coralife skimmer

[bv_reefer]

I've narrowed it down to getting a coralife hang-on skimmer in a few days and want to know the pros and cons. i know it's a very popular skimmer and widely used. few questions though. Which one should I get for my 33-gallon mixed reef, the 65-Gallon rated skimmer should be enough right?
Also I've heard something about how they can clog or flood over, why and how can i avoid this? Also how much gunk would they pull out, enough for my tank?

[Chowder]

There definetly cheap and they are very finicky. If you adjust them for water level they will run fine then they will start over flowing . The best way to run them is as a in sump model so if they over flow it just ends up going back into the sump. The 65 version has a small air intake and gets clogged quit easily with calcium. The 125 is a little bit better but has the same overflow problems. If you are going to buy one I would go for the biggest one you can afford. But in that case you might as well get a good skimmer. Allso if you are going to get a bigger tank later it's probably better to get a larger skimmer that you can use on that system. it will save you money in the long run.

[vazgor]

mine has been running for about 6 munths now and i have had no problems but the air intakes do get cloged fairly easyly and if they clog compleatly you will get a flood but i clean mine weekly
you know clean out the cup and check the air intakes but to get a dryer skim i had to adjust the pump so its like only half inch below water line instead of the 3 inchs it says in the manual and i f i new how to post a pic i could snap a few and post them for you

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I used one for about a year. When it was skimming well, it did a great job. It did overflow on me a few times, but I never seemed to get a handle on why, etc. Here's a picture of some of the junk it was able to pull out!

http://x0a.xanga.com/2b0c713362735172368648/b130929674.jpg

BTW....it was the CSS65.

[bv_reefer]

ya i had a feeling that it was the air intake. So in general they'd be ok for a soft coral reef, but definitely some drawbacks such as flooding risk. so for an extra $50 i might as well go for the aqua-c nano. i just can't imagine that little skimmer being better than the coralife. the main reason I'm getting a skimmer is i'm dealing with a diatom problem at the moment and think it's about time to throw in an ok skimmer to help me out a bit-

thanks again drew, looks like if you manage to play with it and prime it right it pulls out a fair share of gunk; I was looking for a pic like that to see how well it skims

[tang daddy]

go with a 220 actually my freind has one f/s for cheap works fine but as you know they do act up that is the nature of a cheap skimmer!
I had one when first starting out cause I didn't wanna spend too much but after it flodded my room twice on carpet too, I almost threw it out the window hahhah JJ I got rid of it.
If you dont mind mopping or smelling carpet soaked with skimmate I say go for it but otherwise get an in sump!

[bv_reefer]

ok well a soaked carpet all over the place is the last thing i need, ok so how about the Aqua-C's then? pros...cons...I've always had these recommended by alot of people, and it looks like a reasonable skimmer, question is; can I get away with an aqua-c nano or must i get the bigger one, the aqua-c regular? :confused:

by the way the thing that really caught my eye is how the aqua-c nano is rated for 5-25 gallons and the coralife is 2/3 the price and rated up to 65 gallon(if that's even really the appropriate rating..!)

[tang daddy]

I don't have any knowledge with aqua c but what I can say is bigger pump more bubbles=mo skimmate what size is your tank, sump?

[kwirky]

i have an aqua-c remora. it's not as "amazing" as my euroreef was but it's pretty good. well built. I wish it wasn't as finicky about oils and such though. when my hands go in the water skimming stops for the rest of the day.

[Chowder]

Do you have a sump?

[robzilla]

i run a remora pro on my 44g. i previously had a css and it did overflow a few times. cleaning up skimmate off carpet is never fun.
i've never a had an issue with the remora. it consistantly pulles out gunk.
look around for a used unit and save yourself the headache with the css.

[Chowder]

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/for/565443948.html

[bv_reefer]

nope i don't have a sump and it's a 33-gallon mixed reef, thanks again for the link jkhchris

[bv_reefer]

o man too bad it's in-sump only :sad: it's the biggest model too..darn

[atcguy]

In this hobby its the equiptment that you have to put your money in for. why not give your livestock the best chance. Many say later they wish they started with the good equiptment. Thats what I was told when I started up 6 years ago. I love my euroreef skimmer w. gate valve mod. Consider

[sharuq1]

I run a css on my 48g and have not had issues. I think it is a 65. For mine there is a "sweet spot" on the dial between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock position. 6 is wet skim and 9 is dry. If I leave it on 6 there is chance of overflow but only if I don't watch and something is going on in my tank. (put in a chemical or forget to rinse media or something). If I leave town I set it to 9 and no probs.

