Skimmer Opinions

Bigpapa

Member
Ok, on to the second portion of my needed opinions. The setup will be 180 gallon and a 45 gallon sump. I want to get a quality skimmer to handle it. I have looked into the Octo skimmers and there are a lot of different ones that seem to cover the same gallon range. The space I have for the skimmer will be a 10" footprint max and stay under 25" in height. Price is fairly open, I just want to make sure I do this right the first time.

Again, Thank you for all your help-when I get this up and running I will def be posting pics...

Rob
 

LEDTRiC

RS Sponsor
SWC, Bubble-Magus, ATB are all three great options. The Bubble-Magus will be the most cost effective, but you can't go wrong with either three. There are also bubble king and deltecs, but those can get quite pricey.
 

Alien2100

Member
Only 10" x 10"? Also how high is the sump it's going into? You mentioned 25" height, but not the sump height. Remember, you'll have to be able to get it in and out of the sump for the occasional cleaning. Also are you limited on water level depth in the sump?
 

Alien2100

Member
The reason I ask about the 10" x 10" foot print is because there are only a few skimmers I can think of that fit those dimensions and bio load. None of which are the one's you've listed. Two SWC's and one Coralvue Octo's, the SWC Xtreame 180 & Mini S "which I use, and even that's over by 1/2 inch" for Coralvue it would be the Super Reef XP2000 Sump Saver, and at 180 it's at the max for it's bio load. The Coralvue Diablo 2500 would be a good pick, it's very similar to the Mini S in design and uses the same pump and needle wheel. However again it's bigger than your listed size dimensions. If you can go larger there are other Coralvue's that will work as well. Personally I love my SWC, and would recommend SWC, however Coralvue's are very nice as well. The other question I asked about sump height refers to being able to easily remove and re install the skimmer, for cleaning of the pump or the skimmer if needed. For this you'll want to make sure without the skimmer cup attached that it can be worked over the sump wall. And of course the last being water depth, some skimmer work better in shallow depth and others in deep depth. Example: The Super Reef XP2000 Sump Saver works best around 5.75" "6 inches" of water, so if your sump had an operating water depth of 8" you would need to raise the skimmer by 2" to get the best performance. But with the skimmer being 24" inches in height and your cap at 25" this would be impossible to do. So you can see there are a few things to consider when picking your skimmer.
 

Bigpapa

Member
My apologies for the confusion... the stand and sump are currently being built by glasscages. I know its a 30" stand so i used my best judgement on max height leaving some error room. I did the same with t
he footprint. They build the sump from a 45 gallon and said the skimmer section had an 11" width. As for access, i am having doors on the front and both ends of the stand. I hope this helps...
 

Alien2100

Member
No worries,
That was a wise idea in giving yourself the room with the dimensions. A few choices I would consider would be from SWC and Coralvue.

SWC Xtreame 180
SWC Mini S
Coralvue Diablo 2500
Coralvue Super Reef 3000 Internal

The SWC Xtreme 200 you listed could work as well, it just wouldn't be one of my recommendations. The side mount Sicce pumps can have start up issues, a remedy is to turn them 90 degrees on their axis. However the pumps also stick out very far from the side of the skimmer, and personally I've never liked the side mount for Sicce pumps on either the SWC or Coralvue skimmers. With the bottom mount and a normal needle wheel (not mesh) the Sicce's start 100% of the time, I know mine does.

But again just use this information as a light guideline, check reviews ask fellow RS members, and even call the companies to ask their advise as well. The livestock can also be a determining factor in your choice. But I think the four I mentioned would be a good start, hope this helps.

I also have a hands on kind of look on this forum from when I first got my SWC Mini S, just search my name.
 
Top