Skimmer Question

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Did a search and could not come up with much - perhaps user error.

I picked up a tank from a guy who was going bigger. He through in the sump and skimmer. The skimmer was a coral life 125 (I think) the larger one. Since my ASM GX4 will not fit under the stand or in the smaller sump, I was going to use it at least for a while even though I had heard it was a POS.

This thing spits out bubbles through the exit tube like they are going out of style but there is absolutely nothing in the chamber of the skimmer. I cleaned out the tube, venturi, blew through the silencer, etc., no clogs. Pump appears to be moving the appropriate amount of water. I can dial up the water to mid way in the collection cup, no bubbles. I can gently blow into the air line and create bubbles within the chamber, which makes me think the pump is too weak or something. Anyone know what to do to get this thing going?

Additionally, the LFS is pushing the Reef Octopus - I have not had a tank up for a couple years, not so familiar with it but I do trust the LFS guy.
 
I'm not familiar with the Coral Life 125 skimmer, but Reef Octopus is a decent brand. Whether it is a good deal depends on the price of course. Generally skimmer quality will be reflected in its price. You really need to decide how much you're willing to spend before we can help narrow down your "best" choice.

Check the skimmer thread by Mojo in this forum. It'll answer most questions about "which skimmer is right for my tank", and if not, send him a pm. He's good about answering them.

Good luck.
 
I ran a coralife 125 for awhile on a 90 gallon. At first it was a pain to get running correctly. There a few mods that can be done to it. It is now sitting in the garage.

I am running a coralvue reef octopus dnwb-200 on a 240 gallon FOWLR and have no issues. Great skimmer.
 
I really like my SRO 1000 and 2000. Here is a short video of the SRO 2000. The noise is from the return pump, not the skimmer. The splasing is from the sump, not the skimmer. Lots of black junk in the waste container.

 
Thanks so much.
I think I am going to go the Reef Octo NBW200 route.

As for the Coralife 125, I drilled a hole where the venturi tube inlet was, broke out the flap on the inside of the venturi and push the airline back toward the pump - it now works. It will do in the mean time.
 
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