Skimmer is making my head hurt

M

magnum

Member
Hi, I need help with a skimmer. I have been researching everything I can find on just about every brand I can think of. I find one I like but when I read the reviews some people love it and say its quite and never needs adjusting the next review says it stinks and is loud and needs constant adjusting. I have come to the conclusion that Bubble King is the best but I don't have that kind of a budget. One LFS is recommending the Coralife another the Bubble Magus another the Eshoppe's. I would like a unit rated for around 200 gal and don't want to spend over $400.00 US (less would be better). I was wondering if people would take a minute just to post what skimmer they have, if it works well and if its noisy. If enough people are happy with one brand or not happy with another I can figure where to look or stay away from.

Thanks
Mike
 
ddelozier

ddelozier

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
RS Ambassador
I've used Reef Octopus alot, and Eshoppes a time or two...either would be good. They are good equipment
 
whippetguy

whippetguy

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
PREMIUM
As far as the sound goes, you're always going to get mixed reviews. One person's purr, is another person's roar. I've heard good things about the ones you are considering, but haven't experience with any skimmers that large. One day, maybe.
 
T

Tigersref

Member
A good skimmer is at the heart of your aquarium. I would opt for getting the best one i could afford. (noise notwithstanding).
 
M

magnum

Member
The tank is only a 90 gal. I'm trying to set up my filtration for a 200 gal tank so there is room to grow. As for getting the best one I can afford, that is what I'm trying to do but what one is the best I can afford.
 
M

magnum

Member
Thanks nano, that is one of the units that have me confused most reviews are good some are not. I have been thinking about the Eshopps S200 cone skimmer. can't find many reviews on it. Its a 200gal skimmer with a pretty small footprint. plus its going into the Eshopps R-200 refugium so I assume they will mate up well size Wise.
 
M

magnum

Member
I decided to just go with my gut and order the Eshopps S200 cant find many reviews on it but the few I found were positive. It has a small footprint and claims to be silent. Time will tell if I made the right choice.
 
M

magnum

Member
I ordered it yesterday off amazon best price I could find. It came today. I will break it in in a bucket of changed water and maybe empty my Tunze nano cup in it to give it somthing to work on. I will keep you posted.
 
M

magnum

Member
Well the tank cycled faster then expected so I put the skimmer in the sump it is very quiet, I can't hear it at all. It overflowed a couple times but has settled down a lot. I needed to raise it up some so I can keep the water level where I want it but so far so good. It has started collecting some debris but not much of a load to work on.
 
M

mcarroll

New Member
Good luck with that skimmer.

For posterity, the main key to stable skimmer performance is an auto-top-off system (i.e. a super-stable water level). Without an ATO, most skimmers are not going to give a good experience. A surprising number of people want to cheap out and not run an ATO, so IMO you'll have some bad reviews on all skimmers for this reason alone. (And the review will of course never mention the lack of proper operating environment.)

Second most important factor is regular cleanings. Depending somewhat on the skimmer design, air intakes become clogged, reaction chambers coated, etc....all those add up to decreased skimming and otherwise poor performance. Cleaning the reaction chamber is always my #1 target...it gets cleaned with every skimmer cup emptying, or at least once a week. (Sometimes daily if I'm around a lot.)

Even with those those two factors locked down, most skimmers will only get out about 30% (or less) of tank waste....no better than that no matter what you spend, no matter what shape the skimmer is. :)

-Matt
 
M

magnum

Member
Thanks Matt. I will be setting up an auto top off. I purchased the Eshoppes float that goes in the sump and I will be running it to my RO-DI unit
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top