New Skimmer

[Ponraj A]

Had it about 3 months. And i read a couple of issues mainly the collection cup and gate adjustment but i havent had either issue at all except the cup being kinda hard to put on and off originally. Thats why i put the jelly on the o ring havent had the issue since. Never heard of any pump issues

Hi Coralosity 351, its a good news, can you please share an image on how you have placed the Petroleum jelly on "O" ring and the image of petroleum jelly too.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

Hi Coralosity 351, its a good news, can you please share an image on how you have placed the Petroleum jelly on "O" ring and the image of petroleum jelly too.

I can only speak for myself from personal mechanic experience, but when I work on a vehicle and I'm replacing an oil filter or axle bearings and seals, I take a small amount of oil or grease and just rub it along the entire gasket. Not so much that it's visible, but enough to make them slick so they don't bind up.

I assume @Coralosity 351 does this in a similar manner, but I doubt motor oil is the right lubricant, plus I don't believe it's reef safe.

 

[infinityends]

Ah, Somatic by Vertex....its large, but it should fit, nice price point too.

Interesting. I've never looked at this before but it does look nearly identical to my Vertex Omega 180i. Albeit a smaller version.

I've been happy with the 180i. I was bad about cleaning it for a while. Even with chunks of cheato and snails in the needle wheel and intake (no damage to anything luckily). It was still pulling out consistent skimmate.

 

[infinityends]

You can buy a Vertex 180i open box at premiumaquatics for $399!

Worth pointing out in case you end up deciding to hold off for a while. I bought both of my 180i skimmers on Black Friday deals from BRS. They were 40 or 50% off.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

So I have some more research to do... a lot more. If I bought one today, it'd definitely be between the Aquac Urchin Pro, possibly the Reef Octopus Classic 150int or SRO1000int (don't want to rule out a tried an true brand for lack of research), Tunze 9012 (I dig the small footprint, but the operating depth is deeper than I may be able to provide), Skimz SM121 monster (a little gun shy now over the DC pump in the monster mini, but again, tried and true brand and I'm not opposed to the ac pumps), or the Nyos Quantum 120 (which isn't as spendy as its brothers, but they're new and lacking in consumer reviews). This doesn't really sound like a narrowed down list, but trust me, it's definitely smaller than what I started with!

I was also pointed toward Lifereef. I still have a lot more research to do here, but from what I've seen I'm impressed. In a way, they remind me of the old asm G series skimmers many of us had being true venturi, compatible with most any pump, etc. Anyone out there with one of his skimmers, or even various other types of equipment, that can vouch for build quality, performance, etc.? I have to say, so far my interest is piqued and it's probably the only thing stopping me from making a solid decision.

I am disappointed that the Somatic and Vertex models are all too large. Had I not upgraded my sump recently, I'd almost do so just to house one of these.

Thank you all for your time and input, I really do appreciate it! I'll of course hear any other info or suggestions on this vast selection of products, plus any more in depth thoughts on the models I've listed.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

Worth pointing out in case you end up deciding to hold off for a while. I bought both of my 180i skimmers on Black Friday deals from BRS. They were 40 or 50% off.

I was looking before the black Friday sales, but that's when I decided for sure I was getting a new one. I have no problem waiting. Like I said, I'm pretty lightly stocked so it's not a "necessary" piece of equipment. I'm only irritated because mine's more of an expensive airstone than a skimmer.

 

[infinityends]

I didn't pay attention to if anyone else mentioned this as an idea either since you aren't in a rush to upgrade. But if your local area reef club is anything like the one in Minnesota there is equipment constantly being posted in the classifieds section. You coul djust watch for a skimmer you are interested in to pop up. I'm sure R2R probably has classifieds too but due to shipping and that I spend more time on my local club forum I haven't really watched for anything on here.

Unfortunately due to the time and financial commitment it is a hobby that a lot of people get into, spend a few grand on equipment, and then get out of the hobby within 3-4 years. But for those of us that don't mind used equipment it is a great way to save some money.

Not to go too far of topic, and I have yet to get the motivation to build one for my own system so I have no direct experience to reference beyond seeing them in action on others tanks. But its worth looking at ATS as well since that can eliminate the need for a skimmer all together. One of the guys in my local club has been running his 180g on only an ATS for years now. David was actually awarded hobbyist of the year at MACNA (I believe it was last year)

 

[Bob Escher]

Consistency is huge. At this point I'd settle for consistently poor performance from the Bubble Magus. Without adjusting the outlet, I'll get zero skimate for a day or so, then I'll wake up one morning to it overflowing with nearly clear skimate. I almost have to clean my stand as often as the collection cup.

@Ponraj A, thanks for the personal account on the Skimz, that's disappointing that it tends to leak out the sides. I really had my sights set on that one.

@SuperDragon, does the Remora or Urchin have to be used HOB, or can they be in the sump? Also, any thoughts on their EV series? I've looked at the Nyos ones as well, I'm not convinced they're worth the doubled price tag, but they are definitely sweet!

