Protein Skimmers

richbaker38

richbaker38

New Member
Greetings to all:

I am working on a design for a reef tank and need some no-nonsense advice from experienced reefers. I find myself stuck on the decision for a protein skimmer, which will dictate the configuration of my sump. This is my first saltwater build after years of keeping fresh water, and I would appreciate any advice from the forum. In short the plan is a 125 gallon display with a 55 gallon sump, this decision has taken a lot of thought as I know bigger is always better, this is the biggest tank I can swing in terms of budget and space. I plan to start with Fish and Live Rock however, I do have a desire to keep and grow coral eventually.

I know from experience in fresh water to upsize filtration, and I am looking at skimmers suited for 150 to 200 gallons. The question is what are the differences between manufactures, what should I consider other than manufacture ratings?

Best Regards,

Rich
 
Fishdad1

Fishdad1

Member
My setup is exactly the same,125 dt and 55 sump. If you have a typical 125 stand you're going to be very frustrated with the height space for the sump. Its very inaccessible. I originally went with a reef octopus but couldn't get the collection cup to fit between the top of the stand an the sump so I had to exchange it. I went with a terminator 2 skimmer (awesome name, I know) and this thing is a monster. Best part is... no collection cup. It feeds to a hose that you can drop in whatever receptacle you'd like.

Here's a you tube review...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skefZn4JNUE
 
PSU4ME

PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
Good experience from Fishdad! Height restrictions are a definite consideration so when looking at skimmers always review their height, optimal water level height and the necessary inches to remove the collection cup. Do the math and compare to your dimensions.

A FOWLR tank is really cool and if you plan to go reef, I would suggest that you use RO/DI water from the start! Lots of people "switch" to RO/DI when they want a reef but by then most of the damage is done IMO. Get good live rock, run a skimmer and carbon and use RO/DI and you can make the switch to a reef easily!

As for skimmer ratings, I would suggest looking for something rated in the 200-250 gallon range. Might be a little overkill for a standard stocked FOWLR but a requirement for a reef tank do the the needs of the corals.

Good Luck!
 
Fishdad1

Fishdad1

Member
Careful though, at 20.6" you probably can't remove the cup in a standard 125 cabinet. If I remember correctly my RO was 19".
 
reefle

reefle

Active Member
I have a reef octopus space saver. its a new model and much smaller than their standard skimmers. It does work!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top