What would a good skimmer be for a 300 gallon semi reef?

[Hustler]

I am just starting the switch over from fresh to salt and the first buy on my list is a skimmer, then salt and live rock/sand.
I have a 300 gallon tank and 90 gallon sump with a 30" stand give or take.
Im looking for something affordable that will keep up with a few fish and critters, 300lbs of live rock and a few corals but not an all out reef.
Any advice is much appreciated

[Skimmerking]

i will chime in here since I have the title of SKimmer King......
How much do you wanna spend?
where is your sump?
Where is your tank at?
Height under that you need if the sump is under the tank?
External or In Sump?
what is your stocking to figure out hoe much to skim?
if you have it in Sump skimmer compartment for the sump?

[The Grizz]

I am going to use my Reef Octopuss RPS 3000 recirculating skimmer on my up coming 300 gal 8'er. It has been amazing on the 167 gal, good for 400 gal & was priced right on EBay.

[Skimmerking]

the biggest thing about a big tank is skimming when you want. When you have to debate on when and if you are skimming enough then you dont have enough power.

here is my look at what is out there. I have had pretty much all skimmers that have been made. Ask around Im the dude to talk to.

Beckett skimmers- amazing skimmers they can be used in or out of the Sump. they need a powerful pump to run them. and trust me the big pumps can eat POWER $$$$$$ but they skimmer the crap out of the water. reefer's use these on FOWLR. these skimmers are once dialed in they are unstoppable . all you do is set lots of air and clean 1x per month and some reefer's dont do that

Venturi Skimmers Quiet low cost to run and fit in the Sump or External. low profile and can compete with the Beckett's. but you need to keep them clean all the time. to run efficient.

Recirculating skimmers the best of both worlds its like having a Beckett and a venturi in one. I have the Deltec AP 702 dual EHIEM 1262's you can run straight RAW tank water to clean the tank. you can dial in super easy and quiet and place anywhere by the tank since its External.

I could go on, however when you have a huge tank like a300 ga why skimp go with what you can get and then some more. I would want a skimmer that can skim at least 3-4 times more then the tank when deaing with Recirculating skimmers you can drop that by 2-3 times due to you are basically re skimming HTH you out

let me know if you wanna get into a talk i can can you

[whatcaneyedo]

If affordability is your main concern keep an eye on the buy/sell section and pick up something rated for at least 400gal.

My current system holds about 240gal and has a relatively high bioload as I feed a lot and often because of the types of fish that I keep. For it I was able to buy an old model Precision Marine Bullet 3 used for a small fraction of what they retail for. I'm certain it could handle more than what I'm using it for so I intend on continuing to use it when I eventually upgrade to a larger system (370gal hopefully).

[The Codfather]

Normally I would say look around and do some research, I went through a number of skimmers in the past as well. All I can say is I waited awhile to get one used, but would never go to anything else now.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt252/codfather_2009/IMG_0603.jpg

[Bblinks]

I would go with a bbk supermarin 250 or 300, 300 would be better. If that is out of the price range than an alpha cone 300 will have the almost equivalent performance as the bbk with a lower price tag. Still expensive for a skimmer but I believe it is a single most important piece of equipment for your tank.

[Skimmerking]

Normally I would say look around and do some research, I went through a number of skimmers in the past as well. All I can say is I waited awhile to get one used, but would never go to anything else now.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt252/codfather_2009/IMG_0603.jpg
looks liek my old one hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i would get a vertex 300 then you would be GTG IMHE and IMHO

[Hustler]

I have 30 inches of room or headspace between the floor of the sump and the bottom of the tank, in sump would be fine, I plan not to have too many fish and 300+lbs live rock and I wont overfeed lol.
I wasnt looking to spend a grand, would it make more sense to run 2 cheaper high quality ones?
Seems the skimmers go from just under $500 to $1000 with nothing inbetween lol
Also Ive seen a few videos where guys have added a fitting to the skimmer cup to dump excess into a jug.... is this possible with all of them?

[mseepman]

I have the Reef Octopus xp 5000 cone coming and from what I understand its an excellent Skimmer for the price. I will have a little more water volume than you on my new build but this Skimmer should do the trick.

[viperfish]

Check out SWC as well, they are a Canadian company and make awesome skimmers. http://www.saltwaterconnection.com/

FYI, you don't need to Buy a Bubble King to have a good skimmer. There are lots that can do as good for a fraction of the price.

[Myka]

I wasnt looking to spend a grand, would it make more sense to run 2 cheaper high quality ones? No, bad idea.

Seems the skimmers go from just under $500 to $1000 with nothing inbetween lol Yep, pretty much. The best way to go in between is to buy a used $1200 skimmer for $750. :D

Also Ive seen a few videos where guys have added a fitting to the skimmer cup to dump excess into a jug.... is this possible with all of them? Imo this is a bad idea. Your skimmer will overflow on occasion. Normally it would just overflow back into the sump, but if it is plumbed out then it can drain your sump and burn out your return pump. If you have an ATO then the ATO will kick in, and flood your tank with freshwater. Both are bad possibilities.

Listen to Asmodeus...he knows his skimmers. Vertex are good skimmers for the price.

I have 2 SWC cone skimmers, and they are great skimmers...skim like no tomorrow. However, they do have a drawback...cheap pumps that are prone to issues and premature death. They also only have a 6 month warranty. When/if my SWC skimmers' pumps die I will replace with a more durable pump. Skimz are basically the same design but with better pumps.

