Skimmer Q&A Thread

[Reefermike]

i have a BM200 that had the pump replaced 2 years ago. it was going great then the power went out . it refuses to start so i either need another pump or a new skimmer. if i were to keep the skimmer what is a good altermitive the spec for the PSK-600 seem to be close. then there is a airstar mini that uses a 100 with a different volute , 189 for this. the skimmer is on a 120 cubish acrylic tank . I may downsize to a 75 glass tank . any suggestions on wheather to repave the pump or just get another skimmer

 

[mfinn]

i have a BM200 that had the pump replaced 2 years ago. it was going great then the power went out . it refuses to start so i either need another pump or a new skimmer. if i were to keep the skimmer what is a good altermitive the spec for the PSK-600 seem to be close. then there is a airstar mini that uses a 100 with a different volute , 189 for this. the skimmer is on a 120 cubish acrylic tank . I may downsize to a 75 glass tank . any suggestions on wheather to repave the pump or just get another skimmer

Is the original pump a psk 2500?

 

[Reefermike]

yep it sure is although this one has a pin wheel and not the mesh.

 

[mfinn]

I guess people replace the old psk 2500 with the newer psk 1000.
I've read that the psk 1000 doesn't have the startup issues the 2500 has.
I'm debating replacing my 2 psk 2500's on my BM 250 with the psk 1000.

 

[Reefermike]

i have been back and forth on this. ther is the atb airstar mini as well that is supposed to be good it is 189

 

[slytlyused]

skimmer help

my skimmer cap is filling up with green water not foam or sludge. is my skimmer going out?

 

[mcarroll]

Sounds like it's picking up some phytoplankton (which is unusual, but should be no problem), but can you post a pic? What shade of green are we talking about?

-Matt

 

[SDguy]

Maybe I'm just an idiot...

But for the life of me, I can't get my pump on my SWC300 to work.

I originally removed it because it wasn't performing like it used to (1 day, at best). When I took it apart, the one o-ring in it fell out, with a pinch in it. OK, so I go a new o-ring. But the more I looked at it, the more I wasn't sure where the o-ring goes.

At this point I've tried multiple variations with multiple sized o-rings. Nothing works. Just the impeller in the pump run dry blows air at me like a hair dryer, but once it hits the water.... slow enough for me to touch without injury. What am I doing wrong?? I'm at my whits end. I assume it's me, since the pump itself is still "working"...

Here are pics of the parts:

 

[oupulino]

hi skimmers gurus I need help to pick skimmer for 90 gal medium load looking to spend 200 - 300 $
Which of this skimmers have best performance , quality build , good pump ... ect
Cad Lights Conic Protein Skimmer (TIA-1150) USA Made but new skimmer on the market not many reviews on it
Vertex IN-100 In-Sump Protein Skimmer which gen 2 or 3 ?
Bubble Magus Curve 5 Protein Skimmer
Any suggestion or even same picture be great

 

[Reefing Madness]

@SDGuy. Did you lose the centering ring for the bottom of the impellar shaft? I don't see it there. ?? That would be a big issue once the pump hit the water, as the impeller would go against the water force, and if its not there to keep it straight, the impeller would not turn correctly.

 

[SDguy]

@SDGuy. Did you lose the centering ring for the bottom of the impellar shaft? I don't see it there. ?? That would be a big issue once the pump hit the water, as the impeller would go against the water force, and if its not there to keep it straight, the impeller would not turn correctly.

Maybe? Unfortunately I don't have a diagram of what it's supposed to look like/parts it should have... I actually already sent it in to Luke so he could take a look at it. Thanks for the reply though!

 

[Reefing Madness]

hi skimmers gurus I need help to pick skimmer for 90 gal medium load looking to spend 200 - 300 $
Which of this skimmers have best performance , quality build , good pump ... ect
Cad Lights Conic Protein Skimmer (TIA-1150) USA Made but new skimmer on the market not many reviews on it
Vertex IN-100 In-Sump Protein Skimmer which gen 2 or 3 ?
Bubble Magus Curve 5 Protein Skimmer
Any suggestion or even same picture be great

Vertex IN 100* Model: IN-100
* Foot Print: 13" x 10"
* Height: 20"
* Diameter: 6"
* Air Draw: 420lph @ 20w
* Aquarium Size: 60-100 Gallons

