Skimmer Q&A Thread

[reeftivo]

Skimmers remove dissolved organics, poop, pee, solids like floating algae, food etc.,
A skimmer is a great tool to help maintain your water quality between water changes. It shouldn't substitute for good husbandry though.

 

[Megumi05]

@reeftivo Why do people swear by them then? Shouldn't a proper, efficient filter remove most of these things to keep water quality good and stable between water changes? Are they just widely used as like an insurance policy that water quality won't falter or is it to decrease the amount of water changing needing to be done? Sounds like skimmers could be viable for FW aquariums too. Thought they did a job very specific to saltwater. I have been tank keeping for 10yrs and am just new to the SW side of the hobby. I'm very familiar in setting up good filtration and proper husbandry. I test my water regularly as well with on hand test kits I own. I'm just trying to get a feel for what's different in SW care from FW care and get familiar with the tools/equipment typically only seen in SW keeping. The tank is cycling nicely and the mollusk on one of the live rocks I got hasn't died yet like they said it would so I'm doing something right (I didn't get live rock until the ammonia spiked and started dropping so I could purposely save any live stock that came in on it).

 

[reeftivo]

I'm not saying skimmers are not great additions to a system. I use one and I have 11 shelved in my garage lol.
I just wanted to let you know that while an air stone skimmer will do an okay job on your tank, there are better options out there. Also, since you have a smaller Nano system with limited space, aesthetics may come into play. You can manage the system w/o a skimmer if you choose to.
A good filter, as you mention is fine as long as it's maintained and doesn't become a harbor for nitrates. A skimmer on the other hand, does not bind nutrients in media. It actually pulls them out of the water column.
Regarding fresh h20, skimmers are much more effective on salt water systems because of the higher specific gravity. They won't produce enough air in fresh water to be efficient.

It sounds like your husbandry routine is good and if you want to try a skimmer then go for it.

Sorry, for the late reply, my cell doesn't like this Web site (very slow to load anything)

Happy reefing

Tivo

 

[Megumi05]

@reeftivo My phone doesn't like much things so I do most on my computer at home, so no worries. I'm going to not buy a skimmer than for now and just see how it goes. If water quality doesn't stay as stable as I'd like I'll buy one when that time comes if it comes. I'm growing ornamental macro algae in addition to the refugium box of cheato so that combined with water changes should be good. Already seen a huge drop in Nitrates since adding the algae, but then again I'm just completing the cycle so not a lot of waste yet. I use mosses in my FW tanks for naturally removing nitrates and they do a great job for the most part. The filter sponges I regularly rinse in a bucket of water pulled from the tank as to remove the bound waste from the water system without drastically harming the beneficial bacteria on the media and of course when it's time to replace media I do it one item/portion at a time again for the sake of the bio-filtration. I also suck out debris with a turkey baster between water changing siphoning. Also, I don't underestimate the value and importance of a good bottom feeding clean up crew. With my FW bottom feeders re-homed and not yet replaced for quite longer than I wanted to wait due to a complication I have defiantly noticed the difference in visual cleanliness look of that tank.

 

[reeftivo]

Sounds great and you're on the right track. The best filtration you'll have in a Reef system is from sufficient live rock and good flow ;-)

 

[Megumi05]

@reeftivo My cycle made leaps and bounds after adding that live rock. Added dry base rock too that the live rock will seed.

 

[reeftivo]

if you eventually get heavily stocked and need a good addition to the cleanup crew, look at the fighting conch. they are real sand dozers.

also, a great sand sifting fish with lots of personality are diamond gobies. Just need a lid or screen for them (jumpers)

 

[Rpc07]

Looking for some advice on a new skimmer. Currently My tank is around 50-55 gallons total volume and I am currently running a reef octopus 110 space saver which is doing a good job but like most of us I enjoy new toys and am looking to upgrade.

I'm not limited with space and really have no brand preference just looking for honest opinions. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Megumi05]

@reeftivo I was actually considering a diamond goby for the sand sifting benefit. My only worry is I have crushed Puka Shell in the tank and I'm worried it may hurt the gills or mouth as it would sift the sand it's mixed with. I will be getting a goby of some sort to pick food up off the floor along with an emerald crab, but it may be a non-sand sifting species like the yellow goby.

