Reef Octopus or Simplicity Aquatics Skimmer

J2010701 · Apr 21, 2022

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!

Eagle_Steve · Apr 22, 2022

J2010701 said:
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.