Skimmer options needed

[ShawnM24]

Good morning everyone I have a Waterbox reef 100.3 I would say about 80 gallons total in the system give or take. I am running the ultra reef akula on it now. The skimmer will act up a bit from time to time, there is no control ability due to it being an A/C pump. Trying to decide if I would get the dc pump upgrade for it or get a bubble king mini 160 to replace it since they are one sale and give it a try. Your thoughts go.

FYI I do 15 gallon weekly water changes

 

[Troylee]

Hard to compare those 2 lol.. bubble king is an amazing skimmer! If you got the money I’d say go for it!

 

[ShawnM24]

So if I am reading this correct the bubble king hands down like Ferrari vs mustang per se. 25% off kind of hard not to try it always wanted to try one

Hard to compare those 2 lol.. bubble king is an amazing skimmer! If you got the money I’d say go for it!

 

[jmoneyyy703]

Ultra reef should be great depending on size model (eg160, 180). You dont need the dc. Adjust the water level and let it build a biome. I have both bk and ultra, they both work great . But if you were trying to see a major difference from in skimming then that not the case at all.

 

[ShawnM24]

I have the 180 I have it setting in the constant level of 8 inches of water depending on water changes and some foods this skimmer will go crazy sometimes even when changing a sock filter. It will over flow. If the power does out it overflows as well and dumps all that skimmate into the sump

Ultra reef should be great depending on size model (eg160, 180). You dont need the dc. Adjust the water level and let it build a biome. I have both bk and ultra, they both work great . But if you were trying to see a major difference from in skimming then that not the case at all.

 

[BaliReefBox]

I bought a Mantis Tornado and I tell you it was easy to tune and the hot choco fudge it pulls out is amazing. DC pump and imo good bang for ya buck..Parkers reef did a youtube on it for reference

 

[Bj’s Reef]

What you are describing happens to all skimmers. What you need is a controller that will cut off the skimmer if the cup gets to full. It will also do a time delay if the power goes out. Take a look at the Hydros controller. There is nothing wrong with your skimmer. However if you do get a new skimmer, I may be interested in your ultra reef skimmer.Just send me a pm if interested.

 

[spsick]

I own a BK Mini 160 and Akula 160 with the DC upgrade on a similar sized system to yours. Apples to Apples they are very similar in terms of performance and build quality. The DC upgrade to the Akula was massive in terms of adjustment and noise, but that just brings it to par with the BK that now has a DC pump.

IMO the Akula 180 is oversized for your tank unless you have a ton of fish So it may be acting up from not having enough proteins to keep a stable head? Mine has been rock solid with no hiccups but I put the DC pump on straight away.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Good morning everyone I have a Waterbox reef 100.3 I would say about 80 gallons total in the system give or take. I am running the ultra reef akula on it now. The skimmer will act up a bit from time to time, there is no control ability due to it being an A/C pump. Trying to decide if I would get the dc pump upgrade for it or get a bubble king mini 160 to replace it since they are one sale and give it a try. Your thoughts go.

FYI I do 15 gallon weekly water changes

Your better off with bubble King, even the IceCap K1-50 which looks and works like a full sized skimmer

 

[ShawnM24]

Thank you sir I ordered a sensor from brs I will definitely keep you in mind if I get the bk mini 160 thank you I’ll shoot you a pm when and if. Pictured is the sensor I bought

What you are describing happens to all skimmers. What you need is a controller that will cut off the skimmer if the cup gets to full. It will also do a time delay if the power goes out. Take a look at the Hydros controller. There is nothing wrong with your skimmer. However if you do get a new skimmer, I may be interested in your ultra reef skimmer.Just send me a pm if interested.

 

[ShawnM24]

7 small fish and 1 2 inch yellow tang and I feed heavy and I think you are right about it being over sized smh I went with what aquarium specialty recommended me to get. So what you are saying definitely go smaller, thank you for your input

I own a BK Mini 160 and Akula 160 with the DC upgrade on a similar sized system to yours. Apples to Apples they are very similar in terms of performance and build quality. The DC upgrade to the Akula was massive in terms of adjustment and noise, but that just brings it to par with the BK that now has a DC pump.

IMO the Akula 180 is oversized for your tank unless you have a ton of fish So it may be acting up from not having enough proteins to keep a stable head? Mine has been rock solid with no hiccups but I put the DC pump on straight away.

