Looking at protein skimmers for my Red Sea Reefer XL200 (53 total gallons). Debating between Simplicity Aquatics DC 120 or Reef Octopus Classic 110in. Any recommendations? Thanks!
I ran both on a 40b tank 40b sump combo I had setup a while back.
I like both, but the reef octo seemed to pull more crud when dry skimming. Not saying the simplicity is bad, as it could have been how I had it tuned.
The one thing I like about the simplicity for the price was space saving. The foot print was smaller, as the pump is inside the skimmer. I could have gotten this with a 110ss, but there is price difference there.
I still prefer reef octo and run them on all of my tanks now, as I am running the AC models and it becomes set it and forget it (just do not forget to dump cup lol). I am a fan of that. I adjust the output gate valve to dry or wet skim and they stay consistent. the AC pump also stays consistent.
With the dc pump/controller for speed and adjustment, it never seemed to stay consistent with how it skimmed. If just a tad of macro made it into the needle wheels, it wouldn't do a thing. The reef octo keep trucking, as the pump didn't seem to slow or performance hindered much if a litle macro got in the needles.
If you need to save space, the skimmer will be before a fuge, then the simplicity is a good skimmer. If you want an old tried and true tank in that price range, the octo 110 classic is a great skimmer.
