Skimmer ????????

[burntfish]

I have decided to build my own sump/refug but need some help with the skimmer. I am looking at the Seaclone 150 and berlin 250. This would be for a 55 gal reef tank. the sump/refug will be 24"x12"x12". Any help would be great. I have been looking for plexiglass and think estreet plastics has the best deal but could be wrong.

[rbursek]

From what I have read on forums and been told the Sea Clone is junk, FWIW. I have no experience with the Berlin so I can not comment on that one.
Bob

[lcstorc]

As usual I have to stop by with my ASM recommendation. A G1 would be awesome on that tank.

[InLimbo87]

I, too, would say to scratch the Seaclone off your list. I used a Seaclone 150 on a 30 gallon of mine and it did nothing for me except load the tank full of microbubbles. I'd look into the Octopus NW150 if you're on a budget. Can compete with the more expensive ASM's for a fraction of the cost..

[Jason25]

I agree with the octo 150NW, I use this on my 54gal. corner tank and it does a great job, I got it for 160.00 shipped from the octo sponsor here.

[zy112]

Seaclone sucks and the berlin is ok. I like the ASM suggestion, personally I would go with euroreef

[burntfish]

thanks for the info. I have looked at the ASM stuff sounds nice but might be out of range.

[tbittner]

Check RS's sponsors. You can get really good deals from them and they're all reliable and trustworthy.

[BoomerD]

Originally Posted by burntfish

thanks for the info. I have looked at the ASM stuff sounds nice but might be out of range.

Buying less-than-good equipment then buying good equipment only adds to the cost of the good equipment and could create problems in your tank.
My spin is that this hobby is expensive enough as it is, WHY buy equipment twice rather than save a bit longer and buy good equipment the first time?

This applies to skimmers and lighting especially.

[InLimbo87]

Originally Posted by BoomerD

Buying less-than-good equipment then buying good equipment only adds to the cost of the good equipment and could create problems in your tank.
My spin is that this hobby is expensive enough as it is, WHY buy equipment twice rather than save a bit longer and buy good equipment the first time?

This applies to skimmers and lighting especially.

Although I agree partially with your idea, IMO its not completely necessary to buy the best/most expensive things for your setup as long as you plan a good overall setup. For example, you CAN run a good setup without a skimmer completely if you plan your stocking properly and rely on weekly waterchanges or refugiums for nutrient export.

I think the OP should really look into the Octopus skimmers. They'll run you somewhere in the 150ish range for a brand new one (or you can get lucky and score one used) and will most definitely be great for your setup. Much cheaper than the comparable ASM's and Euroreefs, and have been known to produce similar results.

[lcstorc]

Most expensive is not necessarily the best. You could always say you get what you pay for. Either one is true.
That is what I really like about ASM. They are medium priced and work great.
I have heard good things abouy Octopus so I would certainly consider it if I did not have such great results from my ASMs.

[AQTCJAK]

Check out the group buy on the Terminator II

[burntfish]

Don't get me wrong I do want to do this right. I'm just trying to find the best deals not the cheap stuff. I have looked at the octopus stuff and looks good. Does the terminator in the group buy work in a sump. should I have my tank drilled or use a hang on overflow. the tank is a 55 glass. I know this hobby gets real expensive and I not trying to cut corners just trying not to spend more on the setup then I should. Also how big of a skimmer should I get for a 55 gal tank. Before I found this forum some people told me 3 times the size of tank others said as close to the tank size so you do pull to much good stuff from the water. My sump/refug I'm going to build is a 20gal with the tank out line running into the refug and and another line running into the skimmer, both of which flow into the return area. I got the idea from this site. Thanks for the help and keep it coming.

[nucmed]

I used to use the seaclone a couple of years ago and it worked like it's supposed to but it did spit a lot of microbubbles into the tank. I don't know anything about the berlin. If your going to use it in the sump that might not be a problem for you if you use a sponge before your return. I'm in the process of building a new system myself and I'm stuck between an octopus, ASM, and euroreef.

[heels92]

Originally Posted by burntfish

I have decided to build my own sump/refug but need some help with the skimmer. I am looking at the Seaclone 150 and berlin 250. This would be for a 55 gal reef tank. the sump/refug will be 24"x12"x12". Any help would be great. I have been looking for plexiglass and think estreet plastics has the best deal but could be wrong.

I just upgraded my skimmer to the Berlin Classic (250) and it works great. I had heard that it was a finicky skimmer, but I hooked it up to a rio 2100 and it seems to work great.

However, after buying the skimmer for $120 and adding the pump for $50 you might be able to get a great all inclusive deal for about the same price.

But the Berlin does seem to be a good skimmer to me.

Darrell