what skimmer for 180gallon total system

A

adambirk

New member
hello,
i am in the process of looking for the equipment for un upgrade. and i need some help with a skimmer selection. my new system is going to be a 160 gallon tank with a 50 gallon sump/fuge so i am guessing after rock sand and such i will have about 180 gallons of water. i have been looking at the msx250, octo extreme250, or the new super reef octo. also i was considering getting the msx250 without a pump and using the new bubble blaster pump on it.

they say the bubble blaster 5000 puts out like 80cfm. would that be to much on an msx250? i am kinda hoping some msx250 owners would chime in here.

any other options would be great also i am trying to keep it under 500.00. and am open to any one that has a great used skimmer as well.

thank you

-adam
 
I have the same setup 160 display with 50+ sump.

I am using the Grey Seas GS2 cone skimmer. You can use two pumps if you need it but I am only using one PSK-2500 right now. I have only had it in the system for about 3 days so it is too early to tell you how it is going to perform long term. I will say so far it is working well.
 
the new octo's do look promising, but im prone to suggest getting a SWC cone w/ askoll pump, and be done with it. :)
I wish WM had their askoll cone skimmer out too...
 
I have a 150g DT with 100g sump and use an MSX300 with Askoll pump. In my opinion this setup is extremely efficient and does just a fantastic job. My bio load is medium but I feed like it's super high and I still haven't had a trace of algae since the tank's been up for a few months. Haven't checked for nitrates in awhile but the lack of algae probably speaks for itself.

The MSX skimmers are solid to say the least. However I started out with the Sicce pumps and didn't like them at all. Many say they are fine with the 200 or 250 but they didn't pull nearly enough air for the 300 wide body. The Askoll pulls around 90SCFH so that was a nice kick in the pants for my skimmer. Plus it's whisper quiet, energy efficient and very well built and reliable. I am not familiar with the "Bubble Blaster" but I would look around for the comments made about the Askoll/Laguna pumps. They are very well regarded throughout RC.
 
rguyler yeah i had thought about going with an askoll pump but heard that it would be to much on an msx 250 and that i would have to extend the neck.

i would much rather have the askoll because it is such a trusted pump. but not if it isnt going to work well(to much) the bubble blaster is close to the askoll but a little weaker and i thought it would be a good pump. only problem is mounting it.

for all you cone skimmer owners out there what cone would you recomend that is not going to brake the bank. i would love to run a cone but are they really worth the extra 400 to 500 dollars?

an msx with out pump is 279.00 and with sicce pump is 379.00 give or take 15.00 depending on site. for a tank with a total water volume of 180 gallons i cant even touch a cone skimmer for less than 700 to 800 dollars.

also if anyone has a used cone of nice newer style msx please let me know.

also to the cone skimmer owners what did you own before the cone? was it really worth double the price? if so i would really like to know because i might just wait a month or so to set up the tank and save for a cone. it is just really hard to fork over that kind of dough if the results are not well worth it. i mean that is another mp40w.
 
Msx 250 A or the 300a would be a really nice for you. You could go for something a little cheaper like the vertex in 180 as well.
You may want to look at those, the new octo looks promising but cannot say for sure. but the price isnt all that cheap for the larger models. I would look at a ATB 1050A or a Warner Marine AS200 as well.

mojo~
 
I have owned an Octopus 800S and currently have a EuroReef 135 being replaced by a GS2. The GS2 cone is in a completely different league, in my opinion.

BTW, I looked seriously at the MSX250 and the Vertex IN-250. I was torn between the two and decided to take a chance on the American made Grey Seas skimmer.
 
mojo i was hoping you would chime in from all that i have read you are like the king of skimmers. do you think that the cones are worth the extra money?

this time around i am planning on my tank being 95% sps the rest will be some rare/colorfull zoas and maybe a few lps so i really need a skimmer that is a beast.

cveverly, i have never heard of the grey seas i am going to look them up right now. do you have any pics of yours in action?
 
You could just get a msx200 with extended collection cup and put an askoll on the sicce port. It would be plenty for that tank. Or a msx250 with askoll would work well too. Whatever you get i'd suggest an askoll on it. It will last you years with trouble free maintenence. They are as nice as eheims as far as reliability goes and the best skimmer pump's out right now. There's quite a few companies that use them, atb, cv, swc, bk....and more to come i'm sure.
 
The guys at Marine Soutions (MSX) did a comparison between the regular MSX skimmers versus the cones and they concluded that the cones did pull out more nog per skimmer volume. However, if your skimmer is more than enough for your bio load to being with then I don't know just how much more you can skim?

I will say that an Askoll for a 250 is still an ideal match. Most folks are using the stock Sicce fitting rather than drilling for a larger fitting like we did for my 300. Check out this thread to get some info on the Askoll with the 250:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1640626
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15519773#post15519773 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adambirk

cveverly, i have never heard of the grey seas i am going to look them up right now. do you have any pics of yours in action?
Click to expand...


Later next week I am going to write a review on the skimmer. The only pictures I have now are during break in with vinegar water. I agree with others the askoll may be "the" pump. I have a hard time justifying the cost even though I am sure it is worth the money.

Here are a couple shots of the GS2.

260.jpg


266.jpg


268.jpg
 
cveverly,
that looks like a realy nice skimmer. what kind of pump comes on that? also what size tank is that skimmer rated for? i cant wait to see pics of that when it is pulling out nasties on your tank.
 
It does not come with a pump. It is designed for 1 or 2 Sicce PSK-2500 pumps depending on your bioload. I am only using one pump PSK-2500 with meshed impeller. I also have a purple pinwheel impeller I am going to try.

If you watch the auction site you can get one for $249.

Info from Grey Seas Aquatics:

Tank Rating:
One Pump: 200-300gallons
Two Pump: 300-400gallons
Footprint: 9"x13"
Height: 26.5"
Diameter at Base 8.5"
Neck diameter: 4.5"
Collection Cup Diameter: 8"
Collection Cup Drain: Standard
Air Silencer: Standard
For in sump use: 6"-12" depth
Warranty: 1 year
 
Just FYI, the Askoll works great on the 250. There are several people using the 250 with the drilled 1" port that will get you all 90+ SCFH....without the extended neck.
 
It looks like a nice skimmer and awesome price for a cone but the neck is only 4.5" so you have to be careful how much air you try to push through it. A single pump like an Askoll running full out would make it uncontrollable I think. The MSX250 has a 6" neck so it would handle the air output just fine. There are also smaller Laguna/Askoll pumps available but you would probably have to make your own volute. Some places sell the stock Laguna pump for nearly the price of the modded one one from MS so why bother?
 
am i missing something because when i look at the msx250 (which is the one i think i am going to get) i see that they come with 2 sicce pumps or no pumps. so how do you only put on one askoll?

i know i have to be missing something here and i feel like a moron asking this but i really need to know because that is the pump that i really want especially on the msx skimmer. thank you
 
If you want to use the smaller Sicce inputs then you just use one and cap the other. Or, if you want to use a 1" fitting, which the Askoll is designed to use in order to reach 90SCFH then you can install a new 1" intake fitting (use a Uniseal) and cap both the Sicce intakes (this is what I have on my 300).
 
thanks rguyler i just looked up the msx250A at marine solutions and they show it with the askoll pump but what i dont get is they say that it will only dray 50 to 60 cfm? that is less than running the two sicce pumps.

also the askoll 1500 is supposed to pull 90 cfm what is the deal? is this jsut a misprint?
 
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