Skimmer Q&A Thread

[Jenz]

Mornin
Thank you in advance as I have a skimmer question
Have redseae170 that am wanting to upgrade on the skimmer before setting up an in cabinet sump.
Any advise on Hang-on sumps. My LFS suggested Deltec MCE600 (and fortunately there is one going 2nd hand in au) but before making the purchase would like any input on skimmers that may prove more efficient and well worth considering.
With the range out there I am drowning with options and a lack of reviews out there re long term efficiency (hope makes sense)
Thanks reefers!!

 

[reeftivo]

Mornin
Thank you in advance as I have a skimmer question
Have redseae170 that am wanting to upgrade on the skimmer before setting up an in cabinet sump.
Any advise on Hang-on sumps. My LFS suggested Deltec MCE600 (and fortunately there is one going 2nd hand in au) but before making the purchase would like any input on skimmers that may prove more efficient and well worth considering.
With the range out there I am drowning with options and a lack of reviews out there re long term efficiency (hope makes sense)
Thanks reefers!!

MCE 600 is a solid HOB skimmer. it is a pain to clean though and i always had to remove build up from the air intake into the venturi.

another draw back is they run an Aquabee pump. I hate Aquabee pumps. My experience with them has been 2 dead out of 3 used. The skimmer is a great performer though.

Aquamaxx has a very good HOB, similar to the warner marine H1 i used to have. Honestly, for a 34 gallon system i would just do weekly 10% water changes until you get your sump. No need to blow a bunch of money on a HOB when an in sump skimmer will perform much better.

 

[svandive]

I pulled the trigger and bought the Reef Octopus Elite 200SSS. Can't wait to get it in and installed...

 

[mcarroll]

I like to try the tunze but seem no many people in my country using except those with smaller tank . So a bit not confident

It seems like you're limited to what people use a lot of in your country then – we may not be able to help with that.

What do they use where you are?

 

[Jenz]

MCE 600 is a solid HOB skimmer. it is a pain to clean though and i always had to remove build up from the air intake into the venturi.

another draw back is they run an Aquabee pump. I hate Aquabee pumps. My experience with them has been 2 dead out of 3 used. The skimmer is a great performer though.

Aquamaxx has a very good HOB, similar to the warner marine H1 i used to have. Honestly, for a 34 gallon system i would just do weekly 10% water changes until you get your sump. No need to blow a bunch of money on a HOB when an in sump skimmer will perform much better.

Thank you
I’ve been doing the 10-20% water changes since started stocking so it isn’t a big deal to continue. Whilst my levels seem ok I am just concerned with the initial NOPOx, and just trialling individual nitrate and phosphate removers (the LFS is steering away from NOPOx) I thought I might need a bigger or likely a more effective skimmer than what comes in the rear sump
Thank you

 

[reeftivo]

Thank you
I’ve been doing the 10-20% water changes since started stocking so it isn’t a big deal to continue. Whilst my levels seem ok I am just concerned with the initial NOPOx, and just trialling individual nitrate and phosphate removers (the LFS is steering away from NOPOx) I thought I might need a bigger or likely a more effective skimmer than what comes in the rear sump
Thank you[/QUOTE

you're welcome
i used to use red sea NO3 Po4 x as a carbon source to control nitrate and phosphate and it worked great for several years. i decided to start using a DIY Chaeto reactor and move away from the chemical dosing and it has been a nice transition. Skimming has slowed a bit but I kind of expected that. I still get a nice concentrated skimmate but not the heavy froth i used to. All my perams are still great though. I use an Akula 160 skimmer and i love it. i'll be doing a review on it soon.[/QUOTE]

 

[Deepsixx]

Hey Svandive, let me know how you like it. I think the elite is the top of the Octopus line.

 

[Surfside74]

I have a reef octopus classic 202-s on my 120 gallon with a 20 gallon long sump. Everything is brand new and i started cycling the tank tuesday with dr tims and ammonia. I turned on the skimmer friday and have been running it since. The skimmer is producing tons of microbubbles coming out of it and entering the sump and my display. I understand that this may be the skimmer breaking in but how long does that take before the bubbles stop. As i said everything in the tank, including dry rock, live sand, and all piping and equipment is brand new. Thank you.

 

[andre zaharchenya]

High nitrates over (40 sometimes).
Using 110 reef octopus skimmer.
Stopped using sucks.
75 g display + 40 g sump.
Chaeto and caulerpa grow fast.
Corals look great but want to lower nitrates.

Should I get a larger skimmer or any other suggestions ?

 

[mcarroll]

Corals look great but want to lower nitrates.

Should I get a larger skimmer or any other suggestions ?

Nope. Stop trying to fix what isn't broken. (Respectively.)

Nitrates aren't a problem, so just enjoy the tank doing well!!

 

[Kirschy17]

Am i correct to ask a question here in the comments?

I have an issue with a skimmer from the red sea max all in one aquarium. I had a sick fish and treated with microbelift artemiss/herbtana. Since then i am getting microbubbles from my skimmer that go all the way to the display tank. I tried adjusting but i eighter get massive overskimming, or no foam produced at all but still microbubbles all over the tank.

