Skimmer Q&A Thread

Hopefully people are still checking this thread.

I am looking at upgrading into one of the new red sea 750 reefer xxls and trying to figure out what skimmer to use.

The tank itself is roughly 200 gallons (160 display, 40 in the sump not counting displacement) and the sump has a pretty nice sized skimmer compartment that is
28″X20". There is a movable baffle to partition some of this sump area into a refugium. I can't find the exact specs on the positions for the baffel, but the larger refugium option looks like it takes up about half the space, so I am looking at a 28 x 10 avaliable footprint

cI7Yx6d.jpg


(I hope red sea doesn't mind me using their picture).

I am totally out of the skimmer game and don't know what is currently a good value option. From my cursory browsing I was looking at a bubble magnus curve 7, but it does look like its an older model.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Willis
 
new2u said:
Hopefully people are still checking this thread.

I am looking at upgrading into one of the new red sea 750 reefer xxls and trying to figure out what skimmer to use.

The tank itself is roughly 200 gallons (160 display, 40 in the sump not counting displacement) and the sump has a pretty nice sized skimmer compartment that is
28″X20". There is a movable baffle to partition some of this sump area into a refugium. I can't find the exact specs on the positions for the baffel, but the larger refugium option looks like it takes up about half the space, so I am looking at a 28 x 10 avaliable footprint

cI7Yx6d.jpg


(I hope red sea doesn't mind me using their picture).

I am totally out of the skimmer game and don't know what is currently a good value option. From my cursory browsing I was looking at a bubble magnus curve 7, but it does look like its an older model.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Willis
Click to expand...



For ATB it might be out of the reach of the 840 v2 and be looking at 1050a but Paul will probably drop in her to help size with ATB.



Another skimmer I may start recommending is Ultra Reef Akula skimmers and for yours it would be the UKS-200. JBNY has been having success on his 270 with it. May want to talk to him and see what he says. I am trying it's little brother right now and they are so well built. I have not had enough time to highly recommend it yet but so far it has been been pretty good.


You could contact Adam at Battle corals to discuss a properly sized Deltec skimmer. Get one with aquabee pumps.


If you have the money you can not go wrong with Bubble King they have the best pumps.. Talk to Slief in the Bubble King forum for proper sizing.



There are a few lower priced skimmers that do pretty well that have Sicce pumps like aquamaxx, new Eshopps skimmers are looking real nice.


Might even look at the Reef octopus regal 200 int but it might be a little tight and you may need to look at the 250INT instead. RO have been hit or miss for me and a few others of late but the Regal series seems to perform well for a lot of people.


We can help point you buy ultimately it is up to you and a little research can go a long way.
 
shred5 said:
For ATB it might be out of the reach of the 840 v2 and be looking at 1050a but Paul will probably drop in her to help size with ATB.



Another skimmer I may start recommending is Ultra Reef Akula skimmers and for yours it would be the UKS-200. JBNY has been having success on his 270 with it. May want to talk to him and see what he says. I am trying it's little brother right now and they are so well built. I have not had enough time to highly recommend it yet but so far it has been been pretty good.


You could contact Adam at Battle corals to discuss a properly sized Deltec skimmer. Get one with aquabee pumps.


If you have the money you can not go wrong with Bubble King they have the best pumps.. Talk to Slief in the Bubble King forum for proper sizing.



There are a few lower priced skimmers that do pretty well that have Sicce pumps like aquamaxx, new Eshopps skimmers are looking real nice.


Might even look at the Reef octopus regal 200 int but it might be a little tight and you may need to look at the 250INT instead. RO have been hit or miss for me and a few others of late but the Regal series seems to perform well for a lot of people.


We can help point you buy ultimately it is up to you and a little research can go a long way.
Click to expand...

Thank you for all the suggestions.

Do you think an aquamaxx Q2 would be sufficient with a medium to light bioload? A 300 dollar price point vs 500 or 600 for comparable performance may be worth it.
 
new2u said:
Hopefully people are still checking this thread.

I am looking at upgrading into one of the new red sea 750 reefer xxls and trying to figure out what skimmer to use.