 

[ShawnM24]

So after watching reef bums video on correct skimmer size and speaking to a bubble king rep the mini 160 way to big for my current bioload. So instead of selling me a bigger more expensive skimmer told me the dc 130 would work perfect. That spoke volumes to me on great customer service. That ultra reef I was told would be great for my system is way over kill with the akula 180 hence why I am having issues.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

Who did you talk to at aquarium speciality? I only ask because I’m in there just about every other week. Which is way I’m broke as a joke.. Seriously I’m just curious, the ultra reef skimmers are well built. There are some options you can do to save buying another skimmer. You could put the skimmer on a timer. Then have it run for a set time during the day or night. Just monitor your nutrient levels and adjust accordingly. Believe me, your system will grow into that skimmer over time. One day you will want a bigger tank and you will need the skimmer. For some one interested in buying your skimmer. I seem to be trying to talk you into keeping it.

 

[ShawnM24]

Aquarium specialty is an awesome store and great people. I believe I spoke with the owner when I bought the skimmer and it’s a great skimmer top of the line just too big for the bio load I have. I could buy more fish and that would solve the problem. I have this week to come up with an answer the bk skimmers are 25% off for one more week I will definitely let you know if I get the new skimmer

Who did you talk to at aquarium speciality? I only ask because I’m in there just about every other week. Which is way I’m broke as a joke.. Seriously I’m just curious, the ultra reef skimmers are well built. There are some options you can do to save buying another skimmer. You could put the skimmer on a timer. Then have it run for a set time during the day or night. Just monitor your nutrient levels and adjust accordingly. Believe me, your system will grow into that skimmer over time. One day you will want a bigger tank and you will need the skimmer. For some one interested in buying your skimmer. I seem to be trying to talk you into keeping it.

 

[trevorhiller]

I'm not sure how you made out with this, but I suspect you have the skimmer gate valve closed too far if it's overflowing. Open it up so the bubble level in the skimmer drops and is just at the bottom of the collection neck (see picture). It'll probably be lower than you would think would work. I had trouble with mine overflowing until I realized it was user error. I ended up dialing it way down and in a day or two it started pulling thick sludge on the collection neck. Then you can slowly dial the gate valve closed by about a 1/2 turn a day until you're satisfied. I love my Ultra Reef and I think ditching it is going to leave you not satisfied unless you're looking for a reason to buy more toys.

I do run mine dryer and leave the residue collect on the neck of the skimmer. Although this really isn't a problem since the genius design of the removable collection neck on the Ultra Reefs.

This was literally just emptied/ drained earlier today and already has pulled out what you see in the photos.

I'm using the UKS-160 on a 60 gallon cube with only 5 small fish. I think the 180 should be fine for your tank...

As for overflowing when the power goes out- every skimmer is going to do that. You need to have a level sensor to kill the power when the sump level goes up.

 

[ShawnM24]

I ended up going with a much smaller skimmer and it’s working like a champ. The ultra reef is a great skimmer but just too big for my system to be consistent. The bubble king double cone 150 I put on the system is still a little over kill but working much better

 

[reeftivo]

i have a BK double cone 130 that i use from time to time on my 75 and it pulls some nasty stuff. Neck needs to be taller IMO but it's a good skimmer. Also had a mini 160.

My Akula eats it's lunch though.

 

[ShawnM24]

Oh no doubt I love my akula 180 just doesn’t not produce much due to low bioload I should have gotten the 160. Got a great veal on the bk 150 couldn’t pass it up

 

[trevorhiller]

Just thought I would share this, looks like a cool product I recently saw for oversized skimmers. It's an aftermarket smaller internal acrylic tube that fits in your oversized skimmer cup collection tube.

Same concept as the new Adaptive Reef Skimmer (now sure who invented the idea first) but I think it would probably work well.

Slide Loc® Original Skimmer Performance Adapter

Improves performance of skimmers failing to perform consistently and effectively.

www.slide-loc.com

 

[ShawnM24]

That is ver slick thanks for sharing

Just thought I would share this, looks like a cool product I recently saw for oversized skimmers. It's an aftermarket smaller internal acrylic tube that fits in your oversized skimmer cup collection tube.

Same concept as the new Adaptive Reef Skimmer (now sure who invented the idea first) but I think it would probably work well.

Slide Loc® Original Skimmer Performance Adapter

Improves performance of skimmers failing to perform consistently and effectively.

www.slide-loc.com