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View Full Version : LARGE skimmer....decisions decisions!


L&DJameson
03-19-2014, 10:29 PM
Hi Everyone! I hope you are having a great day. I am having trouble deciding what skimmer to go with. I will have approximately 300-400 gallons total and I would like to run an external skimmer to save space in my sump however I am open to redesigning my sump. I'd like to hear from the experienced reefers out there with the larger aquariums. What are you running and what would you recommend? :question:

Thank you! Hopefully I get lots of input.

mseepman
03-19-2014, 10:39 PM
I have about 350 in total water and run the octo xp5000 internal. Great skimmer. I have the auto head cleaner as well. Its run solid for about 14 months now and i'm going to clean the pump for the first time this weekend. I've noticed a slight decrease in production over the last few months.

L&DJameson
03-19-2014, 10:47 PM
Thank you for your input mseepman! I'm going to look into them.

Does this seem like a good choice? I don't know much about Beckett skimmers, just that the duals require more tweeking and cleaning.

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-pets-accessories-xlg-double-beckett-protein-skimmer-W0QQAdIdZ571844983

mseepman
03-19-2014, 10:52 PM
My thoughts would be that the Beckett skimmer is tried and true but Expensive to run long term. Also seems more touchy in my opinion. There are many good skimmers out there now and I would gravitate to the newer styles for power savings.

shrimp
03-19-2014, 11:01 PM
Bubble King 250 would work perfectly for you if it fits your budget.

Tom R
03-19-2014, 11:25 PM
I use a Vertex Alpha 300 Cone Skimmer on my 400 G system and it is great.
It is easy to set up, easy to clean and economical to run.

Tom R

untamed
03-20-2014, 02:41 AM
Mine is a custom made monster... 5 feet tall x 12"D with 4 needle wheel pumps. If I had to choose again, I would go with one larger Venturi pump because keeping all those needle wheels functioning is a PIA.

I still believe that size/height matter. It is about contact time.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/100_0688.jpg

BlueTang<3
03-20-2014, 12:32 PM
Ever since I owned my first bubble king I have been a fan

This is the new beast, as a reference that's a full sized boxer.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh619/dukeandotis/3E07DF46-8613-4528-8072-B58992737E50-6581-00000D4208AD8AF3_zps501e63f0.jpg

Doug
03-20-2014, 03:57 PM
Was going with a high end $$$$ skimmer for my new sps tank but for around the same price bought a top quality 40g sump and 30in. Lifereef skimmer. Churning out tons of crap.

BackPackHunter
03-20-2014, 05:07 PM
Don't mean to hijack
But with large tanks is there any advantage to running 2 skimmers?
My thoughts would be you can clean one while the other is running and if one breaks down , you are still skimming intill you fix the other one?
Or would it be more of a PITA to have 2?

SeaHorse_Fanatic
03-20-2014, 11:01 PM
It is hard to tweak two skimmers to work optimally at the same time. I think I've read that it can lead to one working well, the other one not working very well.

Doug
03-23-2014, 04:51 AM
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii86/Flatlander_photos/DSC01922_zps2d4f16ff.jpg (http://s262.photobucket.com/user/Flatlander_photos/media/DSC01922_zps2d4f16ff.jpg.html)