if you had the money to buy yourself a new skimmer today. wh

[farmerjo90]

I'm still trying to decide on what kind of skimmmer is the best. I want to buy a good one the first time. What are the pros and cons of external and in-sump brands.

[DJ88]

What size tank are you needing to Skim? I am running a venturi Precision marine on my 33 and it goes great. It is an insump version. As well the beckett skimmers are great. They aren't too hard to make. I am sure a few people here can help ya with that. If you have a small system the HOT1 from precision marine goes great as well. and I cna egt ya a parts list to make those. I make em here in my apartment from time to time.

[farmerjo90]

Thanks Darren, but I don't want to try and make one myself. I am looking to buy a good skimmer that will skim my 180 gallon tank efficiently. I have heard that the precision marine ones are good. I have also read that companies overrate their skimmers so you need something bigger than what the skimmer is rated for. Would a bullet 3 do this tank efficiently? What about ETS, are they better?

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

Bottom line,
In Sump -> takes up your sump space
usually smaller
Hang On -> takes up external space
can be larger

If you are crazy, like me. You can get a very good beckett based skimmer even for a small tank. This allows you to always upsize your system without worrying about equipment limitations. As well, a good skimmer always give you top notch performance. On the other hand, you would need a fairly good pump to drive these monsters.

Titus

[DJ88]

A B3 would do a good job alright. Precision Marine makes a good product. that is for sure. I am biased tho 'cause I like their designs. As for other comapnies you would have to tlak to a few other people. Sorry.

Talk to Fudge he has a wicked skimmer for a large system.. lol. take a peek in the DIY forum.

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

Yes some companies do overrate skimmers. But this usually doesn't happen with the ones who make the bigger skimmers. Whether a skimmer is overrated or not is a call you have to make. Afterall, it all depends on what you stock, and how much you feed, etc.

ETSS, from my perspective, should be any better than a beckett based skimmer like the PM Bullets. This is because they require a huge pump to drie it. Add on that they are over priced in my opinion.

And yes a PM Bullet 3 should handle your tank just fine. Note that the Bullet 2 and 3 are absolutely identical except the latter uses a taller riser column.

Titus

[farmerjo90]

If the bullet 2 and 3 are identical except for the riser column, is there an advantage to a taller riser column? Would the bullet 2 be better?

[titus]

Hello farmerjo90,

A taller riser column allows you to raise the water level higher for longer contact time. It also allows the foam to get dryer before it gets collected by the cup.

In the case of the Bullet 2 & 3, the Bullet 3 actually uses a an 8" collection cup with a 6" riser column throughout. The Bullet 2 uses a 6" collection cup with a 4" riser column. This mean if you have a lot of foam, the Bullet 3's larger riser column allows more foam to be pushed up easily.

So bottom line, Bullet 3 allows more foam to be pushed up for a longer path. This gives more dryer foam. In any event, I don't think a Bullet 2 would be a bad choice either.

Titus

[Skimmerking]

oops wrong forum wow talk about a history thread here i post on the Birthday forum and i get this.

[lastlight]

Busted!

Look who's still poking through skimmer threads under the radar :lol:

[Chowder]

LMAO:lol: