Skimmer Q&A Thread

hey mojo, i have a euro reef i believe its a rc250. i bought it used from a guy who had modded it and had it on his 265 which was a heavy bioload. its on my 220 bio load is light now. my questions are what is the best water depth to keep it in to maxximize its ability to work, how high up the neck should i keep the water level. i currently feed it w a mj1200. is this enough pump or too much?
thank you
corey
 
I've got a Berlin HOB simmer sitting in in my sump. It never really seems to be doing a great job. But it does skim. Guess I need to tell you I've got a 180 fish/reef. You can see in my signature as to the rest of my set up. Just ordered the octopus extreme 200, I think its red. Not found lots of reviews on this. Anyway was wondering if this may help my coals do better. Seems like any sps I put in die. All levels check out fine. PH 8.4, AMMONIA 0, NITRATE 0, NITRATE 0, PHOSPHATE 0/0.5, CA 470, MG 1500, ALMOST 2.8.
 
Hey Mojo,

I'm planning out my next tank. Its going to be a 75 sps and I want a kickass skimmer! What are some good options?

thanks.
 
Hey Mojo,

I'm planning out my next tank. Its going to be a 75 sps and I want a kickass skimmer! What are some good options?

thanks.
 
Mojo,
just to clarify, are you recommending the sro 2000 int or the sro xp 2000?

75 gallon with 20 sump, heavy bio load current euroreef rs80, future upgrade to 120 with 40 sump, heavy bioload.


thanks


mojo~ said:
Going to paste what I posted in another forum. Might help some
Mojo~' s skimmer 101 info.....
ok all as I was reading on another thread it reminded me of the old cone vs cylinder skimmer debate. So I started thinking back to all the skimmers I have owned and where I am at today. With everything that I have owned what would mojo buy. If anyone cares here is some of my thoughts and what to look at when looking at a skimmer. Sorry if random as it is just thought for your reading and nothing more. well enjoy and it will be short as my brain just doesnt hold a lot of information....

Some skimmers have a really small body with a large neck. These skimmers will need a lot of air to fill the neck but cannot handle the water volume because of the small body size. When this happends its hard on the pump because it needs water to cool it. If it pulls to much water you will get micro bubbles and usually you have to run them deeper to get them to work

Skimmers that dont draw enough air will have to run deeper and the water level will have to run higher in the skimmer. usually up in the neck somewhere.

If it has too much air you have to run it really shallow or they will overflow and you have to run the water level really low in the skimmer and you get little reaction time in the water itself.

When its balanced well you should have a water level just below the neck.bubbles breaking half to two thirds up the neck. You should never have the bubbles going below the bubble plate when things are balanced correctly. Bubbles below the plate are cause more by too much water volume but also too much air as well. Some people think they can just adjust the air line to balance the skimmer. In reality when you choke of the air inlet you cause the pump to pull more water . changing the overall balance of the skimmer. This was more common years ago when you had one pump that was used on many skimmer bodies so it helped fine tune it for the use. Now more companies are able to make different venturi's, pinwheels and different design traits to make the skimmers function better.

Just remember, Balance is key to good performance. Other than that dont get too caught up in everyone saying theirs is best. There are so many good units out there. Look at what suites you best. Look for a good warranty and customer service. Because no matter how good or bad it might be if you have good service you will be taken care of.

Now hopefully I dont get in trouble for posting this next part. But from my experience I have bought skimmers from many people. None with bad service but some with better than others. So if I am buying anything at all I would always but from a reputable place.
Now I know we all have our favorites but for skimmers those are my top places to shop. For me lights is reefgeek and premium and aquacave. But I have been on reefkoi's site a lot here lately too .....

But you get the idea, its one of those things. If you truly dont like something can you return it? ask in advance. To be honest I really enjoy the more personal touch and will pay a little extra for it. Thats why I order from premium so much. lol sometimes too much. But I can pretty much tell who answers the phone as soon as they say premium aquatics...

Ok A little list of skimmers to look at for all budgets broken down to tank size

small tanks like 30g or less you probably are better off with water changes.

Up to 50G
Bubble magus 3+
swc 120 (these two skimmers use the same atman 1100)

50 to 100g

Now these can very quite a bit with tanks . Lots of people really stock some 75 and 90g tanks and then I have seen 50g tanks with just a few softies.

