Skimmer Q&A Thread

[jason2459]

I told someone that posted and follows this thread I would write up something on my new MTC MVX skimmer.

Here's the link
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mtc-mvx-skimmer-review.252436/

 

[Diving Dan]

Mojo-

In your experience what would be the best skimmer for a 55 gallon mixed reef (bang for buck)? In sump type would be preferred.

Currently have a cheapo JEBO that is not impressive to say the least.

Have you considered the lifereef skimmers. I know they are hard to come by but well worth it.

 

[volivier]

Reef Octopus extreme 300
Purchased this skimmer years ago, now discontinued. Said was rated for up to 300 gallons.
Height 24 3/4"
Body 12"
footprint 13" x 17"

The two sicce psk-2500 pumps were replaced by a bubble master pump in april 2013.

My tank is a 6' x 24" x 30" high, with sump approx 260 gallons.

I emailed support about any improvements or modifications to the skimmer since doesn't seem to be producing as much as it used to. My reply was " Wow, that skimmer is way too big for your 220. The skimmer is rated for a MINIMUM tank of 400 gallons and heavy bioload and a MAX of 600 gallons with light bioload. Your tank cannot produce enough organics to make a skimmer with that neck size work correctly. It is pretty much too big for your system. You will have issues all the time with the skimmer going long periods of time without collecting. I know people say go big when matching skimmers but just like they say, too much of anything is not good either and in this case, the skimmer is way too big for that system."

I'm confused since when i bought it obviously it was recommended. Do i need a smaller skimmer? Why is this one Not recommended now? I have a lot of fish with sps and chalice corals.

 

[Jwalker814]

I'm confused since when i bought it obviously it was recommended. Do i need a smaller skimmer? Why is this one Not recommended now? I have a lot of fish with sps and chalice corals.

Only way to fix that problem is to get a bigger tank. It's a must. Even RO is telling you so.

OR

I would throw it up for sale. Sure you can make enough money off that beast to put a pretty decent dent in the purchase of a neway skimmer if not cover the entire cost of a new skimmer.

Unless it's simply bugging you that it doesn't produce like it use to and you don't have any problems from it overskimming, just keep it. Don't fix what's not broken.

 

[mcarroll]

Reef Octopus extreme 300
Purchased this skimmer years ago, now discontinued. Said was rated for up to 300 gallons.
Height 24 3/4"
Body 12"
footprint 13" x 17"

The two sicce psk-2500 pumps were replaced by a bubble master pump in april 2013.

My tank is a 6' x 24" x 30" high, with sump approx 260 gallons.

I emailed support about any improvements or modifications to the skimmer since doesn't seem to be producing as much as it used to. My reply was " Wow, that skimmer is way too big for your 220. The skimmer is rated for a MINIMUM tank of 400 gallons and heavy bioload and a MAX of 600 gallons with light bioload. Your tank cannot produce enough organics to make a skimmer with that neck size work correctly. It is pretty much too big for your system. You will have issues all the time with the skimmer going long periods of time without collecting. I know people say go big when matching skimmers but just like they say, too much of anything is not good either and in this case, the skimmer is way too big for that system."

I'm confused since when i bought it obviously it was recommended. Do i need a smaller skimmer? Why is this one Not recommended now? I have a lot of fish with sps and chalice corals.

The 12" body prolly threw them....however neck-size matters. "300" in the name is also the skimmer's nominal rating. The 12" body was a "dwell time" fad....throughput was inline with the rating. (That said, I used to run one of these on a very large system ~1000 gallons...lightly stocked. Be there to clean it daily and it skims!!)

As for diminishing performance, as long as you've given the whole skimmer a very complete cleaning to rule out any air or water blockages, I'd look at that replacement pump. 99% of the time a pump cleaning will cure it, after that is a worn/dead impeller.

 

[volivier]

octopus extreme 300
I don't have as large of fish as i used to, so my load is lighter.
It will push the foam up to the cup, but not getting alot of liquid. It does have nasty gunk that i have to wipe off the cup and top of the neck. From reading that is an example of too big of a skimmer (fish load or tank size).

What would you recommend for new skimmer?

 

[mcarroll]

From reading that is an example of too big of a skimmer (fish load or tank size).

That can also happen to a poorly tuned skimmer too though....for example, a crusty air-intake tube, sump water too low, or even inadequate cleaning frequency can have at least a similar effect.

Have tried adjusting the drain to raise up the level of the foam? I assume the air-intake on the pump is wide-open?

If those are true and you just think it's the bio-load, then maybe a new skimmer is called for.

It obviously depends on you and your system, but I tend to recommend AquaC and Tunze skimmers these days. I own and like both quite a bit.

I'm not a needlewheel "believer" so I don't hesitate to recommend the older-style AquaC's....they work really well and have a lot to recommend them.

However, I'm not a needlewheel "deny-er" either, so I also really like (and run) Tunze's skimmers. They do not engage in the gimmickry that most other makers engage in and they have some really unique and useful features.

For a lightly stocked system around 300 gallons, I'd say to check out these two:

• Tunze 9415 - still a bit oversized for your system, but should be more than flexible enough to be dialed in. The 9410 is a great bargain at $320, but I think it might be too small.
• AquaC I'd probably try the EV-240 first and consider that it may need some small size-upgrades like the bigger 1" inlet and a slightly oversized (per their recommendations) pump. The EV-400 could work too, and it meets your size range, but it's so big (almost three feet) I'd be a little worried you could end up in the same barely-skimming boat. AquaC's are easier to find used than a lot of skimmers, so if you happen on a 400 for a great price, it could be worth trying anyway. They also do custom skimmers, so they could make you something that's a better fit for your cabinet (like a shorter EV400 or EV1000) if none of these seems quite right.

