Skimmers

[pauliepeach]

I have a 75 DT with a 30 gallon sump. Trying to research skimmers but there are too many contradictions and I do not trust professional reviews (Marine Depot, BRS tv). Which is a good brand as far as quality and quietness?

 

[mcgyvr]

I'm very happy with my Bubble Magus Curve 5..
Works great and very easy to tear down and clean if needed.. Hard to beat the cost too..
It would be the perfect size for your system..

 

[billdogg]

I'm very happy with my Bubble Magus Curve 5..
Works great and very easy to tear down and clean if needed.. Hard to beat the cost too..
It would be the perfect size for your system..

I use the same for my 60g frag tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. Total volume is maybe 110g. Would not hesitate to get another.

 

[rjjr1963]

Lifereef is one of the best and you can talk to the guy who makes them.

 

[dkeller_nc]

Personally, if your'e going with a Bubble Magus, I'd strongly suggest you look at Seaside Aquatic's ES5 on Amazon. Seaside takes the BM body and replaces the chinese pump with a Sicce skimmer pump, which are known to be ultra-reliable. And you can get a replacement pump from Sicce if the need ever arises without having to depend on SeaSide Aquatics. I have one of these running my 50g system, and it is absolutely quiet.

A DC powered skimmer is more money, but uses less electricity, and at least in theory, is quieter. But they're very expensive at the moment (that will change), and in my opinion, they're too new to assess the pump reliability. And a replacement pump is most of the value of the skimmer, so it's going to be really expensive if it dies and you have to replace it.

 

[pauliepeach]

Thx for the input. Was talking to my lfs guy and he suggested a Red Sea Reefer 300. Fairly new to the skimmer game but looks good. Sicce pump too. I'm just paranoid about making the "œwrong" decision.

 

[cvrle1]

Thx for the input. Was talking to my lfs guy and he suggested a Red Sea Reefer 300. Fairly new to the skimmer game but looks good. Sicce pump too. I’m just paranoid about making the “wrong” decision.

I dont think there is really a wrong choice per se. These days majority of skimmers all work the same way more or less. There are minor details here and there, and which pumps they use, but thats really much it. What you could make a wrong decision on is getting too small of skimmer for your tank, but thats easy to remedy.

I like Lifereef skimmers myself. They have been around for long *** time, and use same tech as they did when they came out (this is good thing) They also can use any return pump, so if it breaks, you replace it with another one you want. AC/DC, doesnt matter. A lot of newer skimmers use their pumps, so if it breaks, you have to buy exact same pump from that manufacturer. This of course could be an issue if pump is not in stock, or they have to ship from overseas and so on.

 

[homer1475]

Bubble magus curve 5 elite.



The elite series uses a sicce needle wheel pump. All the benefits and cost of a curve 5, with the upgrade of a sicce pump.

 

[jd371]

I'm very happy with my Bubble Magus Curve 5..
Works great and very easy to tear down and clean if needed.. Hard to beat the cost too..
It would be the perfect size for your system..

I concur. I've had this on my system since I started 4 years ago without any issues. A little finicky to set up but once dialed in it works like a champ.

 

[cjpitt80]

Reef Octo Essence S-130

Reef Octo Essence S-130

I'm still new, but I have the Reef Octo Essence S-130. Seems to work fine for me and is completely modular for cleaning and is very quiet. Also has a click wheel with numbers for adjusting. Again, I have nothing to compare it to as this my first ever skimmer, but I like it. I have the same size system as you.