Skimmer Q&A Thread

Are people staying away from the DC pumps on Skimmers? I am looking on getting something for 130-160gallons total volume. I took down a tank but still have rock and fish. I will have a ned-heavy bio, and want to try again at SPS. I have about $5-700 to spend, and want something in sump. I have had Reef Octopus, Bubble magnus, and some others. want to get something that won't need to be upgrade anytime soon. I seem to never be happy with what I have and I think its me, not the skimmer. I have a lot of room to use, as my stand and sump are not built yet. I was thinking of going with either an

oval skims sv203 or an Octopus 200 Elite

Any thoughts recommendations


TIA Derek
 
I have the Elite 150 sss. Dc pump is great with 5 pump speed settings. I also like the 15 or 60 minute feed timer. I soaked the skimmer in vinegar and set it up. Started pulling skimate the next day. Very well made. The assembly instructions could be improved.
 
Breaking in skimmers

Breaking in skimmers

I heard of people using a vinegar/H2O bath for a few hours. Is this recommended and if so what is the ratio? Thanks.
 
GT3000XX said:
I have the Elite 150 sss. Dc pump is great with 5 pump speed settings. I also like the 15 or 60 minute feed timer. I soaked the skimmer in vinegar and set it up. Started pulling skimate the next day. Very well made. The assembly instructions could be improved.
Click to expand...



thanks for the info, I ordered one today, not the SSS, the other one

Derek
 
Ok
150g water volume, sps tank, heavy bio-load

which skimmer should I go with and why?

Skims SM 201 or Vertex Alpha 180i?

Thanks
 
orly20 said:
Ok
150g water volume, sps tank, heavy bio-load

which skimmer should I go with and why?

Skims SM 201 or Vertex Alpha 180i?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I am really liking my 180I. I have it on heavily stocked 90 gallon mixed reef. A little tricky to get set but it seems once set it is really starting to pull some darker skim mate. About 4 weeks on my tank now. It is nice having the wedge pipe plus the air adjustment nozzle on the pump. Can really fine tune them. But as I said can be bit tricky if you are the type of person that likes to tinker with things(I am) Have learned with this skimmer to make very subtle adjustments and leave for a bit to see what they do. adjust wedge pipe and once that is set start to open the air adjustment and you are good to go.
 
I got the skimmer today, the RO 150 Elite. I do have only one complaint with it. You have to look to see if its on, ZERO noise. LOL This is the nicest skimmer I have ever owned. I thought I like my last one, this is great no noise,, and the neck is all bubbles.


Thanks for the help
Derek
 
Hi everyone,

I'm new to marine (coming from freshwater) and have just bought a 5' x 2' x 2' tank (550 litres or 140 G) with a 270 litre (70G) sump. The bio load at first will be light as I plan to build slowly as I learn, but I also want to bear in mind that eventually I would like a mixed reef with plenty of SPS.

I have the opportunity to buy a new Orphek Helix 3000 skimmer for AUD 500. Does anyone have any opinion on this skimmer and will it be suitable for my needs? Any other recommendations? Looking to spend $500 - $600 ish - may be pushed higher :)

P.S. I'm in Australia.

Thanks in advance
Balf
 
Hi All,

I recently installed myself a custom sump... everything has gone to plan, apart from the skimmer.

It is CONSTANTLY, overflowing. i had it working well for a few hours.. went to bed and it was full (all clear water). It is a bubble magus curve 5.

I have read quite a bit and loads of people mention a breaking in period of a week... is this true in everyones experience? is there something i'm doing wrong?

I have changed the water level so i am convinced this isn't the problem (I planned for the water level bit so there's quite alot of different heights i can do).

Can anyone recommend anything? or is it a case of leaving it on full & waiting for it to start working?

Also, i work in the day, so if i do leave it on full, and come back & it's been skimming crap all the way through the sump, am i right in thinking that the only real issue this will cause is dirty water everywhere? or could there be a bigger issue.. just i work quite long hours you see..

Would appreciate as much advice as anyone is willing to give!

Thanks!
 
orly20 said:
Ok
150g water volume, sps tank, heavy bio-load

which skimmer should I go with and why?

Skims SM 201 or Vertex Alpha 180i?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've heard very few good things about the Skimz, and a lot of failures. I'd look at AquaMaxx if you want something more affordable. There's been a lot of good feedback on those and they're out of stock a lot.
 
csantanavaz- Did you ever get the skimmer tuned to what worked best for you? I haven't been on here for a while. I know that I've been dosing Magnesium lately. Every time I dose, I have to turn the skimmers bypass down a tad to let more water bypass the skimmer in order to not lose the magnesium I'm dosing. The Magnesium always causes my skimmer to over foam and ends up looking like nearly clear water in the collection cup. You may just need to adjust your skimmer to cut back the foaming action a bit. I find that if you get your foam about 1/2 way to 3/5 way up the collection cup, it will eventually get the muck out of your water. I know it's been a few months... so maybe you already got it figured out?
 
What you guys think about the tunze skimmer 9410 vs reef octopus nwb200?

Its for a 150 tank with a 75 gallon sump

Unless you have any other choice.. theres so many skimmers in the market hard to choose one..
 
I have an ATB 840 v2 with a bad sicce 1000 pump (impeller magnet split) The bright side is that I have a bubble blaster pump gathering dust. Am I better off getting a new impeller for the Sicce or running the ATB with the BB. If I am better off with the BB what depth should I run the skimmer at then?

Thanks in advanced.
 
Hey pcriv!

Skimmer all tuned now. Having massively changex my rovkscape with epoxy, it went nuts again. But now a couple of weeks on its working perfectly. Changing socks sometimes sets it off but for nos its absolutely fine.

To reduce messing with it ive rigged it up to pouring jts skimmate into a 10 litre container I have. That way I shouldnt need to turn it off (hopefully ever) but definitely not regularly!

All my nitrates have gone and am excited to finally put a nem in and spend my next weeks and months shouting at my clowns to live in it!!

Loving this hobby! Although my mrs' presents have dramatically reduced recently..
 
Jackie Blue said:
I have an ATB 840 v2 with a bad sicce 1000 pump (impeller magnet split) The bright side is that I have a bubble blaster pump gathering dust. Am I better off getting a new impeller for the Sicce or running the ATB with the BB. If I am better off with the BB what depth should I run the skimmer at then?

Thanks in advanced.
Click to expand...

The the 840 is truly a balanced skimmer so I would try to keep as close to the original design.
 
Help with skimmer problem
My super reef octopus 2000 has a clogged venturi hole. I keep soaking it in vinegar but it doesn't completely clear it and it quickly re-clogs, overflowing the cup. I believe that its salt. Does any one know the size of the hole inside the tube for the venturi? I think my only alternative is clearing it with a drill bit.

Thanks
 
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