The tank itself is roughly 200 gallons (160 display, 40 in the sump not counting displacement) and the sump has a pretty nice sized skimmer compartment that is
28″X20". There is a movable baffle to partition some of this sump area into a refugium. I can't find the exact specs on the positions for the baffel, but the larger refugium option looks like it takes up about half the space, so I am looking at a 28 x 10 avaliable footprint

cI7Yx6d.jpg


(I hope red sea doesn't mind me using their picture).

I am totally out of the skimmer game and don't know what is currently a good value option. From my cursory browsing I was looking at a bubble magnus curve 7, but it does look like its an older model.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Willis
Click to expand...

ATB 1050a would be a good fit!
:D
 
new2u said:
Thank you for all the suggestions.

Do you think an aquamaxx Q2 would be sufficient with a medium to light bioload? A 300 dollar price point vs 500 or 600 for comparable performance may be worth it.
Click to expand...

The Aquamaxx skimmers are not very well made.
I like the CO-1 because it skims like crazy. People were excited about the Q-series because it was based on the CO-1 which allot of people loved. It launched and allot of people had issues with the Q-series and it seemed to die down and I have heard very little about it since. Hopefully they fixed the issues.

The CO-1 is a cheap little skimmer but it performed very well.. I am thinking the difference is because of the cup being angled at the top with a slot for the skimmate to exit. The angle on the neck forces the skimmate together concentrating it and then out.. Same principle why I think a properly designed cone skimmer out skimms a cylinder body skimmer. Most skimmers have a cylinder type neck that forces the skimmate up but allot of it just falls right back down while some falls out the sides of the neck. I think it could be less inefficient but is the method most skimmers use.

That said Aquamaxx use sicce pumps which are reliable and perform well but a Q2 only has a 6 inch body I cant find the air pulled but I am guessing right around 600 l/ph and moving the pump inside reduces contact time. A CO-2 would be better but I am going to say you need a CO-3 or a Q3 with the CO-3 being better of the two. Space saver skimmer are less efficient.
 
I don't like hearing aquamax isn't that well made, I ran into lots of issues with my existing skimmer (MRC) due to quality and getting replacement parts later in its lifespan.

After looking into eshopps I am liking their Axium line. They appear to have good construction/reviews and a small footprint (really like the pump inside the skimmer). The 220 looks like a good compromise (slightly oversized to the tank, but a midline model so the price isn't too bad). The 160 would technically work from their listed specs but only if i stay in the medium bioload... and i know we always like to oversize skimmers.
 
new2u said:
I don't like hearing aquamax isn't that well made, I ran into lots of issues with my existing skimmer (MRC) due to quality and getting replacement parts later in its lifespan.

After looking into eshopps I am liking their Axium line. They appear to have good construction/reviews and a small footprint (really like the pump inside the skimmer). The 220 looks like a good compromise (slightly oversized to the tank, but a midline model so the price isn't too bad). The 160 would technically work from their listed specs but only if i stay in the medium bioload... and i know we always like to oversize skimmers.
Click to expand...

Aquamaxx uses good pumps. In this hobby you get what you pay for. They perform ok.


Reviews are so subjective especially on retail websites because most are done within a few days of buying and some with 5 stars end up being returned. The other issue is allot of people hate to admit they bought something wrong or somehow need to defend their purchase. Defending your purchase is huge it is almost as bad as fanboys.

The other issue is allot of people do not know what a good skimmer is because they never owned a good one or have only had one or two skimmers . Most people do not last 5 years in the hobby.

Example:
I was setting up a bunch of breeder tanks and did not need anything special or expensive.
I found a thread many years ago that raved on this little skimmer and it was cheap so I decided to try it. I should have known better being in the hobby as long as I have. I knew the pump was not great but it was going on fish only tanks. OMG it was garbage, all these people raving about it and in every skimmer thread suggesting it. I ended up replacing it with a Aquamaxx CO-1 and it pulled more in a day than the other did in a month.


The real problem is with most cheaper skimmers is they are not balanced. People scoff at the price of Bubble king, but their skimmers are balanced and actually handle what they are rated for. Cheap skimmers one model may perform great and the very next model overflows and is garbage. That is because they do not spend the time balancing a skimmer and making the skimmer work with a pump. What they do is ok 6 inch body get this pump and it works fine so the next size body gets the next size pump but that does not always work. Vertex is a company like that. The skimmers are very well built, matter of fact up with the best but some models work well while other like the 130 are almost impossible to set. The 130 has a pump way to powerful for the body.