Hmm I have a bubble magus curve 5 on my 45 gallon cube ( with a 20 gallon sump) and it works fantastically I love it. My bio load is medium not a lot of coral but I have 12 fish

 

[Liquid360]

I just went through this. I take my hardware far more seriously than I should. I spent days reading posts, reviews, and watching YouTube videos. I narrowed it down to the Reef Octopus 200 Elite and the NYOS 160. I went with the NYOS. The Elite is the better product, but $100 is a $100 and the NYOS has pump in body to save space. I used the "extra" cash and ordered a Geo Reactor for GFO.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

Hmm I have a bubble magus curve 5 on my 45 gallon cube ( with a 20 gallon sump) and it works fantastically I love it. My bio load is medium not a lot of coral but I have 12 fish

This is where my thought process gets all messed up. I almost wonder if the NAC3.5 is too big for my bioload. 4 fish in roughly the same size system as yours, the biggest by nearly double is my fairy wrasse at a whopping 3.5"-4" and I feed pretty sparingly. I'd guess most nanos have more animals than mine does.

So if the organic matter just isn't present in high enough concentrations, that would explain why I'm not getting a consistent volume of skimate, right? It does not explain the random Ol' Faithful problem though. Maybe I'll adjust the water level or something until I drop the coin on a new one.

I have heard good things about the Curve line, but I thought the NAC3.5 was a comparable product. Like I said before, it all could be operator error...but I doubt it.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

I didn't pay attention to if anyone else mentioned this as an idea either since you aren't in a rush to upgrade. But if your local area reef club is anything like the one in Minnesota there is equipment constantly being posted in the classifieds section. You coul djust watch for a skimmer you are interested in to pop up. I'm sure R2R probably has classifieds too but due to shipping and that I spend more time on my local club forum I haven't really watched for anything on here.

Unfortunately due to the time and financial commitment it is a hobby that a lot of people get into, spend a few grand on equipment, and then get out of the hobby within 3-4 years. But for those of us that don't mind used equipment it is a great way to save some money.

Not to go too far of topic, and I have yet to get the motivation to build one for my own system so I have no direct experience to reference beyond seeing them in action on others tanks. But its worth looking at ATS as well since that can eliminate the need for a skimmer all together. One of the guys in my local club has been running his 180g on only an ATS for years now. David was actually awarded hobbyist of the year at MACNA (I believe it was last year)

I'm in Utah and I wish the aquarium society was more prominent here. There is the W(Wasatch)MAS, which I'm technically a member of, but they do everything through Facebook which I refuse to be a part of. If there were more members, I'd consider it.

There is a popular member here on R2R from Utah, Brad...something (starts with a 'S'), but I don't know his level of involvement with the local club.

 

[Bradley Crocker]

I just went through this. I take my hardware far more seriously than I should. I spent days reading posts, reviews, and watching YouTube videos. I narrowed it down to the Reef Octopus 200 Elite and the NYOS 160. I went with the NYOS. The Elite is the better product, but $100 is a $100 and the NYOS has pump in body to save space. I used the "extra" cash and ordered a Geo Reactor for GFO.

Besides hitchhikers (good and bad), the equipment is my favorite part of this hobby. I have several thousand dollars invested in just equipment (I'm not going to say exactly how much....I don't want you all to think I'm completely insane!). I know that's not extraordinary, but on a 42 gallon display, it's pretty substantial.

 

[TaylorPilot]

That's good news! I was always under the impression that Skimz was among the top manufacturers, and I expected to hear from a lot of proponents for them.

I have read a lot of bad reviews about the DC pump they use, which honestly upset me because Skimz has been in the back of my mind for 6 months or so. How long have you had yours? Have you read the same type of reviews?

I bought one (143) from BRS in Oct of 2015. The first pump lasted till May of 2016. I called BRS and the replaced the whole skimmer no questions asked. The second pump went out two days ago. I think it was the controller on both units. I called BRS yesterday and they said they had issues with it, and they now offer them with an upgraded pump, but couldn't do anything for me on mine because it was outside the warranty period. I understand their position because they are a re-seller, and shouldn't incur the cost of a faulty manufacturers product. He told me that Skimz only replaced them up to 1 year. Even though the manufacturer admits it was a problem. They did offer me a little discount on the new pump, but it was still over $100. I am unsure if I really want to spend $100 on a skimmer that I have had to replace twice in 18 months. The problem is, I can't think of another decent pump in the size. I really just wish they would put a normal AC pump on it and be done with it. I still don't get why anyone would want a DC pump on a skimmer. The faster the needle wheel, the finer the bubbles.

 

[gcarroll]

I just measured my skimmer compartment and its 8.25" x 11.5"....boo. Chalk this up as letdown #2 in my new skimmer world.

Out of curiosity, not that either will fit, what is the difference between these two? The Vertex is slightly larger, but at a glance they appear very similar.

The Vertex definitely the next size up 7" cone as opposed to the Somatic 6" cone. The Somatic 60 is comparable to the Vertex Omega 150 if it had an internal pump. Putting the pump in the body reduces contact time as the bubble plate is higher in the body. There is a larger Somatic skimmer out shortly which will be the same size as that the Omega 180.

 

[Bob Escher]

Besides hitchhikers (good and bad), the equipment is my favorite part of this hobby. I have several thousand dollars invested in just equipment (I'm not going to say exactly how much....I don't want you all to think I'm completely insane!). I know that's not extraordinary, but on a 42 gallon display, it's pretty substantial.

No don't feel bad. I have a 45 Gallon AIO tank that I converted to have a sump, therefore a skimmer, a sump and on and on ( throw in a full Apex classic as well) so your not alone