tunze skimmers?

[reefer31]

What would be the best skimmer for a 120 with 30 sump sps dominant with heavy load of fish? I was just looking at the new 9420 but its a bit out of my money range. Was wondering if the classic doc skimmer 9210 would work stand alone, or even the doc 9015? Also, how are the tunze skimmers compared to the other skimmers out there with similar tank ratings? What makes them so special?

 

[yeldarbj]

I'm considering the same setup, an upgrade to a 120 with 30-40g sump. The 9420 is a bit pricey, but the specs are terrific, especially considering it runs on 16 watts!!! The other skimmer I'm considering is nearly twice that.

Noise is also an issue for me. I'm assuming the 9420 is as quiet as they come.

I'd also like to know the recommended tank size for the 9420 on a heavily stocked tank. Is the 9410 strong enough for this? The 9410 looks like a cross between the 9010 & the 9420.

I've got a heavily stocked, densely sps packed 65 that I have been using a 9010 skimmer very successfully with. I don't have a sump and am running it in tank so it is perfect for my setup.

One thing I do know is that Tunze service is top notch, which really makes me want to stick with Tunze products. It's worth the few extra dollars to buy Tunze.

 

[rvitko]

I think the 9410 is the best choice for what you are doing. The main feature of our skimmers is they are compact and quiet. The 9210 is a very old fashioned skimmer and is a passive plankton safe skimmer that I would only recommend for filter feeder heavy tanks or where it is the only model that will fit. To get the full scoop on how the skimmers are sized go to the tunze.com website and download the catalog, details are on page 43. From customer feedback and my experiences I can most recommend the 9010, 9410 and 9440 for your set up. The 9010 is a bit under powered and the 9440 is way overkill, however it is a big improvement over the 9420 which you can add a second pump to at any time to upgrade to the 9440. I think the 9410 is the best bet for all factors considered.

 

[yeldarbj]

Roger,

I read the sizing recommendations in the Tunze catalog. If I wanted an sps dominant with a heavy fish load, wouldn't the 9420 be the right choice. If it's rated at 528g, but with a 70% reduction due to load factors, that puts it at 158g.

Do you really think the 9410 could handle a heavily loaded 120g plus sump? With an initial rating of 264g (same as my 9010), using the same conversion, you get to about 80g. I'd love to save the $400 in price difference. Does the 9410 use the same skimmer cup as the 9010? Would it work with the larger cup from the 9015 or even the foam extraction unit?

 

[rvitko]

Personally I would use the 9410 but I don't stock a lot of fish. If you get the 9420 you can add a second pump at any time and the majority of people do end up adding the 2nd pump as it really boosts the performance. If you will really heavily stock the fish I would say the 9420/9440 is probably your better bet.

I have not tried the 9015 cup or foam reactor. I would be fairly confident they would work but I would probably try the foam extractor first as it is shorter. If you give me sometime I will try it out.