versace Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 In your experiences what would you consider the best in +100~200G protein skimmer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
versace Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 oops.. wrong forume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I'm running a Reef Octopus Elite 220 and it's amazing. Easy to clean, super quiet, and really nasty smelly skimmate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
versace Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Wow, thats look like alpha cone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I'm running a Reef Octopus Elite 220 and it's amazing. Easy to clean, super quiet, and really nasty smelly skimmate. WOW $400-600 !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Wow, thats look like alpha cone. I think the alphas use a very similar cone design as the elite. I wouldn't be surprised if they are probably made by the same mold. The only major difference is the pump, which the RODC pumps are supposed to be much more reliable than the older first version DC pumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 SCA 302 is about the best deal I've found. It might be pushing it above 150 gallons or so but it's cheap, especially if you can get a used one. Pump isn't the best, but several brands all have their own model of the same skimmer, bubble magus, octopus, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Best bang for the buck = Eshopps PSK models with Sicce pumps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeetPopper Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I use the SCA-302 as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I would encourage you to read Feldman's research on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and skimmer performance. In light of the research showing Dissolved Oranic Carbon, DOC, is the primary cause of coral disease (not nitrates or phosphates, important nutrients for corals and their algae) it's questionable that skimmers provide much benefit since they are not able to remove very much. The mere fact the skimmer manufacturers do not provide any kind of metric to compare their models like we have with pumps (Gallons per hour and/or wattage) or lighting (PAR, lux, color temperature, spectrum) in spite of the research by Feldman giving the skimmer industry two differnet metrics they could use to demonstrate the efficiency of thier products, argues thier marketing is all hype. As for myself I stopped using skimmers in the 90's and haven't looked back (click on the youtube button in my signature to see some of my skimmerless systems, some as old as 23 years). Here's links to Feldman's research: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/1/aafeature1http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/2/aafeature1http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/8/aafeature3http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/9/aafeature2http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/aafeature2http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeaturehttp://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/2/aafeaturehttp://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/3/aafeature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I like the Skimz brand of skimmers. Cheaper in my opinion than most similarly rated but when you actually get the product in your hand, it feels and performs anything but cheap. Solid acrylic construction and thoughtful design. The pump is pretty quiet as well on my model. The aquamaxx skimmers have great reviews as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 It's just so difficult/impossible to quantify or standardize what makes a skimmer the best. Some have more solid construction than others, but honestly what sort of traits would one judge skimmers off of to put a ranking to them? You can't. I'd advise deciding what your budget is and how much space you have and pick the largest one you can reasonably fit there, within your budget. That will be your "best" skimmer option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 The only thing I would add to what Bpb says is that I would also consider the reliability/silence of the pump used and whether replacement parts are easily available. For me, support is a pretty major part of what makes one piece of equipment 'better' than another (in addition to the technical considerations and quality considerations) Having said that, I've found it easy to get parts for both my Bubble Magus and my Reef Octopus skimmers, but I feel the Reef Octopus pump is better quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 +1 on what bpb and Jim have said. The pump is what makes the skimmer. Short of you damaging it the body is never going to fail. I went with avast marine skimmers on my 2 builds. Primarily for the sicce psk1000 pumps. I would select a skimmer that has a pump that is readily avalible as well as the impeller for the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 While I agree pump quality kind of falls in the same category as build robustness. Kind of. I'll be the outliar and say I hate sicce products and if a skimmer has a sicce pump, I consider that a bad thing. So there you go. I maintain the largest skimmer that is toward the top of your budget will be the "best" option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Greef Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Reburn, I've heard several times that the pump makes the skimmer. Currently I have the Sea Side Aquatics CS3.5 Protein Skimmer CS3.5 CONE SKIMMER Capability : 100L-300L(25G-80G) pump: Sicce SK200 Pump Pump power: 110V 60Hz air intake : 200L/H Dimensions: 4.5" x 6.6" x 17.1" This is for a 75g mixed reef with a heavy bioload. Looking to upgrade skimmers since my nitrates fluctuate between 20ppm and 64ppm between weekly 13% water changes, and I'm trying to focus on more Acros and Montis. Ive heard sicces are good pumps, can I just keep my current pump and buy a used body of another skimmer rated for bigger tanks? Or should I just find another stronger one that fits in a 10x10 footprin. My current sump is limited in space, eshopps rs75. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Good Greef, Without diving into skimmer engineering. To which I only have a moderate grasp on. Short answer is no. The airflow/waterflow of the pump coupled with cone size/skimmer height needs to be a balanced equation for the skimmer to function properly. Putting your pump on a skimmer body that is designed for a larger pump will result in the skimmer pump not pushing enough air and the foam head dissolving before it reaches the cup. This will cause skimmate to accumulate in the neck and the skimmer not functioning properly because of that too. The opposite is true if the pump is too large for the body. It will skim too wet and you will never get it to adjust down. If you get it dialed in enough you will acclimate too much skimmate in the neck which will decrease performance further. You should either, do more frequent water changes, decrease bio load, or get a larger skimmer. The skimmer you have is undersized for your system. I would have started with a cs5.5 on your system with a medium bio load. Since you have a high bio load I would one up the skimmer to a 100 gallon skimmer such as the cs7. The foot print is 8x9.5 so it may fit in your sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Greef Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Thanks Reburn. Ill take a look into that larger one, was pondering also the reef octupus classic 150sss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Reef octopus is a good brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbaxter Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Im using a Lifereef VS2-24. It uses any pump you want. Im using a mag 9.5 for now. Its completely silent. They can be in sump or external. You can get it any height you want, he warrants it for 10 years and if you have a problem you can call him directly and work it out over the phone. It has no special parts and the build quality is second to none. I bought a complete filter system because of inquiring about a skimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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