Skimmer Q&A Thread

[bigkenny76]

Hello Guys, i have a 220, DT with modded wet/dry (no bio balls just carbon and 2 layers of filter media in the drip trays, tank is about 4 years old, 2 FOWLR and now 2 as a REEF , lots of corals maybe 12 fish , Had a friend break down his system , and purchased a ATI bubble master 200 from him, Will this skimmer work ok on my system ? and what does the water height need to be ? And does anyone have any experience with this skimmer ? i have been pulling some NASTY stuff out (like mud) and having to dump the cup every three days or so
Im guessing this is a good sign but figured id ask, also on a side note , this is the first time this tank has seen a skimmer since it was started 4 years ago.

 

[jrjudd]

Hey Guys,
For a 120 gal ( + 20 sump) mixed reef I was thinking about a Reef Octopus nwb150, nwb200 or a Diablo xs 160 which would be sized correctly. My bioload would be medium.

 

[swcc]

Hey Guys,
For a 120 gal ( + 20 sump) mixed reef I was thinking about a Reef Octopus nwb150, nwb200 or a Diablo xs 160 which would be sized correctly. My bioload would be medium.

The nwb150 might prove a little small. The diablo 160 should be fine.
I think the nwb200 would be good as well but the diablo's smaller body and neck may prove to skim with better consistency.
Looking at other mfg... reef dynamics ins135(this would be my first choice), seaside aquatics cs8 cone for a small footprint and very good skimming.
I prefer a pump external to the body for both the increased air/water contact time(better skimming) and ease of servicing the pump. the vertex omega 150 coming out next month should be very good. another notable excellent choice... but not often mentioned.. JNS sk2(which is also the aquamaxx cone 2).

 

[swcc]

Hello Guys, i have a 220, DT with modded wet/dry (no bio balls just carbon and 2 layers of filter media in the drip trays, tank is about 4 years old, 2 FOWLR and now 2 as a REEF , lots of corals maybe 12 fish , Had a friend break down his system , and purchased a ATI bubble master 200 from him, Will this skimmer work ok on my system ? and what does the water height need to be ? And does anyone have any experience with this skimmer ? i have been pulling some NASTY stuff out (like mud) and having to dump the cup every three days or so
Im guessing this is a good sign but figured id ask, also on a side note , this is the first time this tank has seen a skimmer since it was started 4 years ago.

lots of nasty crud is a good sign it is working hard... how long has it been on the tank? I would suggest if it is mud and crud and every two days emptying after a few months of running, you might want to go bigger as the bioload in the tank is just too much for the skimmer to catch up. One thing for sure, it is doing a better job than the previous skimmer(lol).

 

[Bolo Tran]

Hey guys. Looking for a new skimmer that will take care of a medium load 50g cadlights cube tank. It's going to have to be able to fit inside my limited sump area of 7x14 inches and water level is at 9.5 inches. I don't want to have to spend over $275 so pretty much looking for bang for the buck. Thanks all in advance for your help.

 

[Bolo Tran]

Hey guys. Looking for a new skimmer that will take care of a medium load 50g cadlights cube tank. It's going to have to be able to fit inside my limited sump area of 7x14 inches and water level is at 9.5 inches. I don't want to have to spend over $275 so pretty much looking for bang for the buck. Thanks all in advance for your help.

 

[azjohnny]

Hey guys. Looking for a new skimmer that will take care of a medium load 50g cadlights cube tank. It's going to have to be able to fit inside my limited sump area of 7x14 inches and water level is at 9.5 inches. I don't want to have to spend over $275 so pretty much looking for bang for the buck. Thanks all in advance for your help.

IMO the Reef Dynamics INS80, very stable skimmer...set it and leave it alone
http://www.reefdynamics.com/INS80-Protein-Skimmer-p/ins80.htm

 

[swcc]

Hey guys. Looking for a new skimmer that will take care of a medium load 50g cadlights cube tank. It's going to have to be able to fit inside my limited sump area of 7x14 inches and water level is at 9.5 inches. I don't want to have to spend over $275 so pretty much looking for bang for the buck. Thanks all in advance for your help.

I would also suggest the ins80 reef dynamics..but.. it needs a little more width, so unfortunately a no go... So, for your sump space and depth, let's choose a small footprint cone 'equivalent' and that is the seaside aquatics cs5.5. This skimmer will fit great, performs well, very good pump, good build quality, and it likes about 9.5" of water. I think it would be the perfect match. It will handle a heavily stocked 50gal. no problem and skim just fine even with a low bioload on your tank.

