tweak it or scale back anything.
 
hey guys - what skimmer would you advise for a 100 gallon tank? i dont have a sump at the moment - should i bite the bullet & get a sump and a skimmer at the same time?
ideally i would prefer to buy a skimmer first and then a sump at a later date.
 
IMO, in sump skimmers seem to get better results. The also won't drain your tank if they spring a leak as opposed to hang on skimmers. But, a hang on Skimmer is a cheaper way to start. If you plan on eventually getting a 35-65 gallon sump tank one day anyway....ask your local pet store if they have a used one they can sell you for cheap. The silicone to reseal is certainly cheap enough. It's ultimately a personal preference and cost issue.
 
pcriv3833 said:
IMO, in sump skimmers seem to get better results. The also won't drain your tank if they spring a leak as opposed to hang on skimmers. But, a hang on Skimmer is a cheaper way to start. If you plan on eventually getting a 35-65 gallon sump tank one day anyway....ask your local pet store if they have a used one they can sell you for cheap. The silicone to reseal is certainly cheap enough. It's ultimately a personal preference and cost issue.
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Not that im rolling in the money... but im definitely someone who would prefer to spend the money now and reap the rewards long term, rather than skimp out and suffer... so bearing that in mind (im going to upgrade with a new tank soonish anyway) if we assume I have a 200 litre sump so a total of arouns 600 litres - could anyone recommend a specific skimmer?
 
I bought a Bubble Magus NAC66 a few months ago and really like it. I think that for the performace, it's a relatively inexpensive skimmer for the price. There are many models available on eBay that include free shipping. If you find one that meets your capacity PLUS roughly 20-30% over that, you'll be good. I've only had mine since late November, so I can't speak to the longevity as yet. But so far it's been a great skimmer for the price. I believe a Curve 9 would work pretty good for you. But again, you'd have to look it up for the specs and see what you think.
 
I just looked up the specs real quick. The Bubble Magus Curve7 will meet your needs. Retails on eBay for around $ 270 US. I know there's a UK distributor. If that helps.
 
csantanavaz said:
hey guys - what skimmer would you advise for a 100 gallon tank? i dont have a sump at the moment - should i bite the bullet & get a sump and a skimmer at the same time?
ideally i would prefer to buy a skimmer first and then a sump at a later date.
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Whilst l'm sure the Bubble Magus Curve Series are good skimmers l'd always be wary of the Rock pumps in them. For a little more cash you could get a Bubble Magus 150PRO or 180CS, these have German Aquabee pumps, they run silent and true.... I've owned the Pro and still run a CS.
 
If you're looking at the bubble magus, might as well look into the seaside aquatics line. Same thing but uses the sicce pumps which means you get a quieter and more reliable pump.
 
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