Tall vs Wiiiiide skimmers

Buddyboy · #1 08-03-2006, 06:46 PM

Hi All,

Just wondering which is better. Having a tall skimmer or a wide skimmer and how does this affect performance. ie Should I go for a skimmer that is 5" wide and 22" tall (ER CS80) OR go for a skimmer that is 6" wide and 20" tall (ER CS100). Thanks for any and all replies!

Bud

MoeReefer · #2 08-03-2006, 06:57 PM

i dont know too much about skimmers but i'd say that as long as you get yourself a good quality skimmer it'll do the job just fine. then it just comes down to how much room you have and which one will fit better.

cheers

Aquattro · #3 08-03-2006, 08:15 PM

I'd say that the difference between those two is negligible, so which ever one fits better or is cheaper.

albert_dao · #4 08-03-2006, 08:17 PM

It also depends on the pump. Some skimmers go extra wide because their pumps can't handle the large amount of backpressure from an extra tall tube.

Cap'n · #5 08-04-2006, 12:01 AM

I have a related question.

My HOB skimmer has an approx 18" tall, 3" dia acrylic cylinder. I got an approx 4' acrylic cylinder from work. I imagine it would be a simple matter of taking the old unit apart and attaching the new, larger tube for a huge increase in performance, or am I missing something?

Sorry for the highjack and thanks for any comments.

Myanth · #6 08-04-2006, 03:31 AM

Wide or long does not matter, it is the motion in the ocean. Seriously.

The most important aspect to a skimmer is the length of time that the air bubbles stay in contact with the water and the surface area of the bubbles. Two minutes or more and an almost milky consistency being optimal. Therefor the taller skimmer is usually better unless you are using counter-current and are able to virtually stall the bubbles on their way up. As far as the two skimmers mentioned, I don't have any experience with either.

Mike

Buddyboy · #7 08-04-2006, 05:45 AM

Still not sure which model i'll go with, but i'm sure I can't go wrong either way! Thanks again for your thoughts!

medican · #8 08-04-2006, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myanth

Wide or long does not matter, it is the motion in the ocean. Seriously.

The most important aspect to a skimmer is the length of time that the air bubbles stay in contact with the water and the surface area of the bubbles. Two minutes or more and an almost milky consistency being optimal. Therefor the taller skimmer is usually better unless you are using counter-current and are able to virtually stall the bubbles on their way up. As far as the two skimmers mentioned, I don't have any experience with either.

Mike

Right on the money Mike

Pescador · #9 08-04-2006, 06:46 PM

I have two Euroreefs (CS8-3 and CS6-3) both are the same height but one is the 8 inch width and one is the 6 inch. They are the same pumps on both. The six inch outperforms the bigger one in amounts of skimmate. But like Albert says I think it depends alot on the pump and the bigger one might be underpowered. They now sell CS8-3 with a two pump option that recircs and probably is longer dwell time which might be a better way to go. But they are great skimmers, no adjusting after its set, just clean the air venturi regularly if you have a calcium reactor or are dosing kalk.

Buddyboy · #10 08-04-2006, 08:21 PM

Interesting about the skimmate production Pescador. I'm a bit surprised! I guess it has more to do with the matching of skimmer body size and pump and not necessarily bigger is better.