Which Skimmer??

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Gietz

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So Ive narrowed my skimmer down, thx to the help of shayneh!      :)

Ill be running a 55 gallon reef tank with 30 gal sump and my skimmer choices are
1) Skimz E-Series SM121
2) NAC 6

before i make my final decisions i was just wondering what you all thought of each of these skimmers?
 
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phi delt reefer

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Go with the bm unit. Skims is over priced in my opinion. For an extra 100 u aren't getting anything. Plus I hear the pump in the 121 is pretty loud. Everyone fails to see that that skimz is a new line of skimmer. They have no history to justify their cost. Yes they use high end acrylic but so what? Not like people are smashing skimmers daily. They has to pull the original 121s due to a design issue with the needle wheel for it was never really tested for with 110v pumps. I have already seen several used skimz units come up for sale and they haven't even been out for long. I would stay away from them until they develop a Solid reputation - not the excessive Internet marketing hype they currently have.

The bm units are tried and tested. Great product, excellent price and those atman pumps are bullet proof and quiet. I have a swc bmk150 which uses the same pump and everyone who has it loves it. I picked the swc unit over the bm unit due to price and the fact that swc has the atman pump pulling more air than the bm unit both both are great.
 
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shayneh

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Oh great blame me...LOL! I run the BM NAC6A and it's ok. I only give the BM an ok because (and I think I mentioned it) I was spoiled with my ETSS reef devil that skimmed like a mo fo but it was noisy as hell and required a giant energy sucking pump. Phi delt do you have any links for the skimz reviews? Everything I have read has indicated that these things are amazing in construction and miserly use of hydro using pumps better than our chinese made Atman's. I have a buddy that owns one and he actually had to dial back the air intake so it didn't blow the collection cups top off with the nasty foam.
 
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phi delt reefer

Guest
AD (NA distributor for skimz) post on issues with needlewheel design;

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=69728


sorry the loud pump comment was for the cone 201 skimmer not the sm121. sorry i had though mojo on r2r was reviewing the same unit. (took some time to re-read mojo's post on the skimmer)

i found two quick flip forsale ads (one on can reef one on nano reef) for the sm121. Skimmer hasnt been out very long though  :-\

another plus for the BM units. replacements parts are REAL cheap :D and they re-sell pretty quick due to their reputation.
 
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Gietz

Guest
ya Ive been doing so looking around seen a fair amount of ppl reselling the Skimz skimmer so i think I'm going to go with the NAC6 for my 55 reef tank!!!!!  anyone know where i can get it the cheapest?

and Shayneh I blame you for getting me more hooked into reef keep LOL even my girlfriend is giving me shit for all the research Ive been doing lol

thx again all
 
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phi delt reefer

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order from the US and have it shipped to the border and then pick it up - probably the cheapest. I dont think anyone local carries BM.

http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers/bubble-magus-nac6.html
 
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marks69

Guest
i got my nac 7 for @225 from tb aquatics. 
for the 25 you might as well upgrade.
 
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Krazykarl

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
I've got a coralife super skimmer 65. I ran it on my 55 gallon. Bought it in December used it til march. Thing ran great pulled dark skimmate out weekly. Paid 140 with shipping. Sell it for 60.
 
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crazybizzle

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I might sell my aquac urchin pro with mag 3 but just like my 35 sump gotta wait till my switch over is done 150 bucks
 
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Gietz

Guest
thx for the offers but for my first tank i wanna start with an new skimmer  :)  as for the NAC7  I read somewhere if you have to big of a skimmer it will not work as good, is that correct??
 
pulpfiction1

pulpfiction1

Reef Scavenger
Joined
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Location
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Ive been using a big skimmer on all tanks Ive run,never had an issue but there are some that disagree,i dont believe you can overskim,those that do usually run the skimmer on a timer or everyother day kinda thing
 
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Blob-79

Guest
I think this is where alot of arguments stem from. Broad questions with general answers. Having too large of a skimmer isnt going to hamper its performance. It will only skim out junk if there is junk to be skimmed. So yes, you may not see as much skimmate as someone using the same skimmer on a larger or more stocked aquarium.

beware though, this answer is based on keeping a SPS with LPS and softies having to be fed.(low nutrient system) It all comes down to what you want to keep in your tank. If you could please specify what kind of corals and livestock you want, The answers you get will be much more accurate.
 
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Gietz

Guest
To start I'm going with FOWLR for about 6 months or so and then i will probably be going with SPS but easy ones to start.

Basically the game plan is
1)understand and care for completely the fish.  then,
2) get easy SPS that don't need to be hand feed

I'm taking it really slow but i want to get all the equipment ahead of time before putting fish or corals in, and to be honest i have not done my full research on SPS and LPS but i can tell you i will not be doing any hand feeding of corals anytime soon lol
 
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Gietz

Guest
Gietz link said:
To start I'm going with FOWLR for about 6 months or so and then i will probably be going with SPS but easy ones to start.

Basically the game plan is
1)understand and care for completely the fish.  then,
2) get easy SPS that don't need to be hand feed

I'm taking it really slow but i want to get all the equipment ahead of time before putting fish or corals in, and to be honest i have not done my full research on SPS and LPS but i can tell you i will not be doing any hand feeding of corals anytime soon lol
Click to expand...

Sorry I'm going to be starting with LPS

NOT SPS!!!!!!!!!!      so easy LPS that don't need to be hand feed!!

i also having plan on having slow return through sump about 400 after head lose and about 35x flow in my display but I'm not sure if that is to much??
 
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shayneh

Guest
Go as big a skimmer as you can afford to get....I personally think there is no such thing as too big a skimmer (unless the skimmer drains your tank when it is started) and because it is inevitable you will likely want to upgrade to a larger tank one day.

I got my bubble magus from www.nuocean.com had it shipped direct from Brooklyn NY. Chris at Nuocean was awesome to deal with.
 
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shayneh

Guest
LOL!.....And remember to keep a good balance between your relationship with the gf and the obsession with the tank......you can't cuddle up to the tank in the morning when certain parts of the body are more awake than others.
 
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