An aquaintance of mine has several of these skimmers and they are pulling out some very nasty skimmate, and not overflowing.

Really the only time mine overflowed it was my fault. Once I didn't rinse out a sponge for the baffle (I was replacing the old one and didn't think) and the other time I forget what it was but I know it was my fault, lol.

Granted they are no euroreef, but if money is a big issue they are most certainly better than no skimmer at all. I shudder to think what my tank would look like with no skimmer.

[bv_reefer]

I've been 4 months now skimmerless and it's going great, can't complain. the sudden need for a skimmer is just to help me out with nutrient export and let loose on the water changes a bit. ok so my last question....so as far as flooding goes, the way it happens is the air intake gets clogged from chemicals and detritus and particles and then what part actually floods?? does a bunch of water flood the floor or does only the crap in the collection cup flood? the whole flooding thing confuses me- so if I have a container underneath the skimmer at all times it's safe?

[Jeff_]

For my CSS 65, the pump pushes more water than air causing the foam head to rise and fill the collection cup so fast that some of the skimmate will flow back into the tank and the rest will go through that top hole, follow my cord to the drip loop and down to the floor. Its usually my fault though when it floods, because I havent cleaned the air intake of the skimmer so whenever it floods i know to clean the intake. One thing that helped it stay stable for me was to keep the output out of the water to reduce back pressure. But other than that it pulls out pretty nasty skimmate, and im pretty happy with it.

If you have a bucket underneath it should be okay but if it floods im pretty sure there it will flood more than usual because the skimmate will fill the bucket before getting on the floor, whichs leaves more time for flooding before you realize that it is flooding.

hope that helps. :mrgreen:

[bv_reefer]

perfect thanks alot, thats what i was wondering. if i do decide to go for the css, i'll guess i'll just always have a 1-gallon bucket underneath to catch any spills or floods, really stuck between the remora and the css at the moment

[b-diddy]

How'd you end up making out with the coralife? I just bought the 65 online on e-bay and I'm hoping it'll be alright.

This is my first salt water tank and I've had great luck so far but any advice for this skimmer would be great.

what part of it overflows? the poop bucket?

[Starry]

I just bought one off e-bay as well. Its skimming my LR curing tank at the moment and pulling some nasty black crud out, nice and dry, and I only recived it yesterday. Was a pita to assemble though, and dont like that the output is right above the intake, but will mod it later.

Added more airline to the "silencer" and that quieted it down alot.

[sharuq1]

The collection cup is what would overflow. Many people run a css. Unlike the seaclone this skimmer actually works, lol.

[b-diddy]

I guess I'll just have to check it often. With a 50 gallon tank how often would something like this be changed? I imagine it depends on how many critters you have swimming around.

I'm looking forward to getting it and trying it out. I've had my tank running for about a month without a protein skimmer and I've got a pretty good film on the top now. Hopefully this'll get rid of all the nasty bits.

[bv_reefer]

Ok i'm getting one :mrgreen: , i'm convinced. definitely gonna have a small container under it incase things go haywire on me and it starts flooding. I do a decent water change every week anyways so this will just help out enough to cut back on the water changes a little bit. I'm going for the 65 model though, hang-on type. so clean the intake every week, adjust the water level and adjust it till it skims wet, got it.

[bv_reefer]

I just bought one off e-bay as well. Its skimming my LR curing tank at the moment and pulling some nasty black crud out, nice and dry, and I only recived it yesterday. Was a pita to assemble though, and dont like that the output is right above the intake, but will mod it later.

Added more airline to the "silencer" and that quieted it down alot.

hey starry what and where exactly is the silencer? i'd like to know if i end up having problems with noise. so just regular clear airline is fine?

[Starry]

It's a small canister that connects to the airline going to the venturi intake. Just connect another foot or so of tubing to where the air is taken in and it shuts it right up. The css can be run HOB or in sump. Mines set up HOB for now till I get my 25 gallon sump set up. I dont like the Rio water pump in my tank, its too big and bulky. But wont matter in a sump application. I have mine running fairly dry so as not to tempt it to over flow. I think the wetter you ran it (water level higher) the more likely of a flood. I have my pump intake about 1" below the surface so if it DOES flood, Im not gonna loose alot of water.

[bv_reefer]

great thanx alot everyone for all the comments,