Need Skimmer for Cad 39G

[Oscar]

Ok I've had it! The no-name made in China skimmer that came as part of the package with my tank is driving me crazy. I came close to heaving it across the room today.

After 6 months and numerous modifications I am still dealing with microbubbles. Plus it is very clumsy to operate without any adustability.

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So I am in the market for a replacement. Here are my specs:

-less than 30 gallons water volume
-tank is located in the living room next to the bedroom so I am looking for something quiet
- very low bio-load at the moment but hoping to "load" up soon, mostly LPS but maybe a couple of SPS, with a max of 5 small fish
- Looking at the Tunze Nano, Tunze 9005, and Deltec 300

But I am open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[trilinearmipmap]

I have a Tunze 9002 nano-skimmer, stay away from it, I get a couple of tablespoons of skimmate per week, and every few weeks the thing starts making a noise or stops working and I have to take it apart and service it. Unlike other Tunze products this thing is a piece of junk.

The bigger Tunze skimmers have good reputations though.

I am waiting for the Euro-reef nano-skimmers to come out then my Tunze will be for sale or I will take it out back and shoot it.

[Oscar]

I am waiting for the Euro-reef nano-skimmers to come out then my Tunze will be for sale or I will take it out back and shoot it.

According to the Euro-reef website they were demo-ing their nano skimmer this weekend. When you do shoot the Tunze please post the video.

[MMAX]

Why run a skimmer at all on a small setup like yours? I used to run a Super Skimmer on my 20gal and the thing was a piece of crap. Removed it and haven't had a problem since, I just go with a 4 or 5 gal water change every week or so.

[Oscar]

Why run a skimmer at all on a small setup like yours? I used to run a Super Skimmer on my 20gal and the thing was a piece of crap. Removed it and haven't had a problem since, I just go with a 4 or 5 gal water change every week or so.

What is your bioload / livestock?

[MMAX]

3...make that 2 fish (one of my clowns committed suicide last night-jumped out), 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 turbo snails, 7 hermits, a few stometalla (slugs), hairy crab, 5 or 6 corals (mostly softies) and 1 sun coral.

[justinl]

I have never had any problem with my tunze 9002. could have more skimmate but runs pretty well imo. about a cup a week. 75g stocked with a few lps (fed), blue damsel, canary wrasse, peacock mantis.

however, if you have the cash, the deltec is superior from what i hear.

[Oscar]

I have never had any problem with my tunze 9002. could have more skimmate but runs pretty well imo. about a cup a week.


Does the skimmate look like green tea or darker? What is the noise level like?

[justinl]

much darker than green tea. there is a slight fizzling noise that be slightly louder on some days, but it's really nothing more than a whisper.

imo the 9002 would definitely serve well on a 30g. MCE300 would be overkill, but would get the job (and then some) done while allowing for possible upgrades down the road.

[OCDP]

Well, I'll be the one to suggest an AquaC Remora. I've only used these skimmers, but I have been very impressed with the quality and consistancy of them.. they have never let me down. You put a small peice of paper towel into the injector compartment and it's very, very quiet. I have my nano in my living room and noise is no issue whatsoever.

I am now using a Remora Nano w/ an upgraded Maxijet 1200, and it's near the same performance as a regular Remora. The skimmate I get all varies, depending on how I have the collection cup tuned in. Generaly speaking though, the skimmate is dark, while if the cup is set low, it's more of a darker green tea colour. My only gripe with this skimmer, and is a common problem with most skimmers I am sure, is once the neck of the collection cup gets a slime coating of algae, the skimmate becomes more wet, and less frothy and foamy. I hope that made sense. Not a big problem, just a simple wipe down the skimmer neck every 3rd or 4th day for me.

Just my two cents, Remora has never let me down! Very reliable skimmer IME.

[mseepman]

Oscar,

I'd be looking at this skimmer from Aqua-medic. I was going to buy the blue-3000 but I just couldn't wait until the supplier got it and instead got a Tunze 9015. The traditional AM skimmers are pretty well liked and the blue series gets rave reviews in Europe were it's been out for a while. As for price...Aquacave does ship to Canada and $199 isn't too bad, especially when you compare it to the Deltec. Only the pump needs to go into the chamber too so you generally won't be too worried about space.

Here's a link: http://www.aquacave.com/turboflotor-blue-1000-brprotein-skimmer-brby-aquamedic-2274.html

I looked at the Blue3000 at Wai's in Calgary and build quality was very good.

Just my thoughts though.

[RonPeter]

They ship via UPS though so that could be deadly.

[mseepman]

UPS has really been that bad? Mainly for Duty charges or for wrecking the product?

