Help Skimmer!

[dynamite]

Hey, well before I get my skimmer this thursday my question is if I can use an exterior skimmer w/o a sump? If yes, how can I install it. what do you guys think about the Octopus 8" RECIRCULATING protein skimmer (OCT-DNW-200) I have a 90 gallon tank and the skimmer says is up to 300 gallons. Thank you. :spinner:

 

[Reddog170]

From what I have found you can setup an external skimmer without a sump it just takes a little more plumbing. As for the Octopus skimmer, excellent choice IMO. Good luck.

 

[new reefer 03]

i dont know anything about the octopus, but i have a HOB ( external ) Super sKimmer 125 on my 55 gallon.
if you dont already have your octopus i would look into the super skimmer 220.

 

[mordibv]

Sure you can, but it would look awful weird sitting outside ur stand 4 feet in the air beside or behind ur tank . So ur choice is HOB or do the sump .

 

[dynamite]

Thank youu for all the replys. mmm... for me its now imposible to make a sump U_U last week I figured out that my tank was templated so I'll add the sump when I feel ready for an upgrade =D

Reddog170: Do you think Ill need another pump inside the tank to absord the water to get into the skimmer? I'm clueless

Newreefer03: Ill check them out thank you. owww is it the coralife one? Is coralife better than octopus, I see a huge differences of price.

Mordibv: I have lots of space inside my stand so hopefully it will fit.

Thanks to everyone.

 

[jenglish]

I have never had a corallife, for the most part octopus is considered by most (including me) to be the best skimmer you can get for the money. Octopus has a line of HOB skimmers, I runa BH-300 octo HOB on my tank and am very pleased with it.

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

Good choice on skimmer...Bad choice for setup. The drain of a skimmer is a gravity drain so your skimmer would have to be higher than your tank. As for the coralife, I had one. A super skimmer 125, and IMO it was not good for my tank (135 total volume). I think it would be ok for anything under 60gl. I would also have to agree with the above. A HOB would be your best option at this point.

 

[Jeremy0322]

The octopus will be nice if you ever plan on getting a larger tank, which if you are like most of us here is a never ending thought process.

 

[dynamite]

Good choice on skimmer...Bad choice for setup. The drain of a skimmer is a gravity drain so your skimmer would have to be higher than your tank.

Why?? what if I just put it on a table??? Is just that this is my best option.

I saw some HOB skimmers but their rate is not enough for a 90 gallon reef. The octopus ones are expensive and for smaller aquariums, I've heard that the coralife ones suck and the tunzes take a lot of place inside the tank and I don't have a sump to get an insump skimmer.

Jenglish: how big is your tank? is it fish only or a reef?

So I really need to figure out how can I make it work with the OCT-DNW-200... any ideas??? Thanks.

Maurice.

 

[ReefGuy69]

Heres a thought. At the time i made my sump i didnt have the funds for another skimmer. and i already had a HOB seaclone skimmer. So i used that in my sump. It has worked fine ever since. Now the skimmers not the best but i think it gets the job done. You may want to get a decent HOB one that later on you can put in a sump. Just trying to save ya some money down the road.

 

[Jeremy0322]

I did the same thing reef guy and it works good for me. Its also not the best skimmer but it came with the tank and I was trying to do as much as I could with the money I had.

Not the best picture but you get the idea for what we are talking about i guess haha

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

Why?? what if I just put it on a table??? Is just that this is my best option.

So I really need to figure out how can I make it work with the OCT-DNW-200... any ideas??? Thanks.

Maurice.

To use the DNW-200 you will have to have the section circled (in the image below) above the water level in your tank. There is no way around it (unless you have a sump). This means that the skimmer would have to sit higher than your tank.

 

[dynamite]

woow, That was what I needed thank you, okk so Im getting the skimmer this week and the delivery may take another week, max 15 days and ill try to update this thread plus a DIY "Using an exterior skimmer w/o a sump" since I didnt find one U_U and it might be useful

Later.. and thanks again to every1 for the help :LOL:



Maurice

 

[dionysusjg]

Hi,
I was just reading the comment that skimmer drains are gravity driven, does this mean that my intended setup wont work?

I need to do so because the skimmer is too tall to be installed as a hang-on in the cabinet, but its quite bulky, so I'd prefer not to take up most of my sump with it. I want to put it next to the sump and run a hose from the drain back into the tank, but it will have to run up the 'S' hose!
Is this going to be an issue for me?

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

You want your drain on any skimmer to be free flowing, no backpressure. The "s" tube will cause backpressure in the drain and this will cause the skimmer to not operate correctly, you will have problems adjusting it if you are even able to and the collection cup will most likely overflow.