Skimmer Q&A Thread

Mojo: I'm sorry one more question. Of these 4 models, what do you think would work best for my 180g start up?

Super Reef Octopus XP 2000 ($445)

Reef Octopus 8" Pinwheel ($280)

Reef Octopus 8" Recirculating ($350)

Reef Octopus Extreme 8" XS200 ($325)

I can't seem to decide on which one to buy since they're all relatively in the the same price range. I've been skimmer researching for over 2 weeks now and I want to start off on the right foot with this build; however can't seem to pull the trigger on this piece of equipment.

Thanks and looking forward to your response!
I wouldstill probably go with the xs 200. the sro 2000xp wouldbe good too but oyu would have to raise it up dependingon your water level.
 
Mojo. Over the past few days of mulling over this skimmer purchase/decision, without your valuable input, Ive added a couple higher price point skimmers to the mix that I originally didnt want to consider ... Youre killing me :D

The ATB Deluxe 10.5 and the Bubble King Supermarin 300 (Generation I) !

As a recap:

300G Display
125G Sump
125G Propagation
60G Refugium

~450-500G Net Total Volume ...

Which option ?:

1. Vertex Alpha 300 Kone

2. Reef Octopus XP-5000 Cone and XP-1000SSS Cone

3. Reef Octopus XP-8000 Cone (overkill to the point of inefficiency ?)

4. ATB Deluxe 10.5

5. Bubble King Supermarin 300 (Gen I)

Which would be your top 3 choices in order ? Preferably w/ some info as well

System will be bacteria/hybrid ZEOvit with medium-(eventually)heavy bioload throughout ...

Look forward to hearing your opinion(s) !

Thank you in advance.

The Vertex 300 is a beast and would do a great job. but it uses two very expensive pumps. and is huge..
The ATB 1260/large would be great. The 1050 i dont think will cycle quite enough water.

The bk super marin is probably one the best ever. I like the 250 really well but the 300 is great too.

you could start out with the xp 5000 and see if you need to add anything. the 6000 would work. same pump as 5000 but slightly larger body.
 
Hey Mojo, I had a question regarding skimmers..

Lets say I got a skimmer rated for my planned livestock and corals that I'd be purchasing over the course of a few months. Do I keep the skimmer running from day 1, even though the bio load is very minimal or do I just wait until the tank is more fully stocked?

Thanks
 
The Vertex 300 is a beast and would do a great job. but it uses two very expensive pumps. and is huge..
The ATB 1260/large would be great. The 1050 i dont think will cycle quite enough water.

The bk super marin is probably one the best ever. I like the 250 really well but the 300 is great too.

you could start out with the xp 5000 and see if you need to add anything. the 6000 would work. same pump as 5000 but slightly larger body.

Xp 5000 to small for this system..LoL it's about 600+ gallon " System will be bacteria/hybrid ZEOvit with medium-(eventually)heavy bioload throughout ..."

The BK super marin 250 will work twice better and in the future it will be good idea to add another one. I use the XP 5000 on 120 gallon and it's not pull half then Ati BM250 on same system...
 
the 5000 is way too large for a 120 to work well. not all of your 600g is load baring. Some of it is fuge and filtration. you have about 400g of load. You have several parts removing organics already.
just my thoughts....
 
Hey Mojo, I had a question regarding skimmers..

Lets say I got a skimmer rated for my planned livestock and corals that I'd be purchasing over the course of a few months. Do I keep the skimmer running from day 1, even though the bio load is very minimal or do I just wait until the tank is more fully stocked?

Thanks

yes I would keep it running from day one. it just wont skim as much with a lighter load. as the load increases so should your skimmate production.
 
I have been running a couple of AIW tanks for several years (a Solana 34 and a Biocube 28) but want to set up a Deep Blue 75 g rimless that I have had sitting around for quite some time. I plan to use an in-sump skimmer and am considering:
1. Aqua Maxx AM 100 (would be $199 from Marine Depot if I buy soon! (20% coupon for June)
2. Reef Octopus 4 ($180) or 6 (200)
The Aqua Maxx and Reef Octopus 4 are supposedly rated for up to 100 g and the Reef Octopus 6 for 150. Does anyone have any feedback on these two choices or on another skimmer that I should consider???
 