If you have a local dealer that will let you try and, if needed, exchange...start with the smaller recommendations in every case, and work your way up.

You could also look at this as an opportunity to feed more (mostly for the corals) instead of changing skimmers.

 

[scardall]

octopus extreme 300
I don't have as large of fish as i used to, so my load is lighter.
It will push the foam up to the cup, but not getting alot of liquid. It does have nasty gunk that i have to wipe off the cup and top of the neck. From reading that is an example of too big of a skimmer (fish load or tank size).

What would you recommend for new skimmer?

IMO AquaMaxx Q3 would be the cats meow on many levels. Rated for 240g to 420g tank. The Shark pump is a Sicce Italian pump as well. http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_ConeS_Q_Series_In_Sump_Protein_Skimmer_In_Sump_Venturi_Needle_Wheel_Protein_Skimmers-AquaMaxx-UJ00157-FIPSISNW-vi.html I am a big Tunze fan too, so this for me, that says alot ( Go and compare the Aquamaxx to a Deltec, you'll be impressed on more than one level. Have Fun

 

[trmiv]

Upgrading from a 60g with 15g sump to a 120g with 30g sump. My JNS (aquamaxx) cones co-1 isn't going to cut it. Looking for suggestions in the $300 to $350 range.

 

[scardall]

Upgrading from a 60g with 15g sump to a 120g with 30g sump. My JNS (aquamaxx) cones co-1 isn't going to cut it. Looking for suggestions in the $300 to $350 range.

AquaMaxx Q2 : http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx...in_Skimmers-AquaMaxx-UJ00157-FIPSISNW-vi.html

 

[trmiv]

That's a nice skimmer. On the list. Any opinions on the Avast marine peg leg 180?

 

[mcarroll]

The Avast seems nice too, I just don't buy into the cone shape...

Try the Tunze 9410 or 9410 DC at $329 or $399 respectively:

16" high, consumes 15 watts and up to 29 watts respectively, very easy to work on, nice extras.

 

[s2nhle]

what's wrong with the cone?

 

[jason2459]

I've come to the conclusion shape doesn't mater so much as long as the bubbles are allowed to rise with out popping before they can form together to produce a foam head. Cones are fine but became a huge marketing hype around 2010. One of my favorite skimmers was a full cone but it wasn't my favorite because of that. It had a great balance between the pump(air/water draw), body size, and neck size.

 

[mcarroll]

what's wrong with the cone?

Mostly I just agree with @jason2459 that "shape doesn't matter much"...to performance. So the prices bother me a little....that's all.

(Plus, a cone requires a bigger footprint or taller height to achieve the same volume as a cylinder....but that's not so much performance-related.)

There are still some nicely made ones out there, and no reef tanks have ever been ruined (or saved) because of a cone skimmer.

 

[trmiv]

Opinions on the IceCap K2-160? They look like a really nicely made line of skimmers.

Also trying to decide if I need to buy a skimmer. My JNS (Aquamaxx) Cones CO-1 is a great skimmer, skims my 60g really well, and apparently rated to 175g. But with only 380 lph air draw, I'm kind of doubting it can handle a 120 with 30g sump.

 

[jason2459]

Opinions on the IceCap K2-160? They look like a really nicely made line of skimmers.

Also trying to decide if I need to buy a skimmer. My JNS (Aquamaxx) Cones CO-1 is a great skimmer, skims my 60g really well, and apparently rated to 175g. But with only 380 lph air draw, I'm kind of doubting it can handle a 120 with 30g sump.

Are you planning to move up to a 120 with 30 sump? If so I'd get a bigger skimmer. The IceCap looks to be a well made skimmer. Doubt the bubble wall chamber helps anymore then a bubble plate. The sicce pump it uses is solid.

 

[trmiv]

Yea the 120g with 30g is in process, I'm plumbing it up as we speak. Looks like a bigger skimmer is definitely in order.

 

[volivier]

IMO AquaMaxx Q3 would be the cats meow on many levels. Rated for 240g to 420g tank. The Shark pump is a Sicce Italian pump as well. http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_ConeS_Q_Series_In_Sump_Protein_Skimmer_In_Sump_Venturi_Needle_Wheel_Protein_Skimmers-AquaMaxx-UJ00157-FIPSISNW-vi.html I am a big Tunze fan too, so this for me, that says alot ( Go and compare the Aquamaxx to a Deltec, you'll be impressed on more than one level. Have Fun

Like the looks of the aqua maxx, was looking at a deltec 1455 before...

 

[scardall]

Like the looks of the aqua maxx, was looking at a deltec 1455 before...

Notice the deltec is more expensive and has at least two less features than the Aquamaxx Q2. Plus the Q3 is less expensive, not to mention the Q3 surpasses the Deltec 1455 . I have the Q2 on a 75g heavy bio-load mixed reef tank. It's been up for a week and I get both dry and a little wet foam. Oh yah it is super quite too. One has to listen carefully to hear a whisper from this skimmer. Here's one more nicety about AM. , Marinedepot is the main authorized dealer/distributor, plus they have all the parts that you may or may not need in the future sometime. Cool Huh here's the right 1/2 of my tank: