Is a Reef Octo Regal 200-E too big for me?

[vanguard]

I have an IM 150 gallon tank, well stocked, five months old, and I probably overfeed it.

My Red Sea 600 DC skimmer has never worked well for several days in a row. It has its moments, but I'm thirsting for something more "set and forget". In spite of my fleece roller and carbon dosing, nitrates are over 20ppm and I'm looking for better filtration.

My short list includes the MRC MR-1, a lifereef VC3-24, and the Reef Octo Regal 200-E. I'm tempted by the reef octo, partially because it's a mainstream brand that people have had good luck with.

My concern is that while it will fit physically, it's oversized for my system and therefore will perform poorly.

I'd love a little guidance towards getting a "set and forget" skimmer. Are external skimmers that much easier to adjust and less sensitive to changes?

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If you have a roller filter you do not need to oversize your skimmer, the 150 is too big for a 120 skimmer and too small for a 220 gallon skimmer. So sizing is very important, not enough waste not enough skim mate.
Save your money and just get RO Regal 150 model.
I have the RO Regal 200

 

[vanguard]

If you have a roller filter you do not need to oversize your skimmer, the 150 is too big for a 120 skimmer and too small for a 220 gallon skimmer. So sizing is very important, not enough waste not enough skim mate.
Save your money and just get RO Regal 150 model.
I have the RO Regal 200

Thank you for your reply. BTW, double thanks for reading it carefully and mentioning the fleece roller. It really does make a difference when sizing a skimmer.

I am probably overly focused on a skimmer that doesn't care about sump water level. I just like the idea of running it through feeding time, etc.

To be clear, you're suggesting the Regal 150INT Protein Skimmer right? Reef Octo is a bit confusing with its names.

Is there an external/recirculating skimmer you think fits my system?

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Reef Octopus Classic 110EXT 4” Recirculating Protein Skimmer

BRS Recommended for tanks up to: Heavy Bioload (Most Common) - 65 Gallons Medium Bioload - 100 Gallons Light Bioload - 130 gallons External protein skimmer powered by Aquatrance 1000 pump with an improved venturi design and pinwheel impeller. Built with high-quality acrylic. Wedge pipe output...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I would read the reviews, check out the pump.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

So my RO Regal 200 story.
I have a 120 gallon tank with 5 fish fish as large as my entire hand each,( I have a dry 240 gallon tank in the garage waiting to come in,). I normally use a Simplicity DC 240 I got mored and I put my RO Regal 200 in my sump it took almost a month to get a 1 finger wide skim mate, so I pulled it, I put the Simplicity skimmer back in, I had to dump the skimmer every 9 hours. Go to bed dump, wake up dump, get home from work dump, this latest for almost a month.

 

[vanguard]

So my RO Regal 200 story.
I have a 120 gallon tank with 5 fish fish as large as my entire hand each,( I have a dry 240 gallon tank in the garage waiting to come in,). I normally use a Simplicity DC 240 I got mored and I put my RO Regal 200 in my sump it took almost a month to get a 1 finger wide skim mate, so I pulled it, I put the Simplicity skimmer back in, I had to dump the skimmer every 9 hours. Go to bed dump, wake up dump, get home from work dump, this latest for almost a month.

That backs up what BRS videos say about oversized skimmers. If you're going to miss the bullseye it's better to be too small. It will pull as much junk as it can. If you miss by going too big it simply won't work at all.

My Red Sea 600 DC seems to work well one day then do nothing the next. Then it's too wet, then it's not bubbling over at all. It's a different skimmer every day. Maybe it's some kind of skimmer hormonal issue.

 

[BeanAnimal]

If you have a roller filter you do not need to oversize your skimmer, the 150 is too big for a 120 skimmer and too small for a 220 gallon skimmer. So sizing is very important, not enough waste not enough skim mate.
Save your money and just get RO Regal 150 model.
I have the RO Regal 200

I have the regal 150-ext on a 75. Maybe 120 gallons total. It is certainly not oversized for the system. The 200 will be great for him. They are not that big.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Quote. My Red Sea 600 DC seems to work well one day then do nothing the next. Then it's too wet, then it's not bubbling over at all. It's a different skimmer every day. Maybe it's some kind of skimmer hormonal issue.
I believe that your Red Sea skimmer is oversize, so by getting the RO Regal 200 is doing the wrong thing, I believe it has a 5" neck, I will have to measure in the AM, the Alpha 200 had a 5" neck, you might as well have a predator tank for that skimmer. My Simplicity skimmer next to my Regal looks like a toy, but the Simplicity out skims the Regal all day long.
There are always different opinions but finding what works for you is what is important.

 

[vanguard]

I believe that your Red Sea skimmer is oversize, so by getting the RO Regal 200 is doing the wrong thing, I believe it has a 5" neck, I will have to measure in the AM, the Alpha 200 had a 5" neck, you might as well have a predator tank for that skimmer. My Simplicity skimmer next to my Regal looks like a toy, but the Simplicity out skims the Regal all day long.
There are always different opinions but finding what works for you is what is important.

I agree that my skimmer seems oversized. Yesterday it worked well and gave a nice amount of fairly dark skimmate. Today it's bubbling like boiling fresh water. I bet I could lower the air flow and dial it in but that leads me back to my issue of it "never works well for several days in a row".

You know how they say, "Never drive angry"? They should say that about shopping too. I'm ready to open my wallet if it makes this issue go away. It's hard to resist the urge to get a big/strong skimmer. For most of life's problems getting something that's overkill is fine. Maybe you get an impact driver suitable for a pro when you're a weekend warrior. All it does is cost more and work better.

That's not the case with a skimmer and I need to hold myself back a bit.

