Skimmer Question

[Luke.]

so in the future I’d like to get my hands on a 125g 6’ reef tank probably on the heavy side of stocking it . So right now I have the eshops psk100h HOB (rated for 75-100 gallons) I’ve been using this for years on my 40 gallon and I love it .

So my main question is this new tank will probably have a 75g sump and I hope to use this with the new set up but if I could get my hands on another skimmer what’s a good skimmer for under $300 (or in and around)

Or

Would it make more sense to by something maybe not so crazy and run 2 skimmers ?
Maybe 1 internal and 1 HOB of sump ?

 

[Luke.]

Also if it helps I plan on making as big as I can refuge spot to have mangroves and Cheto and what not

 

[TORX]

Big tank big expenses. I do not know of any thatvretails within your price range that meets your needs. You may need to watch the for sale section.

I have seen set ups running multi skimmers. That is just more maintenance, hydro and work imho though.

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[Steve Peters]

I would think that the bubble magus is about as cheap as you will find (the A8 at about $400.Its rated 180 -235). You get what you pay for in this hobby. These skim but are not the quality of some other brands IMO.

 

[Luke.]

Ok thanks for the heads up , but maybe a better question , what’s a few brands that have a good reputation, I can’t imagine spend My 900+ dollars I don’t can’t see why it’s that much I mean I could sell the skimmer I have now aswell and are skimmers a ok thing to buy used ?

 

[jeffopentax]

I had a bubble magus curve 6 ( may have been a 9), and it put the vertex IN250 it was replacing to shame. Would not hesitate to buy bubble magus again.


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[Luke.]

I had a bubble magus curve 6 ( may have been a 9), and it put the vertex IN250 it was replacing to shame. Would not hesitate to buy bubble magus again.


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What size of tank was this on ?

 

[jeffopentax]

150 cube


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[Luke.]

I see the curve 5 is up to 140 gallons

And the 7 is up to 240 gallons but is like $370 on amazon.ca and the 5 is I think $260

If I’m trying to save a bit of money would it be best just to get the 5 since my tank would be a 125 ?

 

[TORX]

The 7 is only 300 on reefsupplies.ca

https://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/Bubble-Magus-Curve-7-Cone-Skimmer-canada.html

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[TORX]

You want to aim for the heavy stock number, so go for the 7

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[Luke.]

Good eye thanks @TORX

I’m also stuck with $200 at big als for 2 years and don’t know what to spend it on lol ..

 

[jeffopentax]

Searched my phone’s archives, and found it was curve 7 I had.


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[Luke.]

Searched my phone’s archives, and found it was curve 7 I had.


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How long have you had the skimmer set up and running I hear good reviews on them ? And like most skimmers I’m sure parts and motors are replaceable correct ?

 

[jeffopentax]

How long have you had the skimmer set up and running I hear good reviews on them ? And like most skimmers I’m sure parts and motors are replaceable correct ?

I only had it running 6-7 months. Had something crazy tear through my tank, which slowly killed just about everything in it. Cause is still a mystery! Anyway, shut down the tank and went back to fresh for a bit. When it was running I had zero issues with it. The amount of crap it was pulling out was at least double what the vertex was capable of. Small footprint/height, and VERY quiet. Don’t remenber what pump mine had, but fairly certain there were a few brands/sizes that were compatible.


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[Luke.]

I only had it running 6-7 months. Had something crazy tear through my tank, which slowly killed just about everything in it. Cause is still a mystery! Anyway, shut down the tank and went back to fresh for a bit. When it was running I had zero issues with it. The amount of crap it was pulling out was at least double what the vertex was capable of. Small footprint/height, and VERY quiet. Don’t remenber what pump mine had, but fairly certain there were a few brands/sizes that were compatible.


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Thanks a lot for your input very helpful !

 

[Kman]

I myself don't usually run a skimmer so unless you really want to spend the money I would use the one you have. If you are doing a big macro refugium this will take care of most of your needs and be more natural approach to nutrient management. If you do regular water changes and run some chemical filtration like carbon your skimmer will be just fine.

 

[Luke.]

I myself don't usually run a skimmer so unless you really want to spend the money I would use the one you have. If you are doing a big macro refugium this will take care of most of your needs and be more natural approach to nutrient management. If you do regular water changes and run some chemical filtration like carbon your skimmer will be just fine.

Thanks for the advice , very good point . I would prefer the more natural way like you mentioned . Do you run any reactors yourself for your carbon and other chemicals for your tank?

 

[Kman]

I usually run carbon in a reactor and replace as needed. Usually once it clogs to the point the water flow is not to good I replace it. lol Even a simple media bag in the sump or under a rock works pretty good and is more passive way of removing nutrients then say a reactor. If you have a heavy bio load or feed heavy like I do the reactor is probably the best option. In a pinch a media bag does work.
I harvest a good amount of my macro algae once a month so I get a lot of nutrient export. I had a 110 sump but with the new build I switched to a custom 75 gallon sump because it was going under the stand. Because of the limited space I have to work with I am sourcing out some waterproof LED flexible strip to make a chaeto reactor. I am going to use one of my two little fishes 550 reactor and coil them around it. Do a quick google search for DIY chaeto reactor for plans. Super simple, small amount of space needed and very efficient at removing nutrients and help to reduce Nitrate and Phosphate pretty quickly. The macro algae helps support the food web as well. I find skimming because it is indiscriminate in what it removes when I use them my micro life is not as thriving as when I don't use a skimmer. My tank is filled with little feather dusters and sponges all over my rocks. Having no skimmer has a big impact of the life that does well in your system and changes the dynamics of your system. The first thing I notice with a skimmer on my tank is a quick reduction of these things. Sponges really filter the water and help remove phosphates. So really allowing them to grow and fostering them help your tank maintain itself. Don't get me wrong a skimmer has its place. I myself typically don't run one unless I am having a big issue in my tank. If i do decide to hook mine back up I would probably only run it a few days a month or if i am wanting to remove particulates from the water like from me moving some rocks. But even then a filter soc would work.

You can find some cheap LED on amazon like the one below or something like it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LL8395C