Reef Octopus Skimmer

Austin Wiant · Oct 4, 2017

Does anyone have any experience they can share about reef octopus skimmer such as how the break in is, if it is noisy, is it easy to clean and any other info about their products?

Crabs McJones · Oct 4, 2017

Austin Wiant said:
Does anyone have any experience they can share about reef octopus skimmer such as how the break in is, if it is noisy, is it easy to clean and any other info about their products?

I have the Reef Octopus 110INT and it hasn't given me any issues. It was broken in within a couple days, its relatively silent, and produces a good skim.

SEMA · Oct 4, 2017

Ive used Reef octopus skimmers for 10+ years with no regrets. For noise, ive always ran external pumps, so cant say i could hear the skimmer actually running. Although if noise is a concern, go with DC pumps.

bif24701 · Oct 4, 2017

RO skimmers are one of the most well known and trusted in the hobby. Almost every model performs as expected. The main differences in cost and models and size and pump. You will get everything you pay for, they are dependable.

dealseer · Oct 4, 2017

bif24701 said:
RO skimmers are one of the most well known and trusted in the hobby. Almost every model performs as expected. The main differences in cost and models and size and pump. You will get everything you pay for, they are dependable.

Which models do not perform as expected?

nfrench2100 · Oct 4, 2017

I have a HOB ReefOctopusBH100F and I love it. Although it is my first and only skimmer I've ever had due to I'm new to reef keeping. But I am happy with it. It's very quiet and produces great skimmate. Break in for me was around 2 weeks. You can adjust the air-intake and level of collection cup to get the skin you're looking for. I have to keep a close eye on it when I feed my fish and corals because it really starts kicking butt once I do. I just raise the collection cup about an inch or two and it's perfectly fine

Ocelaris · Oct 6, 2017

I've had a 150int and now a 220int with both the ac and now DC pumps and they work great. Just make sure you're sizing for your tank. Too small and it will fill up fast, too big and it won't be able to make a stable head. They've all been great skimmers and their support is awesome. The 4 times I've called them I've been extremely happy with the outcome, like really happy. Also they're fairly abundant, so you can pick up a used one cheap and upgrade the pump. They maintain a large inventory of parts, so you can always find a part to keep it running. All skimmers need maintenance, learn your skimmer inside and out and make sure you clean the impeller and pump body and they'll last forever.

Rick Krejci · Oct 6, 2017

Have a 110sss and it's great. Keeps it's adjustment, not prone to overflowing and very quiet.

Greybeard · Oct 6, 2017

Had an SRO1000SSS on my last tank. Solid piece of gear. Never gave me any problems, not terribly noisy, skimmed great. Only issue I had was that there are places you can't get to for cleaning. I ended up with a Vertex 180i on my new tank. Don't know that it skims any better, but I will say that the Vertex build quality is a bit higher, and it comes apart completely for cleaning.

Ocelaris · Oct 6, 2017

Greybeard said:
Had an SRO1000SSS on my last tank. Solid piece of gear. Never gave me any problems, not terribly noisy, skimmed great. Only issue I had was that there are places you can't get to for cleaning. I ended up with a Vertex 180i on my new tank. Don't know that it skims any better, but I will say that the Vertex build quality is a bit higher, and it comes apart completely for cleaning.

It's funny you mentioned that. In the newer reef octopus skimmers that they showed at macna, they now seem to be able to be completely disassembled. So it sounds like they are listening!

XNavyDiver · Oct 6, 2017

Austin Wiant said:
Does anyone have any experience they can share about reef octopus skimmer such as how the break in is, if it is noisy, is it easy to clean and any other info about their products?

I've got the 3000SSS, and I have zero complaints about it. Massive collection cup, compact, quiet and easy to adjust.

spiraling · Oct 6, 2017

I have the HOB 100 on a frag tank. It skims well but vibrates the tank so it makes a hum you can hear. You also cant disassemble everything for cleaning.
I have the 200int on the DT, Everything disassembles for cleaning. Pulls great skim (maybe too much for my tank). I like that you can take apart the DC motor without tools for cleaning. And it connects to the Apex. It is however the noisiest thing on that tank. the motor is dead silent, but the sucking sound of the air into it is audible. Even with the little silencer.

mjt82 · Oct 8, 2017

The first "real" skimmer I ever bought was a RO, and I won't use anything else. I just bought an Elite 200SSS for my new build, and it started producing skimmate at about 24-36 hours... Can't beat them IMO.