As far as skimmer ratings they are usually 50 percent to double what they actually can handle.. This is especially true of SS skimmers (skimmers with pumps in the body) they are just less efficient. It is not over sizing the skimmer it is just what they figure as light, medium and heavy is not reality with what people actually do.

As far as the x160 working working, no. Another 6 " body and it uses the same pump I use on my 65 gallon reef skimmer, way to small. Unless the skimmer is exceptionally tall a 6" body would do no more than a 120 gallon. X220 looks about right. I was talking about the S-series though but not a lot of info on them yet but they looking promising.. Cone design, pipe-less, sicce, pump, etc. But honestly I have never heard anything bad about Eshopps skimmers but I have not seen allot in action either.
 
shred5 said:
Aquamaxx uses good pumps. In this hobby you get what you pay for. They perform ok.


Reviews are so subjective especially on retail websites because most are done within a few days of buying and some with 5 stars end up being returned. The other issue is allot of people hate to admit they bought something wrong or somehow need to defend their purchase. Defending your purchase is huge it is almost as bad as fanboys.

The other issue is allot of people do not know what a good skimmer is because they never owned a good one or have only had one or two skimmers . Most people do not last 5 years in the hobby.

Example:
I was setting up a bunch of breeder tanks and did not need anything special or expensive.
I found a thread many years ago that raved on this little skimmer and it was cheap so I decided to try it. I should have known better being in the hobby as long as I have. I knew the pump was not great but it was going on fish only tanks. OMG it was garbage, all these people raving about it and in every skimmer thread suggesting it. I ended up replacing it with a Aquamaxx CO-1 and it pulled more in a day than the other did in a month.


The real problem is with most cheaper skimmers is they are not balanced. People scoff at the price of Bubble king, but their skimmers are balanced and actually handle what they are rated for. Cheap skimmers one model may perform great and the very next model overflows and is garbage. That is because they do not spend the time balancing a skimmer and making the skimmer work with a pump. What they do is ok 6 inch body get this pump and it works fine so the next size body gets the next size pump but that does not always work. Vertex is a company like that. The skimmers are very well built, matter of fact up with the best but some models work well while other like the 130 are almost impossible to set. The 130 has a pump way to powerful for the body.

As far as skimmer ratings they are usually 50 percent to double what they actually can handle.. This is especially true of SS skimmers (skimmers with pumps in the body) they are just less efficient. It is not over sizing the skimmer it is just what they figure as light, medium and heavy is not reality with what people actually do.

As far as the x160 working working, no. Another 6 " body and it uses the same pump I use on my 65 gallon reef skimmer, way to small. Unless the skimmer is exceptionally tall a 6" body would do no more than a 120 gallon. X220 looks about right. I was talking about the S-series though but not a lot of info on them yet but they looking promising.. Cone design, pipe-less, sicce, pump, etc. But honestly I have never heard anything bad about Eshopps skimmers but I have not seen allot in action either.
Click to expand...

The deeper I research the more I agree with what you are saying. The reviews on the eshopps I was looking at where from another thread on RC where the initial reviews were good, but the jury is still out on the new stuff.

I don't like how the Axium doesn't have a bubble plate and I have been looking into the new S line, but I think I would end up needing a S-200 at minimum, and possibly an S-300.

If i'm going to need to size up that large and spend around 400ish anyways I'm thinking I may as well go big or go home with a deltec. I'm looking at the SC1455 and it seems like it would be a good fit. I just can't tell if it has an aquabee pump, I will reach out to adam at battlecorals and get his opinion.
 
new2u said:
The deeper I research the more I agree with what you are saying. The reviews on the eshopps I was looking at where from another thread on RC where the initial reviews were good, but the jury is still out on the new stuff.

I don't like how the Axium doesn't have a bubble plate and I have been looking into the new S line, but I think I would end up needing a S-200 at minimum, and possibly an S-300.