I posted this on the main LF&O thread but hopefully you experts on skimmers can read and help me out.

I have had consistent problems with my GenX 6000 pump for the RS250 skimmer. Replaced impellers at $90 each time at least 3 times and replaced the whole pump once since I bought the skimmer in 2007. The body is perfect but I am really not sold on buying another new pump. The plastic needle wheel split in half this time. Other times it was swollen and split magnets or the needles breaking and falling off.
Has anyone successfully put another pump on these units? I noticed they have new pumps now, modified Eheims, but I am thinking of just going to another dealer if that is an option. Any ideas?
Thanks
 
The Vertex 300 is a beast and would do a great job. but it uses two very expensive pumps. and is huge..
The ATB 1260/large would be great. The 1050 i dont think will cycle quite enough water.

The bk super marin is probably one the best ever. I like the 250 really well but the 300 is great too.

you could start out with the xp 5000 and see if you need to add anything. the 6000 would work. same pump as 5000 but slightly larger body.

Mojo. Thank you for taking the time to provide your opinion(s), as well as some information, on the prospective skimmer lineup. Always like to consult with you and your knowledge in this field, much appreciated !

Would like this to be a high quality skimmer that I can expand upon/upgrade with into the future, while not having to worry about it currently being grossly oversized, to the point of inefficency, or already at the upper end of its rating ...

With that said I had already made the decision to pull the trigger on the Bubble King SuperMarin 300 (Gen I) w/ the Red Dragon 2000 & 1500 pumps, while patiently awaiting your response :D

How do you feel this skimmer will matchup with the current specs Ive provided ?

Plan to run it on a (massive :hmm4:) acrylic stand in 8.5" of water

Also, is there any other quality information, on the BK SM300 that you could provide, good or bad, such as tips on the nuances of the pump air/water ratio valves, ideal pump maintenance/running specifications, etc ? Any and all info you have acquired on the BK SM300 would be awesome and well received, Mojo ! Thank you in advance, its very difficult to find any quality information.

Feel free to PM me if needed :beer:
 
Xp 5000 to small for this system..LoL it's about 600+ gallon " System will be bacteria/hybrid ZEOvit with medium-(eventually)heavy bioload throughout ..."

The BK super marin 250 will work twice better and in the future it will be good idea to add another one. I use the XP 5000 on 120 gallon and it's not pull half then Ati BM250 on same system...

the 5000 is way too large for a 120 to work well. not all of your 600g is load baring. Some of it is fuge and filtration. you have about 400g of load. You have several parts removing organics already.
just my thoughts....

Mavgi. Thank you for your concern ... I also share your and Mojos views that the XP-5K is pushing it for the system size as it is, not to mention wouldnt provide any cushion for future expansion. However, like Mojo briefly stated you didnt take into consideration that the "Net Volume" of the system will be between 400-500G, not 600G.

What are your opinion(s) on the BK SM300 for this setup ...
 
Mojo. Thank you for taking the time to provide your opinion(s), as well as some information, on the prospective skimmer lineup. Always like to consult with you and your knowledge in this field, much appreciated !

Would like this to be a high quality skimmer that I can expand upon/upgrade with into the future, while not having to worry about it currently being grossly oversized, to the point of inefficency, or already at the upper end of its rating ...

With that said I had already made the decision to pull the trigger on the Bubble King SuperMarin 300 (Gen I) w/ the Red Dragon 2000 & 1500 pumps, while patiently awaiting your response :D

How do you feel this skimmer will matchup with the current specs Ive provided ?

Plan to run it on a (massive :hmm4:) acrylic stand in 8.5" of water

Also, is there any other quality information, on the BK SM300 that you could provide, good or bad, such as tips on the nuances of the pump air/water ratio valves, ideal pump maintenance/running specifications, etc ? Any and all info you have acquired on the BK SM300 would be awesome and well received, Mojo ! Thank you in advance, its very difficult to find any quality information.

