Best Protein Skimmer

[Sierra Reefer]

Anyone have suggestions on the best HOB protein skimmer for a 29 gal. mixed reef? I'm considering Aquamaxx & Reef Octopus. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Playa-1]

I have no first hand experience with them, but I would trust either one of those brands to get the job done.

 

[skim]

I would also take a look at Tunze.

 

[Sierra Reefer]

Does Tunze make a HOB?

 

[Battlecorals]

I am so sorry for the blatant shill But I feel almost obligated to share my thread from yesterday with you on HOB's

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blowin-out-some-deltec-hobs-only-at-battlecorals.269217/

 

[Sierra Reefer]

Seems like a rather expensive HOB.

 

[Sierra Reefer]

I'm leaning towards the Reef Octopus Classic 1000. Any pros/cons?

 

[skim]

I would also look at the Reef Octopus BH-90 as it is a cylinder and not a square body, so it would perform more like a in sump skimmer.
Deltec have be around a long time. I remember the battle at the time was Deltac BA-1 ( I think ) and the Turbo Floater 1000, and one thing I do remember was the Deltec was 3 to 4 times the cost of the 1000. The other thing is replacment parts tend to be very expensive for the Deltec.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

What are some of the ones you've looked into? I'm not familiar with very many HOB skimmers.

 

[Sierra Reefer]

Looked into Aquamaxx as well.

 

[Paul87]

AquaC remora makes a good HOB skimmer. It uses and injection method, and is easy to clean.

 

[skim]

AquaC remora makes a good HOB skimmer. It uses and injection method, and is easy to clean.

I was going to mention them but. They have been around for quite awhile know and have proven them selves.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Run an aquaC remora on my 20 long. So far so good.

 

[luke33]

I would go with the aqua max or deltec. I didn't even know the mce's were still being made. They were always one of the best hot around. I would avoid the octo's if they run the otp pumps. Aqua c remora is my least favorite skimmer of all time :D but that's just like my opinion man

 

[Cory]

The better of them will be the one thats taller and/or injects more air

 

[Bronc]

I have a Reef Octpus Classic 100-HOB. I love it. It is on my 25g Reef and works wonderfully.

 

[mushroomrob]

AquaMaxx is easy to set up and use if you're new to skimmers. It basically primes itself. Reef Octopus is a little more advanced and makes a little more noise, but I find that it skims more efficiently when you set it up properly. It also has a steeper learning curve.

 

[harryball69]

Anyone have suggestions on the best HOB protein skimmer for a 29 gal. mixed reef? I'm considering Aquamaxx & Reef Octopus. Any help would be appreciated.

Id go with reef octipus.. ive had one for years. its awsome. i wouldnt stray. very good.

 

[nervousmonkey]

I'm leaning towards the Reef Octopus Classic 1000. Any pros/cons?

Yeah, lots of pros, it's a killer skimmer, but the cons, which are few, are just too much. I ran a RO HOB 1000 for a year, and every month had to use my Apex to turn it off when I got alarms that it had overflowed again. To combat that, you have to turn the output 45 degrees, and still hope that you have it dialed in correctly. Add the wrong thing to the tank, like amino acids and Dr. G's LPS or SPS food and it is guaranteed to overflow. All the pipework and pump are on the bottom on the outside of the skimmer, so if your joints are not perfect, it'll drip slowly. Last, one of the parts that holds the skimmer in has weak plastic, and is prone to breaking if you turn it too tight, or are not gentle when taking it apart to clean.

I have the Tunze in tank skimmer, and it's just not that good. It does the job, but it's expensive for a sub-par skimmer. I would go with Deltec, those skimmers are amazing. I am purchasing a couple of them for a new tank I am putting up (125) and a tank I am restarting (60 cube). It's worth it to have a really really good skimmer on your system, so you don't have to worry about cleanliness of the water column.... My $0.03

 

[Sierra Reefer]

I purchased a Reef Octopus 1000 HOB a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't be more happy. Thanks everyone!