If i'm going to need to size up that large and spend around 400ish anyways I'm thinking I may as well go big or go home with a deltec. I'm looking at the SC1455 and it seems like it would be a good fit. I just can't tell if it has an aquabee pump, I will reach out to adam at battlecorals and get his opinion.
Click to expand...


It is a aquabee pump, the other pump they use is DC and are Jabeo pumps, same as ATB. .. As far as sizing Adam will help you. He is a honest guy and far better at picking the right size. I have used Deltec and they are work horses and the Aquabee is one of my favorite pumps.. Aquabee is coming out with their own line of skimmers called Cove. I really want to try this skimmer and do a review on it.

I think you will be happier with a proven skimmer in the long run. The bigger the tank the bigger the risk. I am not saying some of the cheaper skimmers do not work well either. Aquamaxx CO-1 is one of those skimmers that just amazes me, not built well but it sure skims well..
I also have a hard time recommending skimmers I have not used, seen in action or know from a reliable source are good.
 
Last edited:
I have a 120 gallon SPS tank with 40 gallon breeder sump, about 150 gallons total. My current skimmer is way too oversized (10" body) and I can never get consistent results. I'm debating between a JNS/Aquamaxx Q-2 or Q-3 (90% for the Q-3). Do you guys have any suggestions between the two? I like to carbon dose, feed heavy and have about 8 medium (2"-4") fish.
 
JDuong916 said:
I have a 120 gallon SPS tank with 40 gallon breeder sump, about 150 gallons total. My current skimmer is way too oversized (10" body) and I can never get consistent results. I'm debating between a JNS/Aquamaxx Q-2 or Q-3 (90% for the Q-3). Do you guys have any suggestions between the two? I like to carbon dose, feed heavy and have about 8 medium (2"-4") fish.
Click to expand...


Between those two I personally would go with the Q2 for that tank.
 
I have a 60g cube with a 20g sump. Currently have an SCA 301, but the impeller in the pump needs to be replaced.

Instead of replacing the impeller every 6 months, any suggestions on a new skimmer all together?

Looking to stay under $200, but might go a bit higher if it's close.
 
strikeratt said:
I have a 60g cube with a 20g sump. Currently have an SCA 301, but the impeller in the pump needs to be replaced.

Instead of replacing the impeller every 6 months, any suggestions on a new skimmer all together?

Looking to stay under $200, but might go a bit higher if it's close.
Click to expand...

The cheapest best skimmer is a AquaMaxx ConeS CO-1 for smaller tanks.. anything under 200 is going to be garbage. They are cheaply made but they skim like crazy for their size and a very reliable pump.
 
Looking for skimmer advise

Looking for skimmer advise

Hello,

I just joined this forum, I posted my new setup so far in the "new to the hobby" forum, but I think it is waiting for moderator approval. I have a 135G tank that will be fish only + live rock, I would like to go on the more heavily stocked side of things.

Here is what I am looking for:
- Needs to fit in the stand: which has a space that is either 16" x 10" or 15" x 11.5", and an absolute height of 29" including space you would need for servicing the cup and such. Thinking this will be enough and won't need to go behind the tank or something.
- Prefer something external that goes under the stand, but not in the sump
- Noise: this is a living room tank, so I do need to control noise levels
- Maintenance: definitely want one of the "set and forget" models that don't need constant adjustment
- Budget: within "reason" I will pay whatever I have to, so I am looking for a good value. If I have to pay $2,000 to get the best one, so be it, as long as I get my money's worth.
- I may do a separate ozone reactor in the future

Here are the one's I am considering, I see that several of the "top" models appear to have their own threads, that is telling I think.

Life Reef, http://www.lifereef.com/venturi.html
- My sump is made by Life Reef and it is very well made
- If his claims are true seems like a good unit
- Price is reasonable, $500-$700 or so
- I could have him custom make one a little taller to take advantage of the extra 5" or so I have over 24" to get better contact time
- I have not read through enough of the thread yet to see if it meets my other needs
- I listed this first because I am leaning towards it if I don't find a compelling reason not to

Bubble King
- Looking at the Bubble King DeLuxe 200 external, maybe?
- I notice this also has a club on this forum
- Looks to be in the $1,600 range, so on the expensive side
- I don't know much about these, I see them mentioned favorably allot and about their high price, so I am wondering if this is the "Cadillac" I am looking for
- Seems like the difference is that these have pumps that are tailor made for skimmer use, maybe?