Feel free to PM me if needed :beer:

you will be very happy with your choice. its a little large right off the bat but as you load up the skimmer it will shine. They are super nice. I really like the design and the performance of the super marin skimmer. Ask any skimmer guru and I think the bk sm will be at the top of any of our lists.
 
i am really curious to see some reviews of the RLSS skimmers with the Waveline DC pumps. They have some pretty appealing options and very reasonable pricing. Any thoughts?
 
Is there such thing as over skimming? My uncle has a skimmer rated at 120 gallons. Will that be too much for my 29 gallon plus 20 gallon sump?
 
Mavgi. Thank you for your concern ... I also share your and Mojos views that the XP-5K is pushing it for the system size as it is, not to mention wouldnt provide any cushion for future expansion. However, like Mojo briefly stated you didnt take into consideration that the "Net Volume" of the system will be between 400-500G, not 600G.

What are your opinion(s) on the BK SM300 for this setup ...

As far as the XP 5000 i got it and test it before and this skimmer look big but when you do real test and compare it to other you see exactly what it's worth it.... and with all the respect to everyone even for 500 gallon to keep the sytem real healty and with heavy bioload in future think on one more skimmer.... you want to move lot of water volume through the skimmer that realy can handle it.

I saw a add for super marine 300 in RC i think it was $1250 good price if you want to check it out maybe it's still available... but i recommend to look at the new skimmer Reef Life Support Systems R12-e Protein Skimmer , the price on it is the best one that you can get on real big skimmer .

Personaly i got now for about 3 weeks the RLSS 10-E (and run it on 120 gallon) , this skimmer run with DC pumps you never need to adjust it only at first time and Im sure you will be very happy with it and save real $$$$

Here is the link :
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/pr...ef-life-support-systems-r12-e-protein-skimmer


This is mine :

mavgi


Now i want to show you sample of my other skimmer to let you know why i said XP 5000 not good for you even it's look like a big toy....lol . In the picture below you will see 3 skimmers and you can see the XP 5000 look almost same body size near to the middle one (and im not talking about neck size which it's different ...) On the XP 5000 the pump pull about 90-100 LPM the same pump not pull even 30 LPM on the middle one... (and this only on middle of the skimmer body) this is because how the skimmer build but for real performance what the middle one pull its twice then the XP 5000 on same system.... and there is lot of things that i compare when i get opinion on skimmer... . However the XP 5000 is a good skimmer but on your system size it will be like Seclone skimmer on 120 gallon... It will skim for sure but the result will be nothing compare what you realy want and can skim from right skimmer for your sytem.


mavgi



The decision is your and i only put my opinion from my experiance and what ever you decide i wish for you all the best.

Good Luck
 
I am so tired of looking at skimmers. There are too many for my brain to compare.

I have two systems I need skimmers for:
1) Two 58g displays that are currently setup with separate sumps and returns. However, I may set up a common display refugium/sump and use just one skimmer.

2) Two 40g long tanks in shelves with a common 20g sump. Perhaps a different skimmer as I have yet to determine exactly what to put in these tanks.

PS
Does anyone make a skimmer kit that a person could get to play with some of the different technology like cones vs. recirculating. Or using an internal disk for bubbles, or even different impellers i.e. needlewheel of differing design?
 
I will make a new aquarium on December 2012 and I am thinking about 3 skimmer that I want to choose for this tank: BK Sm 250, Sm 300 and deluxe 300 which one do you think it is the best choice? A volume of my tank might be around 300-320 gallon including filtration tank. Thank you.
 
I have a BK Mini 180. When I clean the collection cup, it works like charm for two days, but after two days it barely collects. What is the reason for this ? I run it in 10'' depth with foam line at the limit line.
 
Hey mojo, I was told your the man I need to talk to about my skimmer. I have the swc 200 cylinder style skimmer and my psk 2500 went out and my local skimmer guy sold me a brand new bubble blaster 3000s. I have got it adapted on to my skimmer but I was curious the water depth my skimmer should be at.

Thank you
 
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