Skimmer Upgrade: Reef Octopus 110-SSS vs. Bubble Magus Curve 5 Elite vs. SR Aquaristik 150

[Ulmo]

I somewhat regretted "cheaping out" with the standard Bubble Magus Curve 5 when I put my current build together a year ago. Don't get me wrong, it's been a great skimmer, and the footprint works well with my sump (Red Sea XL200). Occasionally I would explore options for upgrades, but decided I would wait until the tank's first birthday (presumably when the warranty on the Curve 5 would run out). Been over a year since I purchased the current skimmer, and it's still running fine, but would like to clean and box it as a spare while simultaneously upgrading.

My bioload is high for a ~50 gal system with 7 small fish (2 clowns, 2 filefish, 1 blenny, 1 firefish, 1 mandarin) and quite a few inverts (1 conch, 1 tuxedo urchin, 1 porcelain crab, 1 peppermint shrimp, several med-lg brittle stars, and various snails/limpets).

Sump is quite cramped (photo attached), so space is a concern. I have an air line run through the attic to a roof vent (roughly 30' from venturi to fresh air)

Price range: $200-$375

Options I've been considering:

Reef Octopus Classic 110-SSS
Trusted brand. I really like the cylindrical design, would think it makes in-sump body cleaning a lot easier than the tapered/wine glass shapes. The airflow rating is higher than the Curve 5 I currently have. What concerns me is the <100 GPH waterflow rating of the pump. I've also seen conflicting charts on the bioload ratings.

Bubble Magus Curve 5 Elite
Boosted version of what I currently have. Exactly same footprint as the standard version, so would require very little reorganization of the sump. Less exciting than trying a different brand.

SR Aquaristik Pro Skim 150
Bigger than the other options, but may be able to fit it, and has a higher bioload chart to back it up. I love the look of this skimmer, but it's not all about looks. DC, which I don't have experience with. Have read that AC skimmers tend to be easier to keep in tune, accurate?

Related thought:
I wish I could buy a Lifereef or similar and ditch the needlewheel, but haven't found any compact options that would fit in my sump. Would be willing to spend more to implement a true venturi option. Again though, space issue. The pump chamber already has a large Eheim 1260 (return) and a Sicce 1.5 (for the AquaUV Advantage 15W in the shadows behind the 3 DIY Voss dosing containers, no extra room next to sump)

Hoping for advice to help me choose, and other suggestions are welcomed.

 

[Derrick0580]

I have a RO regal 200 sss and love it. I don’t think reef octo makes any bad aquarium equipment!

 

[MichaelP]

On my old 40 breeder I went from an swc-150 (similar to the curve 5) to a reef octo int-110. I liked the reef octo better since it skimmed more consistently but there wasn’t a huge difference performance wise.


If you can fit it the Reef Octopus SRO-1000 would be a nice upgrade. I have found that the skimmers with the pump on the outside tend to work slightly better.

another option for a compact skimmer that gets good reviews is the simplicity skimmers but I haven’t used them personally

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

I have the 200XL g2 and currently running the RO 110ss. It works well and pulls skimmate wet or dry if you choose it. I've been eyeing the Nyos 120 lately. I would like to be able to adjust the air water ratio.

 

[ninjamyst]

Why do you think you need to change skimmer?

And your bioload is not even that much for a 50g.

 

[Ulmo]

Why do you think you need to change skimmer?

And your bioload is not even that much for a 50g.

Reasons for wanting to upgrade, which may not be logical:

1) The axiom that we should keep spares of important equipment. Currently have backups of return pump, powerheads, media reactor, heaters, and consumables (e.g. UV bulb, RO/DI filters, dosing pump heads, media/additives, etc). The current skimmer will be out of warranty if it quits in the future.

2) The first year of a reef tank can be expensive (over $10K into this one), that probably created a habit/compulsion to occasionally shop for improvements to the setup.

3) My bioload based on stock may not be crazy, but nutrients have remained high (nitrates usually above 30, phosphate usually above 0.2). Perhaps I feed too much or export is insufficient (already employ various methods such as carbon dosing, algae scrubber, and weekly 12%-25% water changes). Normally feed half of a small cube of frozen each night, and a supplemental daytime feeding every 2-3 days of either ROE, Masstick, spirulina, or mixed pellets.

If you can fit it the Reef Octopus SRO-1000 would be a nice upgrade. I have found that the skimmers with the pump on the outside tend to work slightly better.

I would certainly consider it. May need to remove my media reactor to fit that though. I already wish I had room for a second reactor as the mesh bags of Chemi-Pure Elite & Purigen (or sometimes bulk GAC & GFO & Purigen) seems like not enough flow-through when layered in there. Alternatively, I will take some measurements to see if a pump assembly would fit under the Santa Monica Surf algae scrubber if I ditch some of the KP & Aussie live rock in the sump (I like it as a pod habitat to help feed the mandarin).

In that case though, I could probably fit the Lifereef SVS2-24 that can be made with an 8"x10" footprint and achieve a true venturi without needlewheel. Concern there is the very high flow rate they require, 900gph. My return pump is only rated to 640gph before the ~4' head pressure. Tank temp already jumps from 77 to low 80's on warmer days (central air is uncommon in NW WA), and a chiller has the same space concerns.

If I could start over knowing what I've learned, would buy a big DC pump split off with valves to feed everything. Maybe that's what I should do anyways, but the sunk cost fallacy exists here.