[Oscar]

Oscar,

I'd be looking at this skimmer from Aqua-medic. I was going to buy the blue-3000 but I just couldn't wait until the supplier got it and instead got a Tunze 9015. The traditional AM skimmers are pretty well liked and the blue series gets rave reviews in Europe were it's been out for a while. As for price...Aquacave does ship to Canada and $199 isn't too bad, especially when you compare it to the Deltec. Only the pump needs to go into the chamber too so you generally won't be too worried about space.


I looked at the Blue3000 at Wai's in Calgary and build quality was very good.

Just my thoughts though.

Thanks for the input Mark. I will have to do some research on this one. Does Wai carry this model? Who is the supplier you were referring to?

[mseepman]

www.Aquacave.com carries it and they ship to Canada. I hear people speak highly of their customer service and their prices aren't bad. Apparently they use UPS which might be a problem, but I'm not completely sure why.

When I last visited Wai's they only had the larger 3000 model in but they tend to be fairly pricy with their stuff. I would call them and ask...he will ship. Site for them is www.waisaquarium.com (rough site but will have ph#'s etc.)

Hope that helps.

[Oscar]

I have to get used the Canadian dollar dropping again. And yes UPS does not have a great reputation on their deliveries.

Aquamedic also has this unit http://www.aqua-medic.com/turboflotor_multi.shtml that apparently Big Als carries in Canada.

[trilinearmipmap]

Bubble Magus has a hang-on nano-skimmer, I think the website is Nu-ocean.com, no idea how good this skimmer is, the other Bubble Magus skimmers have good reviews though.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Why do you need a skimmer really on a 29G? If it's stocked properly, all you need is water changes weekly or even every two weeks. IMO there should only be 2-3 fish in a 29 anyways and since they would be smaller fish, why spend the money on a small skimmer? They are relatively expensive (for what they are) and not very efficient. The problem is skimmer designs need WAY more contact time and these small models just don't give it.

I have had no problem keeping several nano tanks over the years with no skimmer.

Personally I would save the money and grow some macro instead. For a small tank sits much more efficient and cheaper by far.

Good luck!

[Oscar]

Why do you need a skimmer really on a 29G? If it's stocked properly, all you need is water changes weekly or even every two weeks. IMO there should only be 2-3 fish in a 29 anyways and since they would be smaller fish, why spend the money on a small skimmer?

Good points. I only have 2 clowns a handful of corals and a few shrimp. I am doing weekly water changes as I battle hair algae. I am still getting 1 cup of farily dark skimmate per week.

So the skimmer is working even with a very low bioload.

[Leah]

I use the remora nano to on all my tanks Remora that is I have one on my 33 gal QT/
whatever tank. I also run another nano on my seahorse tank. All be it probably very
low bioload. Having said that I have nothing to compare it with, I second OCDP mine
have never let me done either!
________
Harley-Davidson FLHS (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Harley-Davidson_FLHS)

[cwickham]

I have never had any problem with my tunze 9002. could have more skimmate but runs pretty well imo. about a cup a week. 75g stocked with a few lps (fed), blue damsel, canary wrasse, peacock mantis.

however, if you have the cash, the deltec is superior from what i hear.

I love my tunze 9002 aswell, it can be set very easily to only remove the nastyest brown gunk... its silent, no micro bubbles and been running about 4 months now and no problems

[Oscar]

I love my tunze 9002 aswell, it can be set very easily to only remove the nastyest brown gunk... its silent, no micro bubbles and been running about 4 months now and no problems

How large is your tank and what kind of bioload?

[cwickham]

How large is your tank and what kind of bioload?

33 gallon right now, with 20 gal sump. I have a small bio load though, softies, goby, pistol shrimp, snails and hermits.. but the skimmer still removes nasty brown stuff.. thick and gross

[mseepman]

Hey Oscar, if you were thinking on getting the Aquamedic Turbo-flotor, Red Coral in Calgary carries them (a Canreef sponsor). Not sure I'm a big fan of the original Turbo-flotor but I'm sure there are people on here that you can ask since it's been around forever.

[Oscar]

One last try with this skimmer. I turned it 180 degrees so that instead of emptying into chamber 3 it empties into chamber 1. This is an AIO tank with overflows in chambers 1 and 3 and the return pump in chamber 4.

Now the water exiting the skimmer has twice as far to travel before endng up back in the display. We will see how this works since now 1/2 of the water it is skimming is previously skimmed.

This would be a similar effect to some of the nano skimmers which appear to have their intakes and exits either in the same chamber or right beside each other.

This skimmer has always produced a reasonable quantity of skimate it has just been madening with the micro bubbles.