Reef Octopus
- The aquarium pro I work with in New Hampshire likes these
- I would be looking at one like the Super Reef Octopus SRO-2000EXT 6"
- Looks to be in the $500-$600 range

So, would like to hear which one's people think are best for my use case, and if there is a specific model you recommend, not sure if I am picking the right one's. I will probably call the company to ask once I decide on a brand.

Thank you very much

-Bodai
 
Bodai said:
Hello,

I just joined this forum, I posted my new setup so far in the "new to the hobby" forum, but I think it is waiting for moderator approval. I have a 135G tank that will be fish only + live rock, I would like to go on the more heavily stocked side of things.

Here is what I am looking for:
- Needs to fit in the stand: which has a space that is either 16" x 10" or 15" x 11.5", and an absolute height of 29" including space you would need for servicing the cup and such. Thinking this will be enough and won't need to go behind the tank or something.
- Prefer something external that goes under the stand, but not in the sump
- Noise: this is a living room tank, so I do need to control noise levels
- Maintenance: definitely want one of the "set and forget" models that don't need constant adjustment
- Budget: within "reason" I will pay whatever I have to, so I am looking for a good value. If I have to pay $2,000 to get the best one, so be it, as long as I get my money's worth.
- I may do a separate ozone reactor in the future

Here are the one's I am considering, I see that several of the "top" models appear to have their own threads, that is telling I think.

Life Reef, http://www.lifereef.com/venturi.html
- My sump is made by Life Reef and it is very well made
- If his claims are true seems like a good unit
- Price is reasonable, $500-$700 or so
- I could have him custom make one a little taller to take advantage of the extra 5" or so I have over 24" to get better contact time
- I have not read through enough of the thread yet to see if it meets my other needs
- I listed this first because I am leaning towards it if I don't find a compelling reason not to

Bubble King
- Looking at the Bubble King DeLuxe 200 external, maybe?
- I notice this also has a club on this forum
- Looks to be in the $1,600 range, so on the expensive side
- I don't know much about these, I see them mentioned favorably allot and about their high price, so I am wondering if this is the "Cadillac" I am looking for
- Seems like the difference is that these have pumps that are tailor made for skimmer use, maybe?

Reef Octopus
- The aquarium pro I work with in New Hampshire likes these
- I would be looking at one like the Super Reef Octopus SRO-2000EXT 6"
- Looks to be in the $500-$600 range

So, would like to hear which one's people think are best for my use case, and if there is a specific model you recommend, not sure if I am picking the right one's. I will probably call the company to ask once I decide on a brand.

Thank you very much

-Bodai
Click to expand...

Going outside a sump you need a skimmer that is really stable and balanced. Also make sure it is able to shut off if overflows like with a skimmate locker or at least float switches if the cups get full..

Well Bubble king is expensive but you wont be able to do much better for a skimmer. Go to the Bubble king forum and ask Slief for sizing..


As far as Lifereef, allot of people really like them. I had one and it did a pretty good job, Nothing like the Bubble kings, ATB or a few others. They require a pump that can handle a little back pressure since they use a venturi which is older technology, It makes them a little less energy efficient. They are very stable and the venturi on mine required allot of cleaning and was not easily removed. This may sound a little negative but it is not, they are decent skimmers, well balanced and that is what makes them great external. Only issue is you may have to go above 29" tall. I am not the best for sizing on this skimmer but as with most skimmer you probably should go with one rated double what you need.

RO has made some great skimmers for the price, some of the best deals in skimmers. My issue is they have had a few misses here and there and some of them are not balanced well and overflow. Running external it would scare me to try one unless you use a skimmate locker or float switches in the cup, I would do this anyway no matter what skimmer is used outside or in the sump. Most of my skimmers that have overflowed have done so through the cup overflowing.
 
Last edited:
If I have a sump where the water level is set and not adjustable, is there a common method to adjust the skimmer height?

Do y'all just set something underneath the skimmer to raise it an inch or 2 as needed?

Thank you
 
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