Skimmer Q&A Thread
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Michael Gentile
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Hey all,
purchasing a cade 1200 S2, I will have to upgrade my skimmer.
it is 114g display and 135g total. I don’t plan to overstock it. The skimmer market is confusing, looking to spend $400 max.
purchasing a cade 1200 S2, I will have to upgrade my skimmer.
it is 114g display and 135g total. I don’t plan to overstock it. The skimmer market is confusing, looking to spend $400 max.
some options around that price range:
Reef Octo Classic 200int
bubble magus elite series with sicce pump (7 or 9)
simplicity 320DC
eshopps axium x220 (sicce pump)
Tunze 6410
** mentioned previously in this thread: zksj reef 200 internal skimmer (no reviews that i can find but appears to use the newer bubble king DC pump). i would research this one more. price is crazy cheap for a skimmer like that and if build quality is good it may be a steal (not sure though). If i was in the market for another skimmer i would definitely consider being a guinea pig.
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BigTerp
Community Member
I hope asking for skimmer recommendations are appropriate here. I'm planning a 40 gallon breeder with 20 gallon long sump w/refugium. Will be a mixed reef with fish appropriate for my system size. I'm coming from a 10 gallon nano mixed reef, but that was 10+ years ago and it only used a HOB type filter. So I'm ignorant on all things sumps and skimmers.
-What size skimmer should I consider for my setup?
-Is size determined by system size (gallons) or flow through sump (gph)?
-Any particular brand that stands out above the rest?
-Any particular brand to stay away from?
Anything else I need to consider, please let me know. Thanks!!
-What size skimmer should I consider for my setup?
-Is size determined by system size (gallons) or flow through sump (gph)?
-Any particular brand that stands out above the rest?
-Any particular brand to stay away from?
Anything else I need to consider, please let me know. Thanks!!
Michael Gentile
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Seems like a deal too good to be true, I guess I’ll be a Guinea pig and write a review!
Hola!
What are the chamber dimensions for the skimmer and what's your budget?
You want a space saver skimmer with the pump inside or pump outside for more mixing volume? Both work great and there are tons of small skimmer options for a 40 breeder.
you would base the skimmer size on the display volume since that's where the contaminants are coming from. Usual rule of thumb is to pick a skimmer that is rated for heavy load at double your tank volume (i.e. 40 breeder + skimmer that rates at 80 gallons heavy load (high stocking levels). There is a lot of wiggle room there though because I've actually run skimmers rated for 3 times my tank volumes and they skimmed fine, but i wouldn't suggest going that big. One thing you would NOT want to do is get a skimmer too small for the system because the skimmer will never idle and will leave more nutrients in the water column. Let us know the dimensions and your budget and we can throw some suggestions at you.
Nice
Post some Pics when you get it. I may pull the trigger on one myself after i see something shiny and new. My two skimmer rotation needs to be updated anyways. At one point i had 13 skimmers shelved in my garage before i started selling them or giving them to family and friends. it's just another fun thing for me! I've spent many many an hour just staring at skimmers. Finally realized that staring at them doesn't make them perform any better LOL. Better to just enjoy the tank
BigTerp
Community Member
Thanks for the thorough response!!Hola!
What are the chamber dimensions for the skimmer and what's your budget?
You want a space saver skimmer with the pump inside or pump outside for more mixing volume? Both work great and there are tons of small skimmer options for a 40 breeder.
you would base the skimmer size on the display volume since that's where the contaminants are coming from. Usual rule of thumb is to pick a skimmer that is rated for heavy load at double your tank volume (i.e. 40 breeder + skimmer that rates at 80 gallons heavy load (high stocking levels). There is a lot of wiggle room there though because I've actually run skimmers rated for 3 times my tank volumes and they skimmed fine, but i wouldn't suggest going that big. One thing you would NOT want to do is get a skimmer too small for the system because the skimmer will never idle and will leave more nutrients in the water column. Let us know the dimensions and your budget and we can throw some suggestions at you.
I've yet to gather any supplies for my project, so can't give you exact measurements on my skimmer chamber. I'm planning on getting the sump kit from Modular Marine for a 20 long. I plan to make the sump chamber dimensions match whatever skimmer I end up getting. I definitely want an in sump skimmer versus an external one.
Budget wise I would like to stay at $200 or under. With that said, I'm planning on making this system the best I possibly can. So I have no issues waiting on funds, if needed, to get what I need/want. I'm not rushing this process by any means.
Noise is also another consideration. My setup will be in the living room next to the TV. So something that's going to be even remotely noisy isn't going to fly.
Thanks again!! Never would've considered things like going with one that can handle a heavy bioload of a tank twice the size. Makes total sense now though.
BigTerp
Community Member
Thanks!! I'll certainly check these out.
did you ever order the zksj reef 200 internal skimmer? if you did, have you received tracking from China yet?
Michael Gentile
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Not yet! Still waiting on my tracking number for the actual tank!
sounds good. start a build thread and let us all know how it's going. anxious to see someone using that skimmer. Not a big fan of Chinese products but they have gotten better over the years and you can't beat the darn prices. wish more equipment in this hobby was manufactured in the US though.
Tivo
dstockwell
2500 Club Member
I have a Coralife 65G with a Hyger 915 return in the sump of a wet dry for a 55G(I know yes) maybe I can address changing that out the wet/dry at a later date. There is not enough room side by side to fit both of these. So I raised the skimmer body, and lowered the pump further down. Will this be a problem, at times I've seen water coming out the top of the skimmer body airline.
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
send some pictures of the sump set up. how long have you had that coralife skimmer? has it been skimming?
coralife skimmers are not reviewed well, but i've never owned a super skimmer version and really can't comment as to how it performs. i may be able to suggest some tweeks though.
Thanks for the pic. Can you get a full picture of that sump (looks like a pro-clear) and the dimensions of the chamber you have the skimmer in? Best to have the skimmer in the drain chamber or just after the filter socks. Return chambers usually fluctuate in level and are where ATO sensors go for auto top offs. Fluctuating water levels are not good for consistent skimming. Also, that mod will most likely affect the skimmer performance. The elbows create a small amount of a flow restriction and that can be just enough to make the skimmer perform inconsistently. I would suggest saving some nickels and get a new sump, then a new skimmer. There are much better skimmer options than coralife, and sumps like eshopps or trigger systems are pretty affordable. Many others too.
if you can get a full pic of the sump we all may be able to suggest some better tweaks if you need to work with what you have for while.
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