Hang on back protien skimmer

[Slyguy00]

So iv had my tank up and running for about 6 months. I have not had a protien skimmer at all and im curious to know if maybe i should get one? And if so what is a good HOB for a 55 gallon? I have an external filter i clean every 4 days if that matters?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I have a Bubble Magus NACE5 HOB skimmer which I am very pleased with. Pulls out a lot of dark, stinky skimmate. It will be easier to have a good HOB skimmer and better for your water quality than a regular fw filter. For sw tanks, a skimmer is almost always a better option than a filter (if you don't keep up with your 4 days cleaning regimen, the filter will become a nitrate factory).

[Magickiwi]

I haven't researched for tanks that size but the top skimmers tend to be Deltec, Tunze, and now the Reef Octopus.

I recently bought a new tunze to replace my Eshopps skimmer. The Eshopps just has too many issues with bubbles. The tunze stopped spewing micro bubbles within a few hours.

I went looking for a Deltec MCE600 recently but I couldn't find any online in Canada.

[Dearth]

Depending on who you talk to they either hate it or love it but the Aqua Remora C HoB I used it for just over a year I never had any issues with it at all and it never produced any microbubbles I am a very big fan of it.

[Reeferluke]

I have a deltec it works great pulls lots out of the water and has a very small footprint. I have been running it for about 2 years and never had a prob. J&l is where I got mine from

[Slyguy00]

Thnx for the input guys.

[Magickiwi]

I really wanted to get the Deltec but when all the Canadian retailers I speak with tell me they are expecting inventory in the next three weeks it tells me they probably won't have them in three weeks...

It is a second choice but the tunze is rocking the skimmer slime.

[tang daddy]

If you keep up with waterchanges you could get away without a skimmer, depending on your fish load and how much you feed.....

If you have a high fish load and feed heavy then it's better to run a skimmer. Some of the nicest tanks I have seen have run skimmerless. I ran one for awhile and my corals were exploding with growth.

If you decide on running a hob

Prism
Remora
Deltec
Tunze

Those skimmers are pretty decent, although I don't like hob skimmers due to the fact that they fill up skimmate fast and can overflow with fluctuating water levels.

You can always mod the skimmer cup to drain skimmate into a larger container like a milk jug but you would need to clean the cup often so that it works optimal.

Also I would suggest getting an ato so the water levels are stable and you can dial the skimmer in better.

If you decide on keeping this tank for awhile then get a hob, if you decide to upgrade to a larger system, look for a sump and run and insump skimmer, I find the insump skimmers perform alot better.

[Slyguy00]

Thanks guys. Very helpful info

[Magickiwi]

If you keep up with waterchanges you could get away without a skimmer, depending on your fish load and how much you feed.....

If you have a high fish load and feed heavy then it's better to run a skimmer. Some of the nicest tanks I have seen have run skimmerless. I ran one for awhile and my corals were exploding with growth.

If you decide on running a hob

Prism
Remora
Deltec
Tunze

Those skimmers are pretty decent, although I don't like hob skimmers due to the fact that they fill up skimmate fast and can overflow with fluctuating water levels.

You can always mod the skimmer cup to drain skimmate into a larger container like a milk jug but you would need to clean the cup often so that it works optimal.

Also I would suggest getting an ato so the water levels are stable and you can dial the skimmer in better.

If you decide on keeping this tank for awhile then get a hob, if you decide to upgrade to a larger system, look for a sump and run and insump skimmer, I find the insump skimmers perform alot better.

You should see the size of the reservoir for the Tunze 9016. It's 1.4 liters!! I put mine in on Saturday evening and by this morning I've got a good 1-2cm of blackish skim. Very happy with it so far because there are no micro bubbles coming from it any more and it seems to be much quieter than my Eshopps, even though the pump is massive. Probably due to the motor being in the tank as opposed to on the outside.

If you run a HOB skimmer or one with less tolerance to changing water levels then an ATO is practically a must, unless you are OK topping up every day.

[pinkreef]

I suggest eshopps hob comes in a 75 or a 100 i would go with the bigger of the two i like them because they are easy to adjust and clean the cup i got my 100g from dr fosters and smith about $250.oo
:biggrin:

[Magickiwi]

I suggest eshopps hob comes in a 75 or a 100 i would go with the bigger of the two i like them because they are easy to adjust and clean the cup i got my 100g from dr fosters and smith about $250.oo
:biggrin:

That seems expensive. I got my PSK-100H (The same as your's) for $175ish. Pets and Ponds lists them at $185.00

[Plainswalker]

I use a Reef Octopus BH1000, no complaints.

[michika]

NM

[daniella3d]

+1 on the Reef Octopus 1000 or 2000, top notch.

I had 2 Deltec 300 so far and they are crap. I replaced the Deltec 300 for a Reef octopus BH-100F and that thing is pulling the amount of skimmate in a day what the Deltec was pulling in a month! no joke! The Deltec construction quality is very poor and the cylinder keeps craking where the pump sits. I replaced those parts and a month after it was cracked again.

The Deltec 600 is good but too expensive compared to the Reef Octopus which are doing the same job for much less.

Aquamax is another good little skimmer. It has an overflow that goes back in the skimmer or in the tank if the skimmer ever overflow. It is always a risk with any hang on tank skimmer and to avoid this the skimmer must be cleaned every month to avoid blockage.

I have the Aquamax on my 30 gallons tank which has a heavy bioload with a peacock mantis, 3 damsels, one clownfish and one coral beauty but the skimmer does the job.

I have the Reef Octopus on my 75 gallons reef tank.

I use a Reef Octopus BH1000, no complaints.

[intarsiabox]

Aquamax is another good little skimmer. It has an overflow that goes back in the skimmer or in the tank if the skimmer ever overflow. It is always a risk with any hang on tank skimmer and to avoid this the skimmer must be cleaned every month to avoid blockage.

I have the Aquamax on my 30 gallons tank which has a heavy bioload with a peacock mantis, 3 damsels, one clownfish and one coral beauty but the skimmer does the job.

I have the Reef Octopus on my 75 gallons reef tank.

I have the Aquamax on a 28g as well and it works great. Virtually silent, easy to completely disassemble and pulls out lots of gunk. I was looking at a Reef Octopus as well for the tank but it is rather large for smaller tanks.