 

[reeftivo]

Looking for some advice on a new skimmer. Currently My tank is around 50-55 gallons total volume and I am currently running a reef octopus 110 space saver which is doing a good job but like most of us I enjoy new toys and am looking to upgrade.

I'm not limited with space and really have no brand preference just looking for honest opinions. Any help is appreciated.

I would suggest an oldie but goodie with an upgrade. ReefDynamics is out of business but a retailer bought their overstock. they have the INS80S and the 135 with the modded sicce pumps (psk400 and 600). They also have replacement pumps and parts if the need ever arises.

I don't want to name the vendor on the forum just in case there are any issues, so you could pm me for the name or just google reefdynamics INS80S and the first link should be the site that's selling them. I have one and it rocks my 60 cube. The 80 is like $174

you also can't go wrong with an aquamaxx CO1 which may be a little better fit.

I have both and they are outstanding performers.

Tivo

aquamaxx

INS80S

 

[reeftivo]

sorry for the side pics

i'll fix it for next posts

 

[Rpc07]

I appreciate the suggestions I'll be looking into both.

 

[reeftivo]

the RD skimmer has no bubble plate and is old school. It requires a long brush to get inside the body because the base doesn't come apart. It does however have all welded seams and is super sturdy. The cup has a quick lock on it and can be slid side ways to remove if you have super tight space constraints. It does have a tiny issue that is easily fixed. When you attach the pump, it will sit a little higher than the base so the weight to the side made mine a little unbalanced. I took some silicone pad i had, and zip tied it to the bottom of the pump and it's fine now.

the CO1 completely disassembles, but the BB plate cones are tedious to clean and require smaller pipe brushes to get them good. Amazon sells cheap pipe brush sets for around 7 bucks. Other than that the AM CO1 is a breeze to clean. Both pull between 380 to 420 l/h air but are very effective at that draw (pics don't lie).

sorry, just trying old sample pic from last tank to see if I've figured out the sideways thing ;-)

 

[mcarroll]

What is the remedy?

Check the air-intake hole on the pump where the hose connects....probably buildup restricting air-intake.

The tank isn't that big so I'm going for one that's run by a wood air stone.

Unless you're going into the airstone-making business, I'd think first about going skimmer-less and then about an in-tank skimmer like those from Tunze.

The skimmer you pick should come with setup instructions that cover most of your questions....wait til you get that far before worrying about the rest. :)

 

[Atrain]

What's your opinions on in sump and external skimmers,is one inferior to the other... I recently got a 180g project tank last night and a skimmer is the most important part in my opinion That I don't have... I've had both styles personally I can't see a difference but I'm sure there is

 

[mcarroll]

I think it's a matter of what's practical.

External skimmers tend to be so because they are physically large. Under-tank installation isn't possible.

Some skimmers such as ETSS and MRC catered to this installation with low drain plumbing. Further, they actually don't perform as well when their drain isn't above the waterline, so external installation was somewhat preferable even on the smaller models.

Still just a practical matter, not because doing it this was was "better" per say.

 

[Atrain]

Good to know... This new tank has an option for either,I think the external maybe a better choice for me but not if it's an inferior way of skimming

 

[Bob Escher]

Mojo-

In your experience what would be the best skimmer for a 55 gallon mixed reef (bang for buck)? In sump type would be preferred.

Currently have a cheapo JEBO that is not impressive to say the least.

Look at the bubble magus curve 5 a very nice skimmer

 

[Atrain]

What would you reefer heads recommend on a 180g... Bubble king is not in the budget lol

 

[jason2459]

What would you reefer heads recommend on a 180g... Bubble king is not in the budget lol

For an open suggestion like that I highly recommend the MTC MVX. Go as tall as you can get. He can even make an external dual venturi 48-72" or bigger.


Review I did on the MTC MVX 36" with quick change head

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mtc-mvx-skimmer-review.252436/


End result: ~6 cups per day and sometimes more.

Summary/conclusion: the skimmer kicks ****

Edit: added link to my review thread.