Skimmer suggestions for a 90g

[daveverdo]

Hi All,

I posted this some time back and got a few suggestions. Octopus was recommended by a few people. I have a 90g and plan to plumb a 30g into the same system. There is also another 40g or so in the sump.

Mostly fish. The 30g will serve as a grow out or specialty tank.

I have some room and was thinking of going with an external skimmer rather than in sump. The main reason is I have room outside the sump and I can use space in the sump as a refugium.

What are the pros and cons of an external skimmer?

Some possibilities include the following similar appearing skimmers. I realize they must have diffreent pump, needlewheels, ....

Any comments? Any other suggestions?

AquaEuroUSA Recirculating 150

Octopus Recirculating DNW-150

Pacific Coast RPS-2000 (not the most up-todate photo)

 

[RyanEG]

I would go for an Octopus 200nw reciculating. For that amount of water volume I think its the best bang for your buck. Even just the 200 would be suffice. It all depends on your skimming philosophies.

 

[Piazzon12]

I've got the NW200 on my 120 and love it...

 

[fatrip]

dont go recirc it isnt fun to dial in at all....nate will chime in on that one....lol...

 

[Kent E]

Get the biggest you can afford, but ask around for bubble quality too, that is very important.

If you have any DIY abilities you can make a better skimmer than you can buy.

I've always had my skimmers in sump because I'm afraid of what could happen but I guess you could always put the input high up in your sump so if it blew or a pipe cracked you wouldn't lose the whole sump full of water.

 

[fatrip]

i would go with the octo nw200. you dont want the skimmer out side the sump if you dont want it in the water it needs to be above the sump then. skimmers are notorious for freeking out and when they do water pumps out of them like it was its job...lol... I can tell you that you dont want your skimmer to suck all the water out fo your sump and make the main pump seize becuase it ran dry. Nate can attest to having his basement covered with water and daves was on the verg of it the other night. also if you are dumping the skimate from the cup via hose i would suggest putting it into a gallon milk jug in the sump be cause these to have caused people problems in the past. I guess the most well known tank would be oregon reef. i believe his skimmer emptyed his 300g sump and he hurryed and rushed to refill it but did so with tap water instead of ro and crashed his tank. just some things to consider when doing an out of sump skimmer...

 

[Kent E]

check this out:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1394718

 

[frankandmaura]

Octo.

 

[Piazzon12]

You could get a new NW200 for $215...

 

[Kent E]

Needle wheel and deal. :lol:


I should be on the wheel of fortune; before and after.

 

[fatrip]

lol...

 

[Kent E]

Yeah, just get a new one.

 

[daveverdo]

Seems like the biggest thing against the external skimmer is the flooding and draining the sump concern.

I don't think that would be a problem for me. I plan to feed the skimmer from a branch off of the display drain and then drain the skimmer into the sump. If the skimmer clogs up, the water feeding it should just run through main drain directly to the sump bypassing the skimmer. As long as there is some anti-siphon precaution on the skimmer drain it shouldn't empty the sump.

I have a lot of plumbin parts and may try a 4" diamater , 5' counter-current, air-driven DIY skimmer (Snailman style). I would need a Luft air pump and about $50 worth of clear PVC or acrylic pipe in addition to what I have.

Here is a diagram of want I was planning. Am I missing something?

Dave

Several valves have been omitted from the diagram for clarity.

 

[fatrip]

always better to make your own but the problem is not the skimmer cloging up. it is the fact that they go nuts and over flow the collection cup and spill onto the floor from the skimmer as well as the air tube could get cloged and put more water and less air into the skimmer causing it to over flow. Also if you are feeding the skimmer from one drain and you have 2 drains on the tank they dont constaintly drain the same amount so the skimmer water level will fluctuate. that is what Nate had problems with when he use the recirc. plus looking at the G3 recir and the puting back to gether the right way, the chamber was much more white when it was the original way vers the recirc.

 

[frankandmaura]

What happens if the skimmer goes bezerk and overflows? Is it in a room with a drain? I think what people are saying is at times our skimmers go nuts and foam like crazy, this causes water to flow out the top and in to our sumps...your's would be going on the floor, correct?

 

[daveverdo]

your's would be going on the floor, correct?

Well yes, I could keep it in a tub?

Also if you are feeding the skimmer from one drain and you have 2 drains on the tank they dont constaintly drain the same amount so the skimmer water level will fluctuate

I only have one drain, so that shouldn't be an issue.

as well as the air tube could get cloged and put more water and less air into the skimmer

I am not quite sure I get this


I am not forcing the external issue, just trying to understand the potential pitfalls.

I guess an overflow line on the collection cup could solve a potential problem there but that would drain water from the system instead of feeding it back. Unless the collection cup overflow line drained into the sump. In that case it would hav ethe same effect and overflowing into the sump??

Anyone ever make a DIY counter current, air-driven skimmer?

Dave

 

[fatrip]

"I guess an overflow line on the collection cup could solve a potential problem there but that would drain water from the system instead of feeding it back. Unless the collection cup overflow line drained into the sump. In that case it would hav ethe same effect and overflowing into the sump??"

No because the skimmers dont just foam over they pump water over not just a little but can empty your sump in a matter of 10-15mins depending on pump size.

also you may have one drain from your aquarium but you are spliting it into 2 when you go to the skimmer and the sump. there are alot of things that can go wrong with a skimmer out side the sump and IMO it isnt worth taking the chance.

 

[daveverdo]

No because the skimmers dont just foam over they pump water over not just a little but can empty your sump in a matter of 10-15mins depending on pump size.

But isn't that the point of the recirculating skimmer? It is NOT pumping water from the sump, it pumping water from the skimmer to the skimmer. Or am I really missing something here?

Isn't the water level in a recirculating skimmer controlled by the height of the skimmer overflow? Again, am I really missing the design of the recircs or airstone driven counter currents?

Dave

 

[Piazzon12]

I would have had a mess several times as my skimmer foamed so much it blew the cap off. That's how you lose water... and drain the sump.... foam out the top of the skimmer
I would baffle the 65 into 3 compartments, and use one as a fuge. also you will be sending tons of bubbles into the 30 from the skimmer.
NW200's fit great in a 30 gallon. You could use that for your skimmer/returns and the 65 as a fuge/growout tank

 

[frankandmaura]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12577736#post12577736 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daveverdo
But isn't that the point of the recirculating skimmer? It is NOT pumping water from the sump, it pumping water from the skimmer to the skimmer. Or am I really missing something here?

Isn't the water level in a recirculating skimmer controlled by the height of the skimmer overflow? Again, am I really missing the design of the recircs or airstone driven counter currents?

Dave

You are missing something here...the skimmer will recirc the water, and you will have a limited amout of water being pushed out your output, but the problem with skimmers is they overflow from the collection cup. If something causes the skimmer to foam more than ususal it will overflow on your floor. Does this make sense?