I've had nothing but Reef Octopus, but I've been completely happy with them.
Oh...and welcome! You are going to love it here!
Oh...and welcome! You are going to love it here!
What's the best protein skimmer?
- Thread starter Charlotte Kiely
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n21benson
Active Member
Don Lidtke
Some Old Guy
Here is another vote for Lifereef skimmer. I am using the SVS3-36 External with a BlueLine 40HDX pump on a 250 gallon tank.
Dkeller_nc
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So with the anticipation of the larger tank i am now looking at skimmers. I currently have a bubble magus Q3 skimmet.skimmer. with some quick research only does up to 100 to 300 litres and I'm increasing to 500 litres plus sump. So what do you guys recommend is a good skimmer to go into a sump? not expensive either preferably....or if I am doing a fish only tank no corals would my current skimmer do ok? Because that would be awesome
Thanks in advance!
Whether or not your current skimmer will be sufficient depends greatly on what sort of fish you plan on. If you're someone that likes smaller fish in a larger tank, such as a group of flasher wrasses, a few interesting substrate fish such as gobies, flamehawks, etc... and one or two smallish mid-water hunters like dwarf angels, then your current skimmer will certainly get you through your cycle and you first few fish purchases. If, on the other hand, you plan on larger fish, especially big eaters like tangs, I'd consider upgrading the skimmer now.
Several people have mentioned Bubble Magus. This is actually a superior choice as long as you buy the "elite" models, which have a Sicce skimmer pump. This used to be BM's achilles' heel - their pumps were noisy and unreliable. But the acrylic work and the design was first-rate. I have several reef octopus, tunze and "seaside aquatics" - which was bubble magus bodies with Sicce pumps before BM started doing it in their "elite" line. I'd take the BM elite hands-down over the Reef Octopus and Tunze. The Tunzes are highly reliable as you might expect for german engineering/manufacturing, but in my opinion even their larger skimmers aren't suited for larger tanks. Reef Octopus makes some slick bodies, but their Aquatrance pumps leave something to be desired. The one in my 110ss started out silent, but fairly quickly became rather noisy, and a new pump is a large part of the cost of the skimmer, so it's not worth replacing. The 130SS that I have on another tank looks cool, but the requirement of having to twist the cup off isn't so great, and the design of the drain is such that it's extremely sensitive to water level - I spent a good bit of a Saturday precisely shimming the skimmer with pieces of acrylic and adjusting the sump level until I could get it to run reliably without the foam either never reaching the skimmer neck, or quickly filling the skimmer cup in less than 15 minutes.
Bottom line, if you like BM and they're reasonably priced in the UK, get the BM Curve 5 Elite or the BM Curve 7 Elite depending on your intended fish. You'll be happy that you did - none of the Sicce skimmer pumps I've had over the last 7 years have ever failed or become noisy - I very much wish Reef Octopus would quit trying to make their own pumps and just put Sicces in their skimmers.
RumMnky
Community Member
Hard to beat a Life Reef skimmer... Not sure what the cost differential would be to get it to the UK. I run mine with a Sicce 5.0 ADV.. Pulls everything out of the water about as fast as I drop it in..
I don't have a lot to add; a reputable brand like Reef Octopus, Vertex/Somatic, Bubble Magus, or similar should be fine. Another option is to see what used skimmers are in your area (with the usual caveats about buying used equipment).
One article I remember reading (https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature) stated that most skimmers are relatively equally effective (20-35% dissolved organic removal), so what you are paying for is build quality, pump reliability, ease of disassembly, noise, and other features unrelated to efficiency.
Partially related - what kind of filtration/nutrient export are you running besides a skimmer? I am personally a huge fan of macroalgae refugia (Chaeto), but there are multiple ways to accomplish that. Simply rinsing your filter socks out every 3 days or less (per BulkReefSupply's video on researching filter socks) helps as well.
Good luck!
One article I remember reading (https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature) stated that most skimmers are relatively equally effective (20-35% dissolved organic removal), so what you are paying for is build quality, pump reliability, ease of disassembly, noise, and other features unrelated to efficiency.
Partially related - what kind of filtration/nutrient export are you running besides a skimmer? I am personally a huge fan of macroalgae refugia (Chaeto), but there are multiple ways to accomplish that. Simply rinsing your filter socks out every 3 days or less (per BulkReefSupply's video on researching filter socks) helps as well.
