Protein Skimmer!!

[Blob-79]

KK I know this topic has been done to death. I would like to start this thread to sort of compile a list of cost effective and kick ass skimmers. So please post regarding what type of skimmer you use, how you like it, pros, cons, cost, what kind of corals you keep, dry or wet skimmate....amount of skimmate. You know the regular stuff

figure something like this will help people like me who just cant decide what to get, when there are soo many skimmers out there, anywhere from $100-$1500....like seriously wtf to do

 

[marks69]

i use the nac7.  i payed $230 shipped to my door.  it pulls pretty good, about 1/2 the cup in a day.  runs better in less water, fairly quiet.  the pump is inside so you do have to take it apart to clean, but has a small footprint.  running on my 110g dt, 45g ref and 30g sump.  if i was heavily stocked i would probably upgrade, but it works for now.  i have no readings on the bad 3 as of now, and it's been 2 weeks since i changed the water.

 

[crazybizzle]

well my swc extreme 200 is a beast heavy bioload good for 150 light 250 i did dry skim, colec- cup is huge pure black half cup every 2 weeks but i took it out cause it is a bitch to fit,clean in my fuge. i know u can get the swc 160 cones for like 200 i think. other than that i running a aqua c urchin pro dont like it to much cause i cant get it to dry skim good and im using a mag 3 on it wet skim its awesome thou

 

[xxmurrxx]

Good Idea,
Might be a good topic section for the forum: Product reviews

I use a aqua c nano remora HOB style
My tank is very small bioload, with only a few corals

Cost:
I think high for a nano skimmer. Around 150-170 new with pump

Pros:
Produces a good amount of skimmate, Pretty quiet, Pretty simple design nothing to damage or mess up unless you drop it.

Cons:
Most ones I have seen come with maxi-jet 900, when researching everyone said the 1200 is a must have upgrade.  If it's that much better it should be standard to come with it (IMO, but some sites offer it)

 

[Cal_stir]

i had a marineland 300 in sump, @ $300, hard to service and control, not much skimmate when dry skimming, not much foam just bubbles, it worked good as a continuous water change as it was very stable and sensitive to the water level in the sump,i now run it in a 80 gal with light bio load, average skimmer at best, long break-in period, had to be in exactly 7" of water or microbubbles abound.
i now have a bubble magus bm-180-cs,@ $450, much better than the marineland, easy to adjust and sevice, decent skimmate dry and wet, i added a co2 scrubber to the air intake on the skimmer and it made a huge diffference, much denser foam.
i have a 90gal lps dominant mixed reef with 18 fish and heavy bio load and i skim wet, decent skimmer, short break-in period, no microbubble problem.

 

[Krazykarl]

Running an mtc 250... It's rated for 200 gallons. Thing runs off a mag 9.5. Killer skimmer. A little difficult to dial in and get it set to a sweet spot. Also if the water inlets for the main chamber were about 2" taller it would be the best skimmer. They make them so short that the output actuall sucks the micro bubbles out into the sump. Bit of a pain in the ass. Other than that good skimmer.

 

[shayneh]

Here are some of the skimmers I've owned over the years with the BM NAC6A being my current skimmer.


Airstone driven $50.00....do I need to review them?

Tunze DOC 9006.....$300.00 expensive but small worked well but IMO not properly rated for tank sizes.

AM Turbofloter 1000(in sump).......$300.00 total pita and had to have 2 separate pumps one for feed and one for recirculation. Every time I looked at it it screwed up and thin brittle plastic was easy to break. Skimmate production was different every day (wet/dry or overflowing).

ETSS reef devil....$350.00 skimmed like crazy but downdraft is noisier than a needlewheel or meshwheel. **My favorite skimmer so far!** Skimmed a dark green tea and water was always crystal clear with good O2 readings and no GFO or carbon used.

Bubble Magus NAC6A..... $200.00 well constructed, skimmate production is good, so quiet if you didn't see the bubbles you wouldn't know it's running. It's a decent skimmer but the reef devil ran circles around it...sigh!

As a side note I don't understand the cone skimmers as they don't increase dwell time. I thought all the high end skimmers were going with wider necks to increase surface contact time? I have a few buddies that went out and bought high end cone skimmers and feel a little buyers remorse.

 

[Cal_stir]

Here are some of the skimmers I've owned over the years with the BM NAC6A being my current skimmer.


Airstone driven $50.00....do I need to review them?

Tunze DOC 9006.....$300.00 expensive but small worked well but IMO not properly rated for tank sizes.

AM Turbofloter 1000(in sump).......$300.00 total pita and had to have 2 separate pumps one for feed and one for recirculation. Every time I looked at it it screwed up and thin brittle plastic was easy to break. Skimmate production was different every day (wet/dry or overflowing).

ETSS reef devil....$350.00 skimmed like crazy but downdraft is noisier than a needlewheel or meshwheel. **My favorite skimmer so far!** Skimmed a dark green tea and water was always crystal clear with good O2 readings and no GFO or carbon used.

Bubble Magus NAC6A..... $200.00 well constructed, skimmate production is good, so quiet if you didn't see the bubbles you wouldn't know it's running. It's a decent skimmer but the reef devil ran circles around it...sigh!

As a side note I don't understand the cone skimmers as they don't increase dwell time. I thought all the high end skimmers were going with wider necks to increase surface contact time? I have a few buddies that went out and bought high end cone skimmers and feel a little buyers remorse.

i find my bubble magus cone pushes up a lot more solids than my conventional marineland did, not sure if it's the cone tho

 

[shayneh]

Yes I should have added I have never owned one and can't say anything with certainty. I noticed all the expensive skimmer manufacturers like Bubble king had switched from tapered bubble cones to wide necks and wondered if the cone skimmer wasn't the same thing. I would be interested to see what the difference between 2 skimmers (that have the same pumps and pulling the same L/h of air into same diameter chamber) would be if one was a cone and the other was a wide neck. Could be it's all gimmick and one is no better than the other.

 

[Cal_stir]

i'm thinking trend, like wearing your pants half way down your ass, lol, don't work any better but alot off people doing it.

 

[shayneh]

Probably LOL!

I'm still wearing my clothes backward....just you wait it's gonna come back and then I'll be the one laughing  :'(

 

[Blob-79]

Oo mac daddy!

I do believe the purpose of the cone is because its geometry it provides a more stable bubble. In turn bubbles carry up larger particles. They have advantages and drawbacks, like anything really. shayneh mentioned one drawback, less dwell time. But in theory your water should look clearer with a cone.  In theory I could have made this all up too.

 

[teebone110]

SWC-160 cone here! Love it, as it performs like a beast!

Very quiet, pulls out some nasty skim mate, smells like sh*t LOL!
Water is always clear
Massive collection cup
Easy to clean
Entire skimmer comes apart
Pump is internal = small foot print
Rubber feet, assists with sound dampening
Easy to adjust and fine tune
Frothy foam, can control for dry or wet skimmate

My only concern is that it is affected by the water level in my sump, so I am working on an ATO to manage this

Price under $250

Made in Canada, but parts are from China :

Excellent quality skimmer.

I like it!