Looking for an Out-of-Sump Protein Skimmer

[Eb0la11]

Hey guys,

I'm having troubles with the used protein skimmer and my particular setup. It has a small leak in one spot that we havent been able to fix. Its on an o-ring seal that leaks just enough for me to not feel comfortable with it running out of my sump, therefore Ive put the unit up with that tid bit of information for someone with a bigger sump that could use it.

So, Im wondering what you guys would suggest for good out of sump skimmers? I would suck out water from the sump into the skimmer and have it dump the skimmed water back in it in a further chamber. Anyone have good suggestions for a skimmer that could do a 165G DT with a 30G sump?

I think our budget is around 500ish but cheaper the better as long as it isnt a POS.

[mseepman]

You may want to look at the Bubble-Magus line of skimmers.

www.nuocean.com sells them out of Brooklyn. I have their nano skimmer and it does a great job. Here's a link to the biggest external that nuocean sells: http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers/bubble-magus-bm260-skimmer.html

I think it's always best to assume they over-estimate skimmer abilities so it would probably be the right size.

The customer service from these guys is good, my collection cup was cracked in shipping and they took care of me immediately.

[kien]

I use a hydor performer 700. It can go in or out of the sump. Works great I love it.

[sphelps]

If you build a separate tank just big enough for your skimmer you won't need an external model. Kind of like a second sump/DT just for the skimmer. This way you could keep your skimmer or use any in-sump skimmer you want without having to worry about a leak or overflow.

Not the best picture or example but to give you an idea:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a174/sphelps/June%2016%202008/DSC_0307.jpg

[Eb0la11]

If you build a separate tank just big enough for your skimmer you won't need an external model. Kind of like a second sump/DT just for the skimmer. This way you could keep your skimmer or use any in-sump skimmer you want without having to worry about a leak or overflow.

Not the best picture or example but to give you an idea:



Ive thought about doing this actually but Im not sure itd work. I dont know how Id plumb it into the system very well so that it wasnt mostly just a stagnant tank.

Kien, that skimmer looks awesome. Is that a filter sock on the return back to the tank? Are you running it externally? My existing skimmer is able to run externally right now but I cant seem to get it to be sealed. Its close but not quite enough. Let me know a bit more about the skimmer, I quite like it.

Mseepman, I am considering yours as well, I think we might be able to find something that'll work out ok.

[kien]

It is not a filter sock on the return but something similar. Just a muffler to keep the splashing down so that there's no noise. Works quite well. The other end of the "sock" is completely open.

I run my skimmer in sump because I am always paranoid about overflow. Occasionally I forget to empty the skimmer cup :redface: There are two holes on the top of the skimmer cup to let air exhaust and sometimes foam comes out of those holes and drips down (again, if I've forgotten to empty the collection cup and it has completely filled up). So long as you keep up with the skimmer cup emptying it is water tight :-) I am thinking about drilling a hole in the skimmer cup and letting it empty into another container like a bottle or something. It doesn't fill up *that* quickly (like every 3 days or so), but I get lazy sometimes.

[Eb0la11]

Where did you get it from kien? Id like to buy locally, but would order if I had to. Do you think Gold's or something would order it for me or something in one of their big orders?

[kien]

Kevin @ Red Coral ordered it in for me ;-)

[mseepman]

Red Coral carries the Hydor Skimmer line...so I'm sure that's where Kien got his.