BK mini 160
atb 840
SRO 1000 (50 to 75g)
sro 2000 for 90g +
Bubble magus nac 6 or 7
swc 160
Octo xtreme xs 160
vertex in 100 50 to 75g
vertex in 180 for heavy 90g
AQUAMAXX am 150 and 200
125g to 180g
ATB 840
Bk mini 180 gen 2
Vertex in 180
Vertex in 280 for heavy 180
SRO 2000 on 125
Sro 3000 on 180
aquamaxx am 250
Octo XS 200
octo xs 250 on 180 heavy
Hurricone cat 1
ATB elegance 200 or 200 pro
atb 1050a on 180g
BK super marin 200 on 180 maybe the 250 model on super heavy stock

For those of you with 200g plus I would look at the following
Aquamaxx 250 or 300
The SRO 5000
Octo Xtreme xs 250
Hurricones
Bk mini 200 gen 2 up to 200g
THe ATB 1050A
The swc cone with askol pump is pretty good too
when you get up to 300g plus it start making more sense to get a beckett skimmer

why you ask. Because the cycle a ton of water and the body size isnt crazy large. But you get a lot of water turnover and you dont need several pumps to get you what you need.


Again this is just my opinion and I am sure some will argue theirs is better. Now i am not saying go replace the old ASM g3 or euroreef . This is simply a reference list for those of you out looking.

Bottom line... I am a firm believer if it isnt broke dont fix it.

Ill apologize in advance as I am sure I missed some along the way. Best I could do from memory.


Well I hope I haven't bored you all but thought it was some good basic info to share for you all.

Mojo~
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Hi Mojo, hey all!

Thanks for start and keep this wonderful thread on going!

I'd like to ask you an advice, recently I got a Alpha 300 but I don't know... I don't feel comfortable or confident with it and I thinking to move to Super Marin 300 w/ Red Dragon II - looks like you can choose one or another version - with RD or RDII, right?

Well, what you think about? Can you compare alpha 300 w/ SuperMarin 300? And a last question, do you know what are the diferences between two versions of the BK SuperMarin 300?

Thanks for your help!
 
I have a question for mojo or anyone out there with some experience with these skimmers:

I have a net 130 gal. sps tank that is currently running a ATB 840v.1.5. My bioload is not that high right now, but I intend to increase it with a few more fish and many more corals. The ATB produces a decent amount of skimmate, but only if I set it to skim wet.

I am considering a Vertex Alpha 170, which has a bigger neck (4.24" v. 3.75") and draws more air (1200lph v. 800lph). Will it significantly out perform the ATB? If not, it there anything with a similar footprint (~10x15) that will?

Thanks in advance.
 
Euler Kernighan said:
Hi Mojo, hey all!

Thanks for start and keep this wonderful thread on going!

I'd like to ask you an advice, recently I got a Alpha 300 but I don't know... I don't feel comfortable or confident with it and I thinking to move to Super Marin 300 w/ Red Dragon II - looks like you can choose one or another version - with RD or RDII, right?

Well, what you think about? Can you compare alpha 300 w/ SuperMarin 300? And a last question, do you know what are the diferences between two versions of the BK SuperMarin 300?

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
what size system is it? I really like the bk super marin skimmers. Great design.
 
acesq said:
I have a question for mojo or anyone out there with some experience with these skimmers:

I have a net 130 gal. sps tank that is currently running a ATB 840v.1.5. My bioload is not that high right now, but I intend to increase it with a few more fish and many more corals. The ATB produces a decent amount of skimmate, but only if I set it to skim wet.

I am considering a Vertex Alpha 170, which has a bigger neck (4.24" v. 3.75") and draws more air (1200lph v. 800lph). Will it significantly out perform the ATB? If not, it there anything with a similar footprint (~10x15) that will?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
the atb is a great skmmer. I do not believe the vertex will pull out any more skimmate. which pinwheel are u running?

The bk mini 180 gen 2, the aquamaxx am 250, or the Atb elegance pro 200
 
I'm running the ATB 840v1.5 with the large pinwheel in 7.5 inches of water. I think that maximizes its performance.

