what skimmer for my 120??

rjmayes34

rjmayes34

New member
hello,
I think im going to get a new protein skimmer and their are so many to choose from so im asking everyone what they think. Id like to stay under $250. I have a 120 (5 foot) tank. I want an in sump one. Id like the footprint to be as small as possible so when i get a real sump/refueium i dont have any issues with it fitting in it.
I have another post listed as " Part 2-protein skimmer acting funny? Is it dead?/ " which shows my old skimmer ,broke, was think of fixing it but im not too sure. Any input would be helpfull!!!
In my tank i have a yellow tang,yellow eye kole tang, foxface , sixline wrasse , leapord wrasse , 2 clowns , coral beauty , spotted mandarine, and a pink spotted watchman goby with pistol shrimp. 3 anemones, some shrimps, crabs, a huge red serpent star. As for corals i have two frog spawns, a hammer, three torches , bunch of polyps , 2 chalices, some gps, ... mostly softies but i plan on getting some milies, and acaporas in the future.
Would like a skimmer that i dont need to upgrade again in a year when everything gets bigger.
Ive seen some for sale on ebay but am a little nervous ordering something like that from ebay,unless any one has a good experience with a specific seller.
thanks for any input!!
 
ASM's are inexpensive. I have the mini G, for my 65w/20 sump and it works for me. You would need a G-2 or bigger.
 
For the size and money, I'd bet you can pick up an ASM G2 or G3 on the cheap. They have a simple design, easy to tune, easy to modify, clean, etc... I loved mine. The Octopus skimmers are well regarded and also quite economical, ESPECIALLY if you go used. Watch the used equipment forum. If something comes up in your price range, check it's rating on the manufacturers website.

Or....just ask us what we think. Lots of us, have lots of experience with different brands and models.
 
I'd go with an ASM( I use these) or an Octopus for the money. I'd go used if I could find one in good shape for 50% or so of retail. For a 120 g tank a skimmer using a pump that moves 4 to 5 x that amount through it per hour would be adequate.
 
thanks for the input so far,
Cap_cully - yeah i seen that one and was thinking about it. But like you stated, i was not sure if i should get one rated a little higher, but for the money, especially if i can talk him down $25 or so.....

Or is it good/better to go with a higher rating? when they say "up to 125" does that mean a lightly stocked 125? So should i be looking for something rated up to 150,180,200? Can you overskim????? How high of a rating over your tank is too high"
First time shopping for a skimmer so sorry for all the questions. And i know the higher the rating the more money they cost. Do they hold their value well? so if i bought the Reef octopus on reefcentral(as shown in capt_cully post) and in a year wanted to upgrade for whatever reason could i still get 75-80& of my money back if its in good shape?? Cause that one looks nice and is right at the top of what i want to spend..
thanks again for the input so far!!
 
I don't think you can overskim as a practical matter although aggressive skimming removes organics and may slow down some corals that seem to rely on absorbing nutrients like xenia for example.

I'd personally buy new before paying 70% to 80% retail for a used one but that's just me.

Manufacturer's ratings don't mean a lot to me since tanks are different and it's good to go higher ,imo. To estimate the size you need, the key is the pump. Find out how much water it moves per hour and shoot for 4 to 5 times the volume of your system with a needle wheel type skimmer. For example, I use an ASM 4x with a sedra 9000 pump which moves 900gph and an ASM 4xx with a sedra 15000 which moves 1500gph ,so I move 2400 gallons of water per hour through skimmers for the 550gallon system. Smaller ASMs use the sedra 5000 which handles 500gph per hour which would suit your 120.
 
IMO, skimmer companies over rate their skimmers. The max rating is usually for a heavily stocked reef tank with a high bio-load. I'd view those numbers as guide lines.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ASM_Prot...es_Protein_Skimmers-AG1111-FIPSISVSUH-vi.html

Take ASM for example. I used to use a G4x on my 285 gallon heavily stocked tank and it was rated for 450 gallons or something. In retrospect, I think it was indeed overkill.

For your tank I'd pick a G2, rated at 200 gallons. I think the G1 might even work, but personally I'd go over versus cutting it close, that way you have the room to grow. A G3 would work for you too I think, if you got a good price.

It is possible to overskim. If you had a monster skimmer and you ran an extremely low nutrient system, you could overskim and remove what little organics you had in your system. But, for the skimmer sizes and ratings I'm talking about, I think you'll be fine.

FWIW my new skimmer is rated for like 250 gallons I think. I'm planning what will appear to be a heavily stocked reef, BUT there will be a large volume of the water that is not occupied by livestock. The total water volume I'll have is 240 gallons or so. I thought the next skimmer up would just be overkill.

Hope this example based explaination helps give you points of reference for making your decision.
 
I'm new to the reefing game so I dont know too much. The 60 gallon setup I purchased from Toddmh came with a bubble magus nac3+, and from what I can tell it works great. It pulls all kinds of skimmate from the water, and I cant hear it running when its on. Like I said I dont know much, but maybe Toddmh can chime in with more info. Found this http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store...ubble-magus-bm-nac7-cone-protein-skimmer.html, says its rated for 130g-185g.
 
Here is a link to a reef octopus im looking at. Rated for 150 gallons. but its a pin wheel and on bulkreef supply they its stats that the pinwheel design dosent work as well as the recirculating skimmer? IS that why its only $199??
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...y=FIPS&child=CV5113&tab=4&size=6 (150 Gallons)

and this reef octopus extreme also,rated for 160 gallons. I think i like this one more. Yeah this is the one im going to go with. Any thoughts??
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/octopus-extreme-160-protein-skimmer.html
 
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