150 gallon skimmer? vertex? reef octo? bubble king?

SneakyTortuga · Aug 21, 2019

i will soon be upgrading tanks but have not decided on the skimmer yet. currently i have a vertix 180i running on my 100 gallon tank with no issues what so ever but i wonder if this will be a good enough skimmer for the new tank.

my current tank is 100 gallon display/40gallon sump loaded with sps. i have 15 fish. i run the vertix 180i and use a fuge with a kessil 380 over it to remove nutrients. ive never used gfo or any other nutrient control device on this tank besides the fuge, vertix skimmer and weekly water changes.

the new tank will be 150gallon display/40 gallon sump loaded from end to end with sps. i will most likely have around 20 fish. i am considering not running a fuge and strictly using a skimmer and water changes as my nutrient export method.

options:
1. keep the vertix 180i and add an avast auto neck cleaner to the skimmer to have it running 100% all the time. vertex is rated for 100 gallons heavy load.
2. get a larger skimmer. reef octopus sro 3000 with auto neck cleaner.
3. "go big or go home" get a bubble king with no neck cleaner.

what i dont know is if it is worth spending so much money on the bubble king. will it give me an advantage? i could definitely use the extra funds on another xr30, mp40, or return pump.

thanks for any advice
Dan

Alexreefer · Aug 21, 2019

I would go with #2 Having a slightly larger skimmer with the neck cleaner is great, ever since adding avast marine neck cleaner, the skimmer has been pulling out everything. This way you have some money left over but keep in mind this is your tank, your final decision. Think about your tank. Think into the future will you be getting a bigger tank. Keep all this in mind when making your purchase.

Blitheran · Aug 21, 2019

Alexreefer said:
I would go with #2 Having a slightly larger skimmer with the neck cleaner is great, ever since adding avast marine neck cleaner, the skimmer has been pulling out everything. This way you have some money left over but keep in mind this is your tank, your final decision. Think about your tank. Think into the future will you be getting a bigger tank. Keep all this in mind when making your purchase.

The everlasting tank upgrade, are you ready for the upgrade, upgrade

naterealbig · Aug 21, 2019

I have owned all three, and they are all great skimmers. Your 180i is very well matched for your heavily stocked 150, especially with the fuge. Coincidentally, I am running the exact same setup, with the H380. Together, it is an incredible filtration machine.

I am running the 200i currently, and it is great. However, the enormous air draw makes it a little sensitive, and I feel like I could get a more consistent skim with the 180.

Either way- you cannot go wrong with any of the three. Personally , I'd save the $600-$1200 for some other cool gear. Trident?.

Let me know if you have any questions.

SneakyTortuga · Aug 22, 2019

Blitheran said:
The everlasting tank upgrade, are you ready for the upgrade, upgrade

Lol It’s so true. Luckily this is the biggest that fits in my current home

SneakyTortuga · Aug 22, 2019

Alexreefer said:
I would go with #2 Having a slightly larger skimmer with the neck cleaner is great, ever since adding avast marine neck cleaner, the skimmer has been pulling out everything. This way you have some money left over but keep in mind this is your tank, your final decision. Think about your tank. Think into the future will you be getting a bigger tank. Keep all this in mind when making your purchase.

I’m thinking the best route is to just add a neck cleaner and see how it goes to my current vertif. How do you like the avast neck cleaner? Any issues?

naterealbig said:
I have owned all three, and they are all great skimmers. Your 180i is very well matched for your heavily stocked 150, especially with the fuge. Coincidentally, I am running the exact same setup, with the H380. Together, it is an incredible filtration machine.

I am running the 200i currently, and it is great. However, the enormous air draw makes it a little sensitive, and I feel like I could get a more consistent skim with the 180.

Either way- you cannot go wrong with any of the three. Personally , I'd save the $600-$1200 for some other cool gear. Trident?.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I have the alkatronic but I can always get the mastertronic coming out soon! I’m thinking along the same lines. With the savings I can buy the xr30 and mp40 needed for the tank. I just wasn’t sure if the 180i would keep up

SneakyTortuga · Aug 23, 2019

I ended up ordering the avast Swabbie. Let’s see how it goes

nly04 · Aug 23, 2019

I have a good condition bk mini200 VS7 with original red dragon pump for 1/3 of the original price. Lmk if anyone interest.

SneakyTortuga · Aug 23, 2019

nly04 said:
I have a good condition bk mini200 VS7 with original red dragon pump for 1/3 of the original price. Lmk if anyone interest.

Pmd

hart24601 · Aug 23, 2019

Good call. vertex 180i is nice! I also would just wait and see how it does, not like you can't buy a larger skimmer if it doesn't work well for you, but I think it will be perfect. No need to rush until you see how it does.