There eben is a “bubblecatcher” section but that doesnt help eighter. For now i had the skimmer turned off for 2 days and jyst now turned the airvalve down so far that the bubbles are gone. Im not getting any foam there obviously. Help please!

 

[Jeremy Hull]

Can I ask what happens if you use to small of a skimmer?
I had a 55 gallon mixed tank turned into a 150 gallon, and now a 220 gallon. All while using a coralife skimmer that claimes to be good up tp 125gallon. Would it be Benificial to add a 2nd skimmer now that I'm beyond what it claimes to suport? The dial is maybe 9/10ths of the way up 24/7 my nitrates seem to be around 10-15ppm.

 

[jmr1955]

This is the official R2R Skimmer Q&A Thread where the answers to your questions are as concentrated as skimmate!

We will do our best as a community to answer questions you have concerning protein skimmers so ask away!

Thank you!

hello, i have a reef octopus nw-150-6530b on my 180g tank now but it seems like its acting up. every time i feed it goes crazy and fills the cup with water. my pumps are off when i feed. i bought the equip. used and it worked great once i set it but like i said has been acting up lately. my question is I'm looking for ideas if i have to replace it, what are some ideas of what brands to look at that are silent (bc its in my living room) but work good. i have a heavy bioload and some softies and lps. i was thinking of a budget between 400-600 if that would work. any advice is appreciated.

 

[Joel Jordan]

Hi everyone, i just started my tank yesterday, and im not sure if i installed the skimmer correctly, it overflowing and i cant seem to get it right, can anyone tell me what to do, if i should wait it out or ???

 

[JoshH]

Hi everyone, i just started my tank yesterday, and im not sure if i installed the skimmer correctly, it overflowing and i cant seem to get it right, can anyone tell me what to do, if i should wait it out or ???

What kind of tank do you have? It looks like a Red Sea Max 130 or 250. If so to start your water height is a little too high in the back compartment. It's Normal for skimmers to take a little while to break in and tune when your first starting your tank. If this tank is still cycling I would suggest just leaving the skimmer turned off and worry about it once you've got your tank cycled

 

[JoshH]

hello, i have a reef octopus nw-150-6530b on my 180g tank now but it seems like its acting up. every time i feed it goes crazy and fills the cup with water. my pumps are off when i feed. i bought the equip. used and it worked great once i set it but like i said has been acting up lately. my question is I'm looking for ideas if i have to replace it, what are some ideas of what brands to look at that are silent (bc its in my living room) but work good. i have a heavy bioload and some softies and lps. i was thinking of a budget between 400-600 if that would work. any advice is appreciated.

Look into Lifereef with a DC pump, mine is almost silent with a Mag 9.5 in an open cabinet.

 

[Joel Jordan]

What kind of tank do you have? It looks like a Red Sea Max 130 or 250. If so to start your water height is a little too high in the back compartment. It's Normal for skimmers to take a little while to break in and tune when your first starting your tank. If this tank is still cycling I would suggest just leaving the skimmer turned off and worry about it once you've got your tank cycled

Hi Josh, thanks for the info, its a Max 130 and as far as the water, how do i control the water level on the back compartment? And ill follow your advice, i might as well just turn it off since the tank is barely cycling

 

[JoshH]

Hi Josh, thanks for the info, its a Max 130 and as far as the water, how do i control the water level on the back compartment? And ill follow your advice, i might as well just turn it off since the tank is barely cycling

Hey Joel,

Any time, I have the exact same tank and did have that skimmer however not for long. But I can still help you out. So basically if you look on the side of your tank there is a little window with a line in it. This line is the ideal water height for the rear chambers. Basically you've just filled it up too much and you need to drain a little water to bring it back down to that line. Once at that line, if you have an ATO this is the height you need to put the sensors at. I'm glad you agree, it's much easier to let the tank do it's thing then worry about the skimmer later. Honestly it will be a few months before a skimmer is even really needed. Those red sea skimmers can be tricky to tune in so one less headache for now.

 

[Joel Jordan]

Hey Joel,

Any time, I have the exact same tank and did have that skimmer however not for long. But I can still help you out. So basically if you look on the side of your tank there is a little window with a line in it. This line is the ideal water height for the rear chambers. Basically you've just filled it up too much and you need to drain a little water to bring it back down to that line. Once at that line, if you have an ATO this is the height you need to put the sensors at. I'm glad you agree, it's much easier to let the tank do it's thing then worry about the skimmer later. Honestly it will be a few months before a skimmer is even really needed. Those red sea skimmers can be tricky to tune in so one less headache for now.

My only question is, How can i lower the back chamber without lowering the rest of the tank?

 

[Kirschy17]

My only question is, How can i lower the back chamber without lowering the rest of the tank?

Just remove water, the water level wil only go down in the backchambers since the returnpumps return the water to the front. I have a redseamax 250 aswell, ill add a picture with my waterlvls.