Are you saying the bk mini 180 gen 2, the aquamaxx am 250, and the Atb elegance pro 200 will outperform the ATB 840v1.5?
 
acesq said:
I'm running the ATB 840v1.5 with the large pinwheel in 7.5 inches of water. I think that maximizes its performance.

Are you saying the bk mini 180 gen 2, the aquamaxx am 250, and the Atb elegance pro 200 will outperform the ATB 840v1.5?
Click to expand...

WEll they are all a little bigger and have small footprints. I actually had better performance with the small pinwheel in my atb 1.5. The large does pull a little more air but I found that I pulled more with the small wheel.
 
mojo~ said:
yea the 300 bk sm is the way to go. I would get the standard pump. there were some issues with the rdII pumps. most have been resolved you could look at the ATB large too
Click to expand...

Mojo, I really thank you for your help, time and patience! :beer:

standard pump, huh? :)

I just google for some information on differences about the standard and RDII but didn't found anything... :confused:

May I ask if you know something about the features of these two version - what are my "limitations" on standard or what can I do with rd II?

and a dumb :spin2: question, can I disassemble it as I can do with alpha 300?

Best! :)
 
Last edited:
Need a suggestion for a pump for an old Euro-Reef CS body.

Body is 15x9 and neck is 3.75" and the total skimmer height is almost 25".

Tank is a 250 DT
 
Any info on how to decide on the perfect water level for a skimmer to be in?
I'm running and Eheim Skimmer pump on an old BMskimmer and had to place the pump externally as it wouldn't fit in the skimmer body as the Atman pump did. Skimmer seems to be running fine and I'm getting some skimmate, my problems are the setting as the slightest rotation of the tube has a big response in water level inside the skimmer and also the water level seems to go higher every 3-4 days and I get an overflow unless running the skimmer very dry. also each time I place my hand in the tank I lose foam head for 3-4 hours. Could this be related to how deep it is in water? how far from the top of the neck would you have hte water level in a BM NAC6A
Thanks for any advise you can give.
 
I'm looking for a little help on purchasing a new skimmer. I am planning on building a refugium for my 150g (eventually to be reef). I would like the skimmer to sit in the refugium and I'd like the refugium to be as deep as possible. It needs to fit under the tank stand and I currently have a door that is 24" high and inside the stand is 29" high. I'm planning on losing .5" with the bottom of the new refugium. Looking at the SRO2000 how much clearance would I need? It says it is 22" tall and needs to sit in 6" of water, so can I use a 5.5" stand, giving me about 1" of clearance or will I have to have more? Is there another skimmer that can work in deeper water that may be better? I won't build the refugium until I have the skimmer to do exact measurements, just want to buy the one that will fit my needs and the SRO2000 is about all my budget can take. Thanks for the help!
 
vthondaboi said:
Need a suggestion for a pump for an old Euro-Reef CS body.

Body is 15x9 and neck is 3.75" and the total skimmer height is almost 25".

Tank is a 250 DT
Click to expand...

Bubble blaster 2000, Tunze 9420 Hydrofoamer, Sedra 7000. The body can handle a good amount of water but the neck cant handle huge amounts of air. The three pumps mentioned would all work. But all are a little small for a 250 g tank.
 
maroun.c said:
Any info on how to decide on the perfect water level for a skimmer to be in?
I'm running and Eheim Skimmer pump on an old BMskimmer and had to place the pump externally as it wouldn't fit in the skimmer body as the Atman pump did. Skimmer seems to be running fine and I'm getting some skimmate, my problems are the setting as the slightest rotation of the tube has a big response in water level inside the skimmer and also the water level seems to go higher every 3-4 days and I get an overflow unless running the skimmer very dry. also each time I place my hand in the tank I lose foam head for 3-4 hours. Could this be related to how deep it is in water? how far from the top of the neck would you have hte water level in a BM NAC6A
Thanks for any advise you can give.
Click to expand...

WEll one thing you can do is open the drain all the way open. LEt the skimmer run, and then run it as deep as you can without it overflowing. Then knock it down about 2 inches. That would be about the max setting. This will give you some room as it breaks in and some adjustment. Most skimmers have a 2 inch sweet spot. Anything too low and you will get micro bubbles and enough head pressure to reduce performance of the pump. IT does take some playing around with a skimmer to find this spot. But if you do a little leg work it has great rewards.

Mojo~
 
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
123
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