I'm considering the lifereef, the Reef Octo Classic 150EXT, and maybe the Deltec TC1000ix External Protein Skimmer.

If somebody made a smaller needle wheel recirculating skimmer with a DC pump I'd pull the trigger right now.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Some believe Fit the biggest skimmer in as possible.
I believe in balance, properly sized skimmer for your application.
If your skimmer is bubbling on top, kinda like Aka-Seltzer then you have the skimmer way to high, the bubbles should rise like an elevator not look like a jacuzzi. I believe a Life reef 24'' model would be a good choice.

 

[Troylee]

Lose the mat and your skimmer will prolly work fine… I’m not fond of those fleece rollers myself. I wouldn’t doubt it makes your water level fluctuate and drives the skimmer crazy like a filter sock when it’s refreshed every few minutes or what ever time it changes the filter.

 

[vanguard]

Lose the mat and your skimmer will prolly work fine… I’m not fond of those fleece rollers myself.

I hear you but I love my fleece roller. It's a great feeling knowing that essentially your "filter socks" are always self cleaning.

It does impact your skimmer sizing for sure though, it's easy to go too big.

 

[Troylee]

I hear you but I love my fleece roller. It's a great feeling knowing that essentially your "filter socks" are always self cleaning.

It does impact your skimmer sizing for sure though, it's easy to go too big.

I don’t care for socks either lol… I use a bubble Magnus nac 10 on my tank it’s way over sized for my water amount but I have zero issues and don’t have to clean it as often.. skimmer ratings are by far over rated for what a skimmer can do as a selling point. My cup is the size of a 5 gallon bucket

 

[vanguard]

I believe a Life reef 24'' model would be a good choice.

That is on my short list. It feels like a downgrade going from the red sea 600DC to a life reef. The red sea has every bell and whistle possible.

• A window so you can see the foam head
• A neck cleaner so you don't have to remove the cup to clean the neck
• A sensor that slows down the pump so it doesn't overflow when the cup is full
• That same sensor detects the foam quality and adjusts the pump to keep it "perfect"
• A DC pump that's whisper quiet
• A nice gear mechanism to adjust the water level, no wedge pipe
• A iPhone app

I could go on. The only thing it doesn't do well is fill the cup with skimmate. (and ozone)

 

[BeanAnimal]

That is on my short list. It feels like a downgrade going from the red sea 600DC to a life reef. The red sea has every bell and whistle possible.

• A window so you can see the foam head
• A neck cleaner so you don't have to remove the cup to clean the neck
• A sensor that slows down the pump so it doesn't overflow when the cup is full
• That same sensor detects the foam quality and adjusts the pump to keep it "perfect"
• A DC pump that's whisper quiet
• A nice gear mechanism to adjust the water level, no wedge pipe
• A iPhone app

I could go on. The only thing it doesn't do well is fill the cup with skimmate. (and ozone)

Most of those "bells and whistles" are just more things to make it harder to adjust.

Neck cleaners.... so skim a bunch of crap out, then the neck cleaner scrapes it back in, just to skim it out again? No thanks.

I clean my skimmer maybe once a month. Nice dark liquid and maybe 1/4" to 3/8" of sludge built up in the neck. I wouldn't want a smaller skimmer dialed in that I had to clean once a day or once a week.

Most of you folks having skimmer issues are trying to get them dialed in to provide nice dark skimmate every day. The problem is that keeping that razor edge adjustment is nearly impossible. Back it off a bit and it will not overflow. It may not skim as fast, but it will skim better as the foam head is very dry and slow and when you overfeed or get oils in the water, etc. it will still skim, but not overflow the cup.

 

[vanguard]

Most of you folks having skimmer issues are trying to get them dialed in to provide nice dark skimmate every day. The problem is that keeping that razor edge adjustment is nearly impossible.

It might be this simple. I have high nitrates (20ppm) and I already have a fairly aggressive water change schedule. Reading about solutions always points me to a more effective protein skimmer.

Maybe it is effective and my expectations are off? I wish a "skimmer whisperer" would stop by my house and render his opinion.

BTW, I do hear you with regards to most of those features being of minimal value and maybe even taking away from the goal. Still, they feel good.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Skimmers are an odd thing. You can buy the same skimmer as the guy next door and struggle to get it to work well and he never has an issue with his. Buy a different model, even one that others complain about and it can be rock solid. Better skimmers are easier to dial in for sure, but sometimes success can be elusive.

I am a firm believer in external skimmers. They are just so much more stable. Most people don't have room for a sump that has a truly (power on or off, etc. ) fixed water level compartment.

 

[jda]

Put me in the camp that skimmers that are rumored to be oversized are just not good at their jobs. You can put a larger skimmer or small skimmer on my tanks and they will all pull nasty gunk from a 12" Body EuroReef with a Sicce PSK pump to a LifeReef to the small in-sump Tunze. Not all skimmers are good designs. Good designs just work and work well.

I use at least three skimmers in every tank (four on one) and they all will get 1/2 in nasty gunk in the neck and black skimmate in the cups in between cleanings. I do use what I feel are really good skimmers, though.

Lifereef skimmers are not for everybody, but they are very good at their jobs. I buy them every time that I find them used, but this is not often since you have to pry them from the dead hands of most people who use them. Don't worry that this is not a name brand that you have heard of as much as Octopus.

 

[BeanAnimal]

LifeReef skimmers are good for sure. There are a lot of good skimmers out there that fly under the Radar. I don't know anything about ReefOctopus in general and don't care for the design of many of their skimmers that I looked at. The Regal Externals are however very well designed. If I had my choice, I would run a becket style skimmer but I don't want the noise or the power consumption.

 

[reeftivo]

i'll throw in a vote for the akula UKS 180 or 200 for the OP's size of system