Skimmer too big ??

[SteveySingle]

So CoralVue has the RO Prime 200INT for $235 - rated up to 265 gallons
RO Classic 152-S is rated up to 150g

smaller footprint on the 152 obviously. Much more of a skimmer for a great price on the 200INT.

So..can a skimmer be too big? Might seem like a dumb question but I gotta know...

 

[jasonrusso]

IMHO, it can only be physically too big. Most people say the rating is 50-60%. I have a reef octopus and it said 250 gallon light load (which no one has) or 150 heavy load. What's the worst that can happen? It runs and doesn't take much out because it already cleaned the water.

 

[Starwar]

Im certainly starting to believe so. couple months ago I upgraded to a lifereef vs2-24 on a 90 gallon, rated to 250 i think. skimmed great at first, now it makes a nice foam head but doesnt rise very well except on occasion. pretty sure it just sits idle most of the time. really depends on your bioload

 

[jasonrusso]

Im certainly starting to believe so. couple months ago I upgraded to a lifereef vs2-24 on a 90 gallon, rated to 250 i think. skimmed great at first, now it makes a nice foam head but doesnt rise very well except on occasion. pretty sure it just sits idle most of the time. really depends on your bioload

And how are the water specs? [emoji4] I'll bet they are pristine. A filter is only for going to remove what's in the water.

 

[skim]

Yes you can get a skimmer that is too large, and today's skimmers are probably some of the most efficient made. You want a skimmer that will be consistent in doing its' job. I don't know how many post I have read on different Forums on how skimmer is inconsistent worked great when first hooked up but now it just sits and bubbles for 4 or 5 days and then will produce a little foam and then just sit dormant. Well guess why, it is skimming what it can and then has no more to skim. I love seeing people who say a certain skimmer is garbage because it is not consistent and not skimming, then buy a more expensive skimmer that handles the same coverage and they love it 3 - 4 months know making foam consistently. Well does that mean that the new one is better or is less efficient and should have bought a smaller one on less expensive skimmers. I have read where some complain skimmer not keeping up, how the hell do you know. If you empty your cup before you go to work and you come and your skimmer is over flowing with a dark stinky goop everyday then I would say it is not keeping up, but you now what, I have never read a post saying or stating this. So where does this leave you well if it was me and looking on the cheaper end that have proven them selves over a few years RO Classic 110 INT or the RO Classic 150 INT but I would not go over the 150 rating specially if the pump is out side of the body. You could also look at the Regal 150 with DC pump which run silent. Good luck on your search!

 

[jeffrey holloway]

I agree with You "Skim" I originally went with Skimz SM 203 DC for my 150g. Great skimmer, I had the same problems you mentioned above. The thing was way over sized, I could never catch up. Down sized to a Lifereef vs2, put the big quy on ice for later use if needed.

 

[SteveySingle]

Thank you guys

 

[Lisa Maxwell]

Im certainly starting to believe so. couple months ago I upgraded to a lifereef vs2-24 on a 90 gallon, rated to 250 i think. skimmed great at first, now it makes a nice foam head but doesnt rise very well except on occasion. pretty sure it just sits idle most of the time. really depends on your bioload

I am experiencing the same thing.....nice foam head at top of neck, but I have to raise the water in skimmer to get anything into the cup. My 90 gallon on a RO 202S (rated 250 gallons. Thinking about dropping more money for the step down, RO152S

 

[Lisa Maxwell]

Yes you can get a skimmer that is too large, and today's skimmers are probably some of the most efficient made. You want a skimmer that will be consistent in doing its' job. I don't know how many post I have read on different Forums on how skimmer is inconsistent worked great when first hooked up but now it just sits and bubbles for 4 or 5 days and then will produce a little foam and then just sit dormant. Well guess why, it is skimming what it can and then has no more to skim. I love seeing people who say a certain skimmer is garbage because it is not consistent and not skimming, then buy a more expensive skimmer that handles the same coverage and they love it 3 - 4 months know making foam consistently. Well does that mean that the new one is better or is less efficient and should have bought a smaller one on less expensive skimmers. I have read where some complain skimmer not keeping up, how the hell do you know. If you empty your cup before you go to work and you come and your skimmer is over flowing with a dark stinky goop everyday then I would say it is not keeping up, but you now what, I have never read a post saying or stating this. So where does this leave you well if it was me and looking on the cheaper end that have proven them selves over a few years RO Classic 110 INT or the RO Classic 150 INT but I would not go over the 150 rating specially if the pump is out side of the body. You could also look at the Regal 150 with DC pump which run silent. Good luck on your search!

I really wish I had read more posts like yours, I was so eager to get a high quality skimmer, I thought I should spend more and get the biggest I could afford. I was so wrong. RO 202S rating way to high for my 100gal system. Should have bought the baby brother to this one, 152S. Its doing just what you described.

 

[bpapo]

I purchased Elite 200SSS for my 110 gallon and never get any waste. I am fortunate enough to be able to trade down to the 150SSS . I would say the reef octopus is very good at rating their skimmers. They also say only the display gallons should be used. When I purchased the skimmer I included the sump .

 

[Lisa Maxwell]

That's interesting, I thought everybody included their sump volumes when gauging for skimmer size. I'll contact CoralVue as I am getting ready to buy another (smaller) skimmer and can hopefully sell this new RO 202S that is just broken in. Thank you for the input.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I work part time at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and I asked a few people about this when I started because I was curious. The general consensus I found is that there is no such thing as "overskimming" or "too big a skimmer", especially for smaller hobbyist tanks.

