Skimmer Q&A Thread

ashrafz said:
Looking for the best skimmer for a 120 gallon medium load mixed reef. I currently have a Super Reef Octopus internal 3000 XP and it just doesnt perform. itll skim sometimes but mostly it is doing nothing. I barely collect any skim and yet I still have 6ppm nitrates in my water.

Looking for a top 3. Thank you.
Click to expand...

ATB 840 is a good fit
 
Looking for a skimmer to possibley replace my alpha 250 on my 220 gal display tank with basement sump total volume around 270-290 gal. Tank is/will be mixed Reef, mostly sps. Lots of fish but still expect to run low nutrient tank.

I'm thinking the super Reef octopus 3000 or maybe Octopus 220 Elite, thanks for the help!
 
Kurt03 said:
Looking for a skimmer to possibley replace my alpha 250 on my 220 gal display tank with basement sump total volume around 270-290 gal. Tank is/will be mixed Reef, mostly sps. Lots of fish but still expect to run low nutrient tank.

I'm thinking the super Reef octopus 3000 or maybe Octopus 220 Elite, thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

What's the problem with the 250? Inconsistent? I can't comment on reef octopus but the bigger aquamaxx skimmers are really nice. Balanced extremely well. Lifereef and atb would be nice options as well.
 
I'm waiting for my new sump to come online before making a change but yea inconsistent with the huge neck on it. I feel like it would pull out more if the neck was a bit smaller. It's a beast of a skimmer and I feel like the current tank can't provide enough docs to keep it going.

On the flip side maybe it pulls everything out and then waits for more and that's not a bad thing? My guess is the big neck let's it pull allot of doc out but it can never get to the lower concentrations like a smaller neck can?

Which size atb or aqua max would you recommend?
 
Kurt03 said:
I'm waiting for my new sump to come online before making a change but yea inconsistent with the huge neck on it. I feel like it would pull out more if the neck was a bit smaller. It's a beast of a skimmer and I feel like the current tank can't provide enough docs to keep it going.

On the flip side maybe it pulls everything out and then waits for more and that's not a bad thing? My guess is the big neck let's it pull allot of doc out but it can never get to the lower concentrations like a smaller neck can?

Which size atb or aqua max would you recommend?
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The neck on the skimmer should be designed for the amount of air a skimmer pulls. If the neck is too small for the amount of air you get a skimmer that overflows and is touchy.

The neck is too large you get a foam that has a hard time rising up the neck. Usually you know this because you end up with a lot of gunk in the neck and not in the cup. This also can be the same as a tank with too large of a skimmer and the foam never get stable enough to rise or it does what you have seen where it skimms and stops and skimms again once DOC build up.. you do not want this situation because I believe like you then doc are never held low enough.

A skimmer is better sized for the load on your tank not necessarily the size of the tank. With a larger tank you will need the skimmer to process more water.
 
This^^^^. Balance is key. The atb 840 could work but the 1050 would be better. The Aquamaxx sk3 or co-3 would work also but the 5's might be a little better. Size the skimmer off of your display not your total system volume. Your sump volume actually helps to dilute organics and doesn't really count for bio load.
 
I think the common misconception ppl have is sizing the skimmer for the tank size, not the load size. I was skimmer shoppi recently and almost did that too. But I listened to ppl who I trusted and ended up getting a skimmer that is for a heavy stocked 250 and I have a 240 with 25+ fish in it and some are smaller so my load is still lighter than the tank can handle. And to think I almost bought a skimmer bigger!!
:lol:

Corey
 
biecacka said:
I think the common misconception ppl have is sizing the skimmer for the tank size, not the load size. I was skimmer shoppi recently and almost did that too. But I listened to ppl who I trusted and ended up getting a skimmer that is for a heavy stocked 250 and I have a 240 with 25+ fish in it and some are smaller so my load is still lighter than the tank can handle. And to think I almost bought a skimmer bigger!![emoji38]
Corey
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Of course, the inhabitants are creating the waste, not the tank it's self. For me at least the problem is with the manufacturer size ratings. Are they over estimating what the skimmer can handle? For example it was common to cut in half ratings from a certain manufacturer, but others might be right on. Also, do you need docs at a lower sps level or will you keep Softy's etc and it might even be preferred to have a little more left in the water really comes into play.

Thanks for your help, the real world ratings in this thread are priceless.
 
Kurt03 said:
Looking for a skimmer to possibley replace my alpha 250 on my 220 gal display tank with basement sump total volume around 270-290 gal. Tank is/will be mixed Reef, mostly sps. Lots of fish but still expect to run low nutrient tank.

I'm thinking the super Reef octopus 3000 or maybe Octopus 220 Elite, thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

ATB 1050a would be a good fit.
 
Looking at a slightly used Aquamaxx Cone CO-5 skimmer but does not come with a pump. The SHARK 5.0 pump is what comes with it and it is basically a slightly altered Sicce 5.0 pump and retails for $260. The pump is now discontinued, although it can be purchased from stores with new, old stock items. Is there another pump that could be recommended to use?
 
They're using the askoll pump now for that skimmer. Contact marine depot to see about getting just the pump.
 
Waiting for my new 100G to be built. :bounce2:

I still have not decided on the skimmer. Tank will be located in my living room, so low noise is my (her) #1 priority. I am willing (forced) to pay extra to achive this.

I have heard that the Nyos Quantum series should be great in that regard, but I would love to get some recommendations from someone who has heard/compared some of the more premium brands.
 
russ13 said:
Are there any tricks or tips to help a skimmer break in faster??
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Yeah you can run it in a tub with saltwater mixed with vinegar. That cleans up all of the residues from the manufacturing process. If you want to take it one step farther you can run it in a tub with some tank water and add some skimmate from another skimmer.
 
I'm in the process of upgrading from a 46gal bowfront/15 gal sump to a 120gal with a 40breeder sump and am trying to figure out which skimmer to go with.

I currently have a Bubble Magus Curve 5 that I will be using to start off with, but I'm pretty sure it will need to be replaced as I increase the bio-load over the next 6 months or so. What is the best indicator that it's time to upgrade the skimmer?

The Curve 5 has been great for me, so I was leaning toward upgrading to the Curve 7, but would appreciate some advice from one of the experts to make sure I'm going down the right path.
 
Last edited:
skimmer for 30 gallon frag tank

skimmer for 30 gallon frag tank

Could someone suggest some skimmers that would work for a 30 gallon frag tank?

Best,
Roland
 
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