300g + Skimmer Recommendations?

[Nighthawk26]

I am going to look into the 30" and maybe go with a DC pump....not a fan of the power hog mag 18 lol

Do the math on the actual savings and compare to warranty, replacement part availability and cost of the DC pump. You may be surprised. Assuming a quality DC pump of course.

 

[Skim]

The other thing you should do is go to http://www.advancedaquarist.com and read as many of the articles on Skimming as you can, I think you will find them quite eye opening and may even get you questioning if the only thing a skimmer is good for is Oxygenation of the water because they proved that it does not remove DOC but does remove Calcium, Mag., Crustaceans Bio material that filter feeders and Corals could use as a food source. So when we tend to say boy that is the nastiest foul smelling stuff could be dying and decaying Microorganisms that otherwise could have be food.
Just something else for you to think about.

 

[sirhc13]

Ok....if I decide on the Lifereef 30"....what are some pump recommendations for 1100gph ++?

 

[reef keeper]

I'm running a panworld 100X-x external pump. You can use any pump you want. I like external stuff because it saves space in the sump. I'm greedy for fuge space.

The mag 18 is great. And you can also just try a pump you have and see what you think before spending any money. You can call Jeff and ask what he thinks. He's a really cool guy. He will also package up a pump for you with the skimmer

I'd also get the mazzei Venturi upgrade. It's an upgrade but so worth it.

 

[Nighthawk26]

I can tell you now if you call Jeff he will basically take a piss on DC pumps, and essentially tell you that you can use whatever you want, but his inclination for everyone is to use the MAG18. Frankly he will tell you the 12 is fine as that's what it always came with (including mine) and the only reason he put a bigger one was to stop all the commenting that it should be bigger. That said, for the 20 upfront difference in price, I would have done the 18 at the time. my ONLY annoyance with Jeff was his instance on the 12, then 2 months later it came standard with the 18 (of course 20 more).

Not to disagree with RK or anything, but Jeff himself will say the Venturi upgrade is very very minimal of an improvement. At the end of the day he is a business and he will offer what people "want". If you call him, just make sure you are calling from a LD calling plan. Just a tip. Haha. Have him tell you the pissing contest conversation he had with the heads of Vertex at Macna a few years ago.

 

[Skim]

Well your going to want a Mag 18 Min. or better yet Panworld or Iwaki pressure rated pump as these will give the most consistent performance. After all you are trying to drive water flowing at about 800 to 1000 gal/h threw a 1/8 to 1/4 inch hole at a fast enough speed to draw in the most amount of air and there will be some back pressure. The Mag's will do it but not like a Panworld or Iwaki will and I am sure if you spoke with I believe Jeff is what they said his name is he will tell you the same thing, " if you want to run it a peak you need a pressure pump ". You will also want to use thick wall tubing or the Braided tubing because of the pressure. So with the exchange of say 30% then add 4 to 5% that the bank/Credit Card will add and tax you will be at 800.00 Cd. Now the pump Mag 18 about $214.00 depends where you go and Panworld $230.00 for the 50 PX-X and use 90 Watts as compared to 150 Watts with the Mag 18 well worth the $16.00 so all said and done your looking at just under $1100.00 for pump and Skimmer then say 30 to 40 for tubing and fittings. I think you want to do a little more think.

 

[Nighthawk26]

Exchange of 30%? Everyone gets the math backwards. By the time it hits your CC, you will be x1.47 or so right now.

Not sure where you are getting the tubing size measurements from. They are wrong.

As for the pump... pretty sure I'm gonna trust the builder and owner of the company who's been building them for 20+ years to suggest what is best to use. I've talked to Jeff for hours. I assure you, he will tell you to use a MAG18, and add that even that he only puts in the package now to appease the internet "experts". $619 USD will come with every part you need for that setup, hoses, disconnects, pump, etc. If you want to change the pump, he will get you a good deal on whatever you want, and you pay the difference he tells you.

 

[Sewerat]

Not to mention the bible of instructions it comes with. I have a pile of 3 useless skimmers, all bought used so a total of about $500 and I have one lifereef skimmer, cost me about $800 for that one shipped to my door at xmas time. The life reef will be a life long skimmer. The only thing that can go bad with it is the pump and it's an off the shelf replacement. I've got a vertex skimmer, junk dead pump, I've got a marine land skimmer, junk dead pump. Look for comments and reviews on here, how many people, different brands with skimmers with dead pump, pumps need replacing, impellers broke, no replacement parts available. The only issues wi any skimmer out there that doesn't work is a dead pump and most pumps replacement is the same cost as an entire skimmer replacement in most of these cases. I have started my lifereef with a mag9 but have now upgraded to a mag 18 and have noticed performance increase. I have also never seen e build quality that goes into each of these hand made lifereef skimmers. Add the fact, Jeff doesn't sell to any retail outlets at a discounted cost, all he does is thru his own deal.