We have many very large skimmers on our large systems. Our main touch pool in the Living Seashore exhibit is around 3,600 gallons total system volume; its skimmer is probably about 5 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter (these are just best guesses, I haven't actually measured). The neck in the collection chamber (too big to be called a cup) is about a foot long and 2-3 inches or so wide. Most of our skimmers on our large systems are about this size and setup. The skimmers are usually fed via a dedicated Hayward pool pump and most use a neat venturi device to inject bubbles into the water flowing to the skimmer.

One of the guys who works with our coral propagation tank was showing me the setup one day, and he was explaining that the setup is very simple, just high flow, 400W 20,000K MH and a "small" skimmer. The skimmer in question was probably about 3 feet tall and barely fit under the prop tank. Our conversation strayed to the realm of hobby skimming.. he said that he was of the opinion that it's very difficult to overskim a smaller tank, if it's possible at all. He's also of the opinion that the ratings on hobby skimmers are pretty arbitrary, and there's no harm in using what may seem like a seriously oversized skimmer.

Of course, these are just opinions of just a handful of people. But, they're all pretty sharp and have been working with aquariums and captive marine systems for a very long time. I don't think I would go as far as to say there's no such thing as a skimmer that is "too big." I would say that I think there's a lot more wiggle room than we hobbyists tend to think with regard to skimmer sizing. I run a skimmer "rated" for 65 gallons on about 24 gallons of total water volume. No problems here.

 

[skim]

I think that most just don't get what is meant by too large or over skimming. Do think of it in the way of it is stripping the water clean, the max a skimmer can remove is about 35% max and the very high end, of the Organics in the water. The rest just do not react to or adhere to bubble surfaces and stay in the system. Some can become food for inverts and some will die and become Phosphate and Nitrate and the rest who knows, most of it is guessing and theories. Fact, most of the crap or Organics are in the to 6 inches of the water surface or very deep towards bottom, this is why you get the great foam build up on the beaches, just look into your sump you will see how the surface of the tank ends up in the sump as you will see the slick that developes. The point I am trying to make IMO I believe the biggest contribution a Skimmer makes is Gas exchange, helps with O2 supply. There is somewhere a great article written by Danna Riddle that I read once and since can't seem to find. The title went something like "Nitrate Phosphates where did they go". In his theory which the more I think about, the more I am more inclined to believe, is in the Ocean as the water approaches a Reef and the bottom currents are pushed up from the depths against the Reef wall which when tested were full on Phosphate and Nitrate. Well what lives on this wall. Sponges and Filter feeding Fans and Filter feeding inverts ( Softies ) of all kinds, then it rolls up onto the lower Reef and it encounters more Sponges, Giant Sponges and Clams and more Fans and different types of Algae and LPS and it moves to the Reef Flat and know when the water was test has be striped of most of the Particulate matter and Phosphate and Nitrate are at almost undetectable. So as the title said " Nitrate Phosphates where did they go? " My thought and suggestion to all who worry about Skimmer size and whatever else is debated about them, just get one you take a liking to from a reliable source not Ebay $25 special. Whether its because you like the color or the build or Name or the fact it can from Germany and has a special shaft made from Minerals collected from Meteor crashes, because in the end one may have this thing and the other has this but they all do they same thing, mix air and water in a body for a certain amount of time and water is spit out on its way. The best thing it can do is add O2 to your system and the worst it can do is a: Not Foam for periods of time or b: if unit is too small and you are emptying it everyday or twice a day of dark, thick, smelly, choking, gag inducing, Wife Screaming ( what the heck is that smell ) substance. Well then it's too small/undersized. I believe the best thing to do is add a tank in replace of the sump ( large ) and fill it full of Sponges and Fans and LPS and Softies with good lighting and a nice flow in it and you will have just made the ULTIMATE FILTER.

 

[bpapo]

Why would the manufacturer state the skimmer is too big. I bought the next larger skimmer simply because of the reasons stated and I'm losing money by trading in. And downsizing , All I know the skimmer is not working correct.

 

[Mark Gray]

Im certainly starting to believe so. couple months ago I upgraded to a lifereef vs2-24 on a 90 gallon, rated to 250 i think. skimmed great at first, now it makes a nice foam head but doesnt rise very well except on occasion. pretty sure it just sits idle most of the time. really depends on your bioload

This is what I did also

 

[Mr. Bill]

Why would the manufacturer state the skimmer is too big. I bought the next larger skimmer simply because of the reasons stated and I'm losing money by trading in. And downsizing , All I know the skimmer is not working correct.

A skimmer requires a certain amount of DOCs in order to function properly. The larger the skimmer, the more DOCs it needs before it can remove any from your system. Price is not the only reason why there are so many different sizes with different tank size ratings.

 

[skim]

Why would the manufacturer state the skimmer is too big. I bought the next larger skimmer simply because of the reasons stated and I'm losing money by trading in. And downsizing , All I know the skimmer is not working correct.

How old is your setup? What makes you think your skimmer is not working properly?

 

[shiftline]

Is your water levels right for the skimmer? If your not getting stuff in the cup try raising the water level in the chamber or close the skimmer outflow some lore

 

[bpapo]

My Skimmer is properly setup , I will never have enough DOC's to skim properly. Coralvue says they are very accurate on the size of the skimmers vs tank size.. The next size was just way to big but I went for it the 200sss is a 200 gallon heavy load.

 

[Lisa Maxwell]

Thank you all for sharing your personal experiences with this issue. As stated above, I'll never have enough bio load to enable my skimmer to work properly - neck is far too large. Foam head just sits at the top of the neck. I have to run the water level much higher than RO recommends just to get that. The only way it gets into the cup is if I temporarily close the gate valve or block the air intake. Sadly, while not performing as it should, my nitrates have once again popped up to 40ppm. I have just purchased the RO 152-S (80 - 150gal rated) and have been assured this skimmer will work well in my system. Lets hope, I'm very close to completely dismantling my beautiful tank of 14 years.