Good luck!
OP
OP
Charlotte Kiely
Community Member
Thanks everyone, as I am pretty new to sumps (used an external filter for years) I am going to stick to the bubble magus just because of having one already and used to them plus the price is more in my range. I'm going with the curve 7.
Thanks for all your help and advices!
Thanks for all your help and advices!
Dkeller_nc
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FYI, Charlotte. Not sure whether you already have your tank, or have already picked the specific one out, but you'll want to pay close attention to what the manufacturer of the sump says is the water level in the skimmer chamber of the sump. Different skimmers have different water height requirements, and it's usually a pretty tight range. It's rare, but occasionally you see someone that winds up with a skimmer that they're trying to put into a sump that's too shallow. Under those circumstances, there's nothing to be done other than replace the skimmer or the sump. Much more common is the issue I had with the Skimz sump and the Reef Octopus skimmer where the skimmer chamber was too deep to allow adjusting the skimmer level so that it wouldn't overflow. That's a much easier fix; you just either buy or make a skimmer stand. In my case, I used cast-off pieces of 1/2" acrylic from my shop.
Elevating the skimmer's not a huge deal, but it can be disappointing to have a weekend set aside to set up your new system, and find that you can't make your skimmer operate correctly without going to the home store, which may or may not be open when you're working on the tank. That's definitely a DAMHIKT.
Elevating the skimmer's not a huge deal, but it can be disappointing to have a weekend set aside to set up your new system, and find that you can't make your skimmer operate correctly without going to the home store, which may or may not be open when you're working on the tank. That's definitely a DAMHIKT.
OP
OP
Charlotte Kiely
Community Member
Thank you for the tip! I best look into that before buying the skimmer lolFYI, Charlotte. Not sure whether you already have your tank, or have already picked the specific one out, but you'll want to pay close attention to what the manufacturer of the sump says is the water level in the skimmer chamber of the sump. Different skimmers have different water height requirements, and it's usually a pretty tight range. It's rare, but occasionally you see someone that winds up with a skimmer that they're trying to put into a sump that's too shallow. Under those circumstances, there's nothing to be done other than replace the skimmer or the sump. Much more common is the issue I had with the Skimz sump and the Reef Octopus skimmer where the skimmer chamber was too deep to allow adjusting the skimmer level so that it wouldn't overflow. That's a much easier fix; you just either buy or make a skimmer stand. In my case, I used cast-off pieces of 1/2" acrylic from my shop.
Elevating the skimmer's not a huge deal, but it can be disappointing to have a weekend set aside to set up your new system, and find that you can't make your skimmer operate correctly without going to the home store, which may or may not be open when you're working on the tank. That's definitely a DAMHIKT.
jsbzcmcdaniel
Active Member
I have owned Reef Octopus, Vertex, and now a Nyos Quantum 160 and its awesome. Does a very good job and pulls tons of nasty from the tank. Well built and dead quiet.
Hemmdog
10K Club member
Elite 7 is incredible, I love mine.
Love my Bubble Magus Curve 5 Elite.
Just make sure you pony up the extra 40 to 60 bucks for the elite series. Better pump and easier to disassemble.
Just make sure you pony up the extra 40 to 60 bucks for the elite series. Better pump and easier to disassemble.
I believe I was the one who replied to your thread about the elite series (as they were still very new then) @Hemmdog, and convinced you to buy one.
Hemmdog
10K Club member
I think you are right! Good advise!
With a FO tank, you can use a bit of sugar (or other organic carbon) and really push any skimmer into overdrive.
I would use what you have now.
It will give you time to decide on your purchase.
I have tried different brands and I prefer tunze skimmers but they all work like many have said.
I picked up a 9410 for $150 and just missed as 9430 for $200. The 9430 was in the UK on ebay.
A new 9410 dc is rocking my 120.
The standard 9410 will be on my frag tank.
Plug it in, turn it on, and it just plain works.
It will give you time to decide on your purchase.
I have tried different brands and I prefer tunze skimmers but they all work like many have said.
I picked up a 9410 for $150 and just missed as 9430 for $200. The 9430 was in the UK on ebay.
A new 9410 dc is rocking my 120.
The standard 9410 will be on my frag tank.
Plug it in, turn it on, and it just plain works.
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