Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Discussion on aquatic lighting.

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Scott
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Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Scott »

What do you think the best protein skimmer is for a smaller tank (less than 50 gallons)?

I remember some of the junk that was being sold a few years ago but there are a lot of options to look into. I have used CPR's (HOB) and Euro Reefs.

I am not looking into HOB skimmers.

Thanks!
Last edited by Scott on Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Protein skimmer

Post by Scott »

Ok, lets change this to a survey.

Let us know what skimmer you use, what you like or don't like about it, what skimmer you would like (reasonable) and what skimmer you would love (no holds barred). Also mention what size tank and what the inhabitants of the tank are so that we have some hard facts to form opinions on.

Thanks,
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Re: Protein skimmer

Post by Fishfood »

I have a Vertex skimmer on my 29. It is oversized for my tank. There aren't that many people who post here regularly anymore so you might not get that many replies right away.
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Re: Protein skimmer

Post by Scott »

You would be surprised. I lurked here a lot today (f-ing off at work, ya know) and I saw at least 20 other members log on. They just didn't post anything but maybe we can entice them with good, new content.

So for all those just reading, I saw you, post what you have. If you don't have anything you can still post what you want.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Amphiprion »

Well, as in my sig, I have a Deltec APF600. It's a fantastic skimmer, especially when I first bought it, considering what else was available. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it too much anymore, since nowadays you can get similar performance for a LOT less.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Scott »

Just to add some content:

My last tank was a 100 gallon that I purchased from Liz. It was stocked with SPS frags, a few SPS colonies that grew from frags, LPS (mostly branching frogspawn, Caulatrea and Echinophyllias) and a couple of softies. At first I used a Kent Marine skimmer that was pure crap. Then I used a Euro Reef I think it was a RC180. It did a great job as long as it was kept clean. At the time I was assembling all the components to put together a smaller but better designed reef setup. I purchased a 80 gallon tank (custom built but just a 120 that is 12" shorter) and a PS8 ReefMania recirculating skimmer. This was my dream skimmer. It has 2 recirculation pumps and I had planned on running all the overflow from the tank through it, hence the size. I ended up only using it on my liverock tank when I was forced to take the 100 gallon down due to a career change and it pulled out twice as much in a few days as the ER did in a month. Some of this I think was die off because the LR was out of the tank for an hour and there were a lot of sponges growing on the rocks that didn't survive but it was obviously superior. At the time the recirculating skimmers were fairly new and were reported to outperform even Deltec's that had a needlewheel and were top of the line. As far as a dream skimmer now, I have been out of it too long to make a judgment call, that is why I started this thread.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Amphiprion »

The Deltec APF skimmers actually only come in recirc/external models. It doesn't surprise me that skimmers that came out later were able to outperform them, though. The pinwheel/recirc design was first used by Deltec (EuroReef branched from Deltec), though, and had been around for a while.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Scott »

Due to the generosity of one of our elders (I don't mean that in a bad way), I now have a CPR Bakpak II for my new 29 gallon tank (along with lighting, a sump, canopy, stand and a few other things). I had very good luck when I was new at this with the same skimmer on a 55 gallon. It was a little more upkeep than other skimmers I have had and I 'fiddled' with it all the time but it definitely works. I even had a couple of acros in that old tank that did pretty well.

I still don't know what I want. I see the benefits of a skimmer like the Reef Octopus Pro and the Vertex. I guess I need to see them in action to properly evaluate their performance.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by opiy »

I would consider the Reef Octopus HOB
http://www.reefspecialty.com/Protein-Sk ... index.html

I don't know if the HOB are good but the regular ones seem to be getting good reviews. I think if I was looking to get a HOB I would be seriously considering one of these.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by opiy »

The skimmer I am looking into possibly getting is the ATB 840. This skimmer only comes with a 1 year warranty.
http://tiny.cc/9NE4w

It is costly but it seems to do one hellofa job from what I have read.

The other skimmer I am considering is the Reef Octopus XP-2000 Cone skimmer. http://tiny.cc/QlDcJ It is $265 less than the one above and has a 3 year pump warranty. I have also read good reviews on this skimmer. The warranty and price is making me want to go with this skimmer. Both can be had at Reef Specialty.com. I just sent an email while I was working on typing this up and got a reply on a sunday within about a minute of sending it. How cool is that for customer service.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Scott »

Cone skimmers are something that were not around when I left the hobby. What are the advantages?
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by opiy »

No idea. I just happened across a comment that someone said they are 30% better than the standard tube design. No idea if there was some research behind that or not. I can say after reading a while around on RC that they do tend to get some good reviews and pull alot of skimmate. I will be getting the ATB 840 v1.5 skimmer.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by Amphiprion »

People rave about them left and right, but I haven't seen any solid proof that they are that much better, especially by the margin the price rises the second you mention "cone skimmer." No way would I pay that much. As I said above, I wouldn't spend the same for my Deltec again, either, ever, for any skimmer. I think they can be of great help in terms of helping reduce organics and aerating the water, which is why I keep mine (and to reduce particulates that would otherwise feed pests, like hydroids and Aiptasia). If it is for nitrate and/or phosphate reduction, there are much better ways to do it.
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Re: Changed: Protein skimmer what do you have/want

Post by opiy »

Actually I would kinda like to have an external skimmer. Why do they have to cost so much? Gah. I think ima start a thread on my problems and see if you guys can help.
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