 

[bigkenny76]

lots of nasty crud is a good sign it is working hard... how long has it been on the tank? I would suggest if it is mud and crud and every two days emptying after a few months of running, you might want to go bigger as the bioload in the tank is just too much for the skimmer to catch up. One thing for sure, it is doing a better job than the previous skimmer(lol).

It has been on the tank for 2 weeks now and im naving to empty it every 3 days or so, it is really nasty stuff so im glad i finally broke down and bought one, i can say the corals seem to respond better now and are open a lot more , im hoping that it will catch up to my tank but if not ill upgrade or find it a partner and run 2 skimmers if i have too, i am in the process of upgrading the sump since keeping a steady water level in the modded wet/dry with this monster is impossible , so im converting a 75 i had laying around to make things less of a pain.

 

[mfinn]

Anyone know where I can find a new needle wheel impeller/magnet for my SWC Mini Hot skimmer?
I think the pump is a atman 1100.
SWC hasn't returned any of my emails.

 

[ArrowCrab]

Hey guys, I just got a reef octopus BH100 and was wondering if theres any way to increase or decrease its output. Right now the bubbles are barely making their way up the column for the collection cup.

 

[Bolo Tran]

Thanks for the suggestions. Im seriously looking at the Seaside aquatics. Do you think it'll outperform an SWC 160 cone?

 

[swcc]

Thanks for the suggestions. Im seriously looking at the Seaside aquatics. Do you think it'll outperform an SWC 160 cone?

SSA offers a better, more reliable pump... will it outperform... probably not...but it will perform as well... SWC skimmers are quite good... Thing is, responsibility and integrity are important in our reefing community...so I cannot suggest supporting his company after what the owner of SWC has been found guilty of.

 

[swcc]

It has been on the tank for 2 weeks now and im naving to empty it every 3 days or so, it is really nasty stuff so im glad i finally broke down and bought one, i can say the corals seem to respond better now and are open a lot more , im hoping that it will catch up to my tank but if not ill upgrade or find it a partner and run 2 skimmers if i have too, i am in the process of upgrading the sump since keeping a steady water level in the modded wet/dry with this monster is impossible , so im converting a 75 i had laying around to make things less of a pain.

sounds good. I do have one suggestion... raise the bubble level a tad and see if you can get that cup filled every two days. In my experience, more than two days between cleaning the neck/cup and the neck gets too dirty and will drastically reduce the skimmers performance.

 

[bigkenny76]

sounds good. I do have one suggestion... raise the bubble level a tad and see if you can get that cup filled every two days. In my experience, more than two days between cleaning the neck/cup and the neck gets too dirty and will drastically reduce the skimmers performance.

Thanks for the suggestion, i do notice a thick layer of slime if i let it go 3 or more days, ill raise the bubble level up and see if i can get a wetter skim out of it.

 

[Bolo Tran]

So I know that Seaside Aquatics was recommended but I'm curious as to how does it compare to the Bubble magus nc7 or the Skimz skimmers that will fit 7x11 sump area. Also, is the pump on the Seaside Aquatics a reliable pump?

 

[swcc]

So I know that Seaside Aquatics was recommended but I'm curious as to how does it compare to the Bubble magus nc7 or the Skimz skimmers that will fit 7x11 sump area. Also, is the pump on the Seaside Aquatics a reliable pump?

The thing that makes the seaside aquatics better is the sicce pump. the body is bubble magus. skimz avoid.. due to the pump issues.

 

[Bolo Tran]

I used to have an Ati bubble master which had the Sicce 5000 which is notorious for startup issues. Has Sicce pumps improved?

 

[swcc]

I used to have an Ati bubble master which had the Sicce 5000 which is notorious for startup issues. Has Sicce pumps improved?

no start up issues with the redesigned psk pumps. They move good air and water and are fine on efficency. good idea to maintain the pump with water vineger bath every few months... like any other pump you want to keep for a while.

 

[NyReefNoob]

swcc how do you figure viod on the skimz pump ? and have you ever owned one ?

bolo tran you had a sicce 2500 and yes the new sicce pumps are much better. also seeing your dealing with a small space you might look into a tunze 9006 or even 9011,also look into a bubble magnus nac 5