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[reef keeper]

There a thread on reefcentral that basically drops the hammer on all the needle wheel, pardon my French, bullshit. Needles wheels are inefficient. Period. You are trying to force the bubbles through a narrow opening into the cup. Going from a 10" body to a 6" neck doesn't force much. Lifereef go from a 8" body, down to a 3" neck. The filth that comes out is awful lol

Once you set it, leave it alone. Bubbles right above the label. Done. I've used a needle wheel. Then I put my Mrc Venturi on it. Horrific disgusting skimmate. Now I have the lifereef. I have a way overstocked, way over fed tank that should be a cesspool. Nope. Can barely register nitrate. Skimmate is putrid green, with thick organics.

The skimmer comes totally complete. All the hose, fittings, barbs, clamps, pipe, tube etc.

Funny how the people who own one have owned a bunch of skimmers beforehand.

They all same the same thing. Buy it. You will love it.

And that vertex story is the best hahaha

 

[Skim]

Sorry, I guess I should have worded it different. The hole in the Venturi is I believe 1/8 to 1/4" so yes when driving water from a 3/4" or maybe even 1" hose into a 1/8 or 1/4" hole there will be quite a bit of back pressure so I was not referring to tubing, as for cost we are the say within few dollars 1.47 at 619 works out to 909.93 now don't forget the tax man 118.20 = $1028.12 with the Mag 18 so little more with a Pressure rated pump and believe me from my years of working with Beckett skimmers you will want a pressure rated pump. I sorry but what he does is something that retailers all did when the beckett skimmers where the rage, will it work with Mag 12 like you found out yes but I bet he had a lot of negative feed back about using the 12 and now says 18 but in truth even that will not compare to how a Pressure rated pump will drive it. I did tests with Tom and Flavio years ago at ORG using Mag pumps and Iwaki and Gen X and it's like going from a V6 to a 426 HEMI as for the Mazzei Venture you use to be able to get them at Big Al's in Mississauga, Kent made them and you could get 3/4 or 1" I don't know if you still can. Sorry Nighthawk but if you put yours beside reef keepers I sure it would be a day and night difference.

 

[Nighthawk26]

If you say so Chief.

Go spend the night scouring the web for all the negative feedback. You will find none.

Then call the man himself and have a chat with him.

I'm done. OP, do your research the best you can, and spend the money you are comfortable with.

 

[Skim]

I don't understand I have not said anything negative about ReefLife Skimmers they are good skimmers and have be around for a long time all I have said is before he puts out $1000.00 make sure you understand that its not just the skimmer and pump is expensive but so is the Hydro to run. I have never mentioned any other skimmer except in my first post that was them BM Curve 9 only because it maybe a more cost effective way for him, then I also mentioned he should check out http://www.advancedaquarist.com as they have some great info on skimming, the only other thing was the pump fact is fact a Mag will work but a pressure pump will eat it, so Cheif call the man yourself and ask him if a pressure pump will drive the skimmer more effciantly. I did not mention Brand names and what is crap and what is not. The other thing and most important we never asked " What will be in this Tank " and the other option that seems to be on the rise is Skimmer less. Bottom line I don't know where this anger towards me has come from and if anything I have backed you up on your opinion with a little suggestion on the pump selection. Anyhow I have been in and out of the Reefing for over 25 years and just try and give some info that I have picked up along the way.
I do know this for sure. There are 3 question's that since the beginning to the end of time when asked can start World War Three.
1. What is the best Salt?
2. What is the best Skimmer?
3. DSB Ya or Na
So I am also done, good luck with your choice and sorry if I have offended anyone.

 

[sirhc13]

So... after doing some reading on reef central....it was said that a skimmer only needs to be rated for the water volume containing fish.
So basically only the size of the display.....Thoughts?

 

[Sewerat]

I do believe they mean total volume of a fish system not a frag or coral only system. Also like was said above, stocking requirements will also dictate the size of the skimmer you require. I personally don't have a heavily stocked tank. I have a 75gal DT with a 105 gal basement sump. Long time ago my chemistry teacher taught me. "The solution to pollution, is dilution"


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[sirhc13]

I do believe they mean total volume of a fish system not a frag or coral only system. Also like was said above, stocking requirements will also dictate the size of the skimmer you require. I personally don't have a heavily stocked tank. I have a 75gal DT with a 105 gal basement sump. Long time ago my chemistry teacher taught me. "The solution to pollution, is dilution"


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Sorry...I'll clarify my last post
The RC thread stated that the skimmer only needs to be rated for the volume of water that contains fish and goes on to say that the sump and frag tank WV is not included.

 

[Sewerat]

Yes and no. Your fish box is the only spot waste will be created. The skimmer helps to remove that waste. But like I said its diluted with your total water volume. So think of it like this, one grain of waste floating around in 300 gals of water, how many gals does your skimmer have to sort thru to catch that one grain. The bigger and faster the skimmer the sooner it will find it. So if you only select a small skimmer for a small DT but a huge system you may not remove enough effectively soon enough


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[reef keeper]

Less talk. More calling lifereef. Hey - dollar moved up 3% in the last 2 days! I'm ordering a couple of reactors from BRS. EXCHANGE RATE BE DAMNED