Protein Skimmers

[mathewkofalk]

So i need advice on the type of skimmer to put in a sump on my newly aquired 75gal. It has a 29gal sump. I see some rather expensive ones then i see this and wonder why this seems to good to be true http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4392+13924&pcatid=13924 .......its not that im trying to be cheap, but i need to understand what i should be looking for in a skimmer. So that being said i want value in what i buy i dont need the best but i dontt want to be super cheap also.

 

[asn-naso]

Re: Protein Skimmers

I'll have a ASM g1 for sale in the next week or so.

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[dakota1972]

Re: Protein Skimmers

cadlights skimmer inexpensive and works like a horse

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[bubbarockies]

I ran the Coralife 65 gallon skimmer on my 75 for awhile. It worked great for me. It is good bang for your buck but I adjusted the valve on it every 2 to 3 days. It filled a cup just about every week with some really smelly crud. The ASM skimmers are an excellent value as well IMO, I ran one on a 35 gallon FOWLR I had awhile back and it has a very simple, clever design for the adjustment level. Some of the higher dollar skimmers (at least from the reviews I've read) are fairly set it and forget it. But for me, I will spend a little extra time adjusting the level to save some money. The ASM skimmers can be modded to get even better results, but for 88 bucks from Petco the Coralife is a sweet skimmer. I have an ASM G1 (cup no longer fastens, just kind of locks in, but still works fine) or the Coralife 65 I would sell you if you want. Shoot me a PM if interested.

 

[subpotentjoe]

Coralife is not good enough for a reef tank. I started my reef with a Coralife 125 Super Skimmer. It doesnt create near the same foam nor does it have the same dwell time as the ASM's or Reef Octopus'. The collection cups on the coralifes are too small and they overflow easy. I upgraded within a few months. I just keep the coralife around as an emergency back up.
This is a smokin deal and more than enough skimmer for a 75 gallon reef (with room to upgrade to a bigger tank down the road).
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?18270-Asm-g3-with-gate-and-mesh-mod-wts
You want to have a skimmer that is rated for more gallons than you actually have. I would go 150-200 gallons on a 75 with a 29 sump personally. I have a Reef Octopus right now and its been an awesome skimmer for me for 3+ years. A good skimmer will last a long time and has some resale value if you ever need to get rid of it. No one wants a used coralife skimmer...

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Protein Skimmers

I have an asm g3 for sale that ran really well on my 75 when I had it up. Look for my for sale thred. You'd be able to have a heavy stock with that bad boy.


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[Dr.DiSilicate]

Protein Skimmers

Thanks joe!


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[bubbarockies]

I partly disagree. I do agree that an ASM is better than a Coralife, and ReefOctopus better than both, however, many successful reef tanks don't run a skimmer at all. Any skimmer is going to increase bioload, however, higher quality skimmers will increase bioload more. Ultimately my decision to go without a skimmer was that it can take out stuff that I still want in my tank. I always kept bioload down in my tanks so I never really needed a beast skimmer. I personally think that overskimming can suck out nutrients at a higher rate than is best for the tank, specifically corals. It really depends on how you want to run your tank. Oh, and I promise I'm not just trying to sell you my crap.:highly_amused:

 

[subpotentjoe]

Any reef tank that has ever "wowed" me in person has a beast skimmer. Skimmerless tanks are just so few and far between. Who doesnt want the ability to have a bigger bio load? Or the ability to upgrade tanks with the same equipment? I wasn't implying that you (bubba) are trying to sell him a skimmer even though my response sounded that way. I apologize for that. For me, my skimmer and lights are the most important pieces of my reef equipment. I can feed 2-3 times a day with not too many worries.

 

[mathewkofalk]

I may be in the market in the next week or two il bump this post when i haz some cash. birthday is on sunday hopefully someone sends me a couple bucks

 

[bubbarockies]

Joe- I didn't think you thought that at all. I was putting a disclaimer so my opinions wouldn't be discounted like a salesman from ultimate electronics. haha, back to subject. One of the biggest downside for skimming in my system was that I just could not get copepods to reproduce enough to where I felt comfortable putting in a mandarin. I took the skimmer out along with some fish and continued to dose phyto from Algae Barn and the pod population exploded in like 10 days and my nitrates haven's spiked at all and my mandarin is nice and fat. I also have a zoa dominated tank, and at least in my experience my zoas have grown much faster since pulling the skimmer. I will admit that I have never set up a tank without a skimmer, but I do think that my zoas love the water better since pulling the skimmer. I know that without the help of a skimmer I never would have gotten the nitrates down to a good level following the cycle. That's why I still have 2 .

 

[mathewkofalk]

a return pump is first and formost also

 

[Psychosis]

I'm not sure if I can link to ebay, but if you search for an "sca 302," a rebranded Bubble Magus pops up. It says it's rated to 150 or 180 gallons, which in the real world means it will be perfect for a 75. $150 with free shipping, and it even runs an atman (again, rebranded.) Buying locally might still be a better option, I just figured I'd throw out another.