[unclesalty]

Normally I would say look around and do some research, I went through a number of skimmers in the past as well. All I can say is I waited awhile to get one used, but would never go to anything else now.
http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt252/codfather_2009/IMG_0603.jpg

I totally agree 100% on the BK Supermarine. Its a beast and definately the best skimmer I owned so far. Originally I was going to buy a Deltec or an ATB because of their super customer service but glad I went with BK!!

[viperfish]

I have 2 SWC cone skimmers, and they are great skimmers...skim like no tomorrow. However, they do have a drawback...cheap pumps that are prone to issues and premature death. They also only have a 6 month warranty. When/if my SWC skimmers' pumps die I will replace with a more durable pump. Skimz are basically the same design but with better pumps.

I don't know which SWC models you have but I have the SWC 230 with the Askoll pump, not a cheap pump at all.

[wickedfrags]

plan on purchasing a skimmer/pump combination in and around the $1200-$1500 price range (new) for a system that size.....as it's the most important piece of hardware you will by ever by, don't skimp

[Myka]

I don't know which SWC models you have but I have the SWC 230 with the Askoll pump, not a cheap pump at all.

Hey this is a good point. I forgot the bigger SWC cones come with the Askoll. I was referring to the Sicce and Atman pumps.

The SWC Xtreme 250A Cone would be a great skimmer for a 300 gallon tank and at $750 is between $500 and $1000. :D

Btw, I don't usually believe the manufacturer recommended tank sizes...or at least go to the bottom of their scale. I consider air intake one of the most important factors when choosing a skimmer size. The SWC Xtreme 230 is $565, but I think it would be pushing size for a newbie on a 300 gallon tank. Although I think the 230 @ $565 is a better buy than the 250A at $750.

[Hustler]

Are the skimz series comparable?

[unclesalty]

Are the skimz series comparable?

Skimz and SWC are Chinese manufactured
Bubble King is German manfactured

BMW, Audi, Mecedes vs Toyota, Honda - which would you pick?

[Hustler]

LOL that is funny to say the least.... Ive seen a welding rig (chevy) that had a bumper sticker reffering to it being made with sockets not with chopsticks lol...
I get the point.... but there is a cost factor aswell and from time to time..... there are some really good cheap chinese products that out perform at half price. Im just looking for a solid skimmer at a decent price no matter what the brand.....as long as it works :)

[unclesalty]

LOL that is funny to say the least.... Ive seen a welding rig (chevy) that had a bumper sticker reffering to it being made with sockets not with chopsticks lol...
I get the point.... but there is a cost factor aswell and from time to time..... there are some really good cheap chinese products that out perform at half price. Im just looking for a solid skimmer at a decent price no matter what the brand.....as long as it works :)

The Vertex Alpha Cones are awesome skimmers and reasonably priced IMO

[unclesalty]

Another good skimmer I wouldn't hesitate buying is the ATB. Just bought a ATB return pump and Victors(ATB)customer service is awesome!

[Myka]

The Vertex Alpha Cones are awesome skimmers and reasonably priced IMO

The Bubble King Super Marine 250 ($1800) would be king in this competition. However, not everyone can afford an $1800 skimmer. So there are some cheaper versions that are comparable in design as far as flow and air intake. Obviously there are sacrifices made to produce a cheaper skimmer like pump quality and build quality. Most of the better skimmers are essentially all designed the same (main difference being cylindrical or conical)...it's not hard to make copycats. The Bubble King is an industry leader right now, and is the Rolls Royce of skimmers. It will outperform other skimmers in its size class.

In the same size class are the Vertex Alpha Cone 250 ($1200), the Skimz 251 ($750), and the SWC 230 cone ($565).

A 300 gallon saltwater tank is a big jump to make as a newbie, and not something I would personally recommend mostly because of costs associated with setup and maintenance as well as little mistakes turn into large costly mistakes very quickly. If a hobby is costing a person a lot of money, and is not pleasing or satisfying to partake in loss of interest quickly ensues. I believe a newbie is better off starting with a budget, and then choose a tank size to appropriately match. Many newbies get turned off of reefing because they buy sub-par equipment which makes maintenance much more difficult and the tank slowly dwindles into a slough. I think the biggest mistake a newbie can make is skimping out on a skimmer. A good skimmer will help to buffer many newbie mistakes, a so-so skimmer will not absorb newbie mistakes.

[Hustler]

Anyone have anything good to say about the bubble magnus NAC9? seems to be the right size?
Or the bubble magnus BMH200 1480? Its really tall but I can run it inline and beside the tank and it does over double the tank recomended specs.
I do want overkill just to be safe

[Myka]

I don't know anything about those Bubble Magnus (isn't it Magus?). I heard a lot of talk about them 1-2 years ago, but haven't heard much talk lately.

That used Bubble King I PMed you about sold on Thursday. :(

[Hustler]

Yup i spoke to him yesterday and he said it was sold before he shut it down lol. But thanks for the help :)
Ive seen a few videos of larger setups and they seem to be going with the taller inline skimmers or the ASM G4+ but that may not fit as I will only have a half inch of play ontop of the cup.

[Myka]

Yup i spoke to him yesterday and he said it was sold before he shut it down lol. But thanks for the help :)

Oh that's weird, it was sitting in the store for like 3 weeks.

Ive seen a few videos of larger setups and they seem to be going with the taller inline skimmers or the ASM G4+ but that may not fit as I will only have a half inch of play ontop of the cup.

You need at least 1" to be safe that you can get that cup out of there. Try cutting a stick the exact height of the skimmer and put it in your sump to double check height. Sometimes we don't measure properly when we have glass thicknesses and such at play.