Cad Lights Conic Skimmer
*Dimensions: 9.75" x 6.5" x 18.5"
*GPH: 375GPH
*Wattage: 20W
Air draw: 315 L/H

* Optimum Water level 7"-10"
Load recommendations:
Light bio-load (150G)
Medium bio-load (120G)
Heavy bio-load (90G)

Bubble Magus
Needlewheel protein skimmer
CURVE 5
Capability : 500L(140G)
pump: ROCK - SP1000
Pump power: 8W, /110V 60Hz
Dimensions: 185×180×470mm(7.28" * 7.08" * 18.5")
Airflow retrieved: 300 L / h



Out of the ones you've chosen I'd go with the Vertex, it has the best air intake of the 3, which means more bubbles.

 

[mcarroll]

hi skimmers gurus I need help to pick skimmer for 90 gal medium load looking to spend 200 - 300 $
Which of this skimmers have best performance , quality build , good pump ... ect
Cad Lights Conic Protein Skimmer (TIA-1150) USA Made but new skimmer on the market not many reviews on it
Vertex IN-100 In-Sump Protein Skimmer which gen 2 or 3 ?
Bubble Magus Curve 5 Protein Skimmer
Any suggestion or even same picture be great

If there's room to consider other skimmers, I'd suggest looking at AquaC's Urchin or Remora (hang on/in sump) Pro or an EV120. They are all fairly common on the used market if getting a better deal is appealing, they perform extremely well, and give you the greatest freedom in pump choice. Even the non-pro models of Remora and Urchin (used around $80) could work for your tank size if set up with a larger-than-standard pump.

No problem with any of the suggested skimmers, but I'll add that I would not pay any premium whatsoever for cones, colors or other "sizzle" features that seem more and more common. In fact some oddball shapes (eg cone vs cylinder or box) will make a skimmer effectively smaller for a given height and footprint, but price may be higher instead of lower as you would think. Makes for a small bang/buck ratio. :)

Hope this helps!

-Matt

 

[oupulino]

I will go with Cad Lights Conic Skimmer to try out basic and made in US we see how it works
Vertex IN is no longer in production and Vertex Omega is too big for my tank

 

[bullet reef]

Good choice! It's a fabulous skimmer! You're gonna love it!

I will go with Cad Lights Conic Skimmer to try out basic and made in US we see how it works
Vertex IN is no longer in production and Vertex Omega is too big for my tank

 

[mcarroll]

Would be great to hear what you think once you get it in hand as well as what you think after it's been running a while! Good luck! :)

-Matt

P.S. FWIW, AquaC is made in USA as well....forgot to include that....just for posterity now.

 

[flowflezy]

I have used 2 out of the 3 and have to say CAD is an amazing skimmer. I have that exact same one it pulls so much out. And bubbles up alot. And made in the U.S and better prices they also have a bad *** reactor with the pump built under instead of a tube pulling it. Smaller and very easy.

 

[bullet reef]

I have used 2 out of the 3 and have to say CAD is an amazing skimmer. I have that exact same one it pulls so much out. And bubbles up alot. And made in the U.S and better prices they also have a bad *** reactor with the pump built under instead of a tube pulling it. Smaller and very easy.

I agree 100%
And it's the best reactor on the market!

I run the TIA-1150 and BR-1 in my 90g, TIA-1350 in my 240g, and PLS-100 in my softy tank. Love them all and HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Have you seen the new conic pipeless skimmers? The pls-300 is rated to 450g and has a footprint of only 10" x 10"! Saw it at MACNA and it's pretty awesome!

 

[philr]

Wow what a thread! So much info. I did not see anyone here mention the ASM G1x skimmer. I have one on my tank for several years now, and have mixed reactions and results. I have it on a 90 gallon tank. The Sedra 3500 pump has blown out 2 times. For my money the skimmer is the heart of filtration, and I want the best for the tank. Has anyone else used this skimmer or suggest a better one for a 90g?

 

[mcarroll]

The ASM is a pretty tried-and-true skimmer...you've definitely had a little bad luck on the pumps! When running ;) in a decent setup you should be able to get very good results.

Is it the impeller or motor block that's gone out on you?

-Matt