I concur 100%! My Tunze 9410 DC is the most set-it-and-forget-it skimmer I've ever owned. (And I go back all the way to the Sander PiccoIo skimmer.) I don't know why other skimmer manufacturers haven't copied or emulated their design.
Bulletproof Reefkeeping: Methodologies and Equipment
- Thread starter naterealbig
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I concur 100%! My Tunze 9410 DC is the most set-it-and-forget-it skimmer I've ever owned. (And I go back all the way to the Sander PiccoIo skimmer.) I don't know why other skimmer manufacturers haven't copied or emulated their design.
Stigigemla
Well-Known Member
1. I believe the better dosing pumps has a little better reiability than calcium reactors.
The heaviest factor in + for the pumps is that it is easy to mix in trace elements and use extra dosing heads for potassium, phosohorous or nitrate if You should need it. And You can get correct amount of trace elements every single day.
2. I have much more confidence for the old school AC pumps. There are numerous threads of DC pumps that stopped to work. Two pumps is of course better than one but the valve between them will be clogged by tubular worms and other animals. With separate tubing it can be a solution. But why? If You want to control the flow there are valves.
3. I still have my old skimmers from starting the shop in 2007 - 3008. One I have changed the pump to a Tunze and another has an ATI DC pump with a grid wheel that I cant recommend. The grid weel very easily get clogged with detritus or algae so I have to clean it often to get good foam. Sad because it gives very good foam when it is clean.
4. The thermostate is Eheim/Jäger and looks exactly as a shorter heater.
It is set two degrees higher so it noramlly is always on.
5. A Roller filter may break down but that is no problem for the tank. It will only be some particles in the water. But it will work for some months without maintance.
Thats something else compared to change and wash filter socks 2 times every week.
6. I missed one thing. I would definatly have a cheap glass thermometer in the sump. Electronic thermometers do break down so a second opinion is good to have when You suspect something.
The heaviest factor in + for the pumps is that it is easy to mix in trace elements and use extra dosing heads for potassium, phosohorous or nitrate if You should need it. And You can get correct amount of trace elements every single day.
2. I have much more confidence for the old school AC pumps. There are numerous threads of DC pumps that stopped to work. Two pumps is of course better than one but the valve between them will be clogged by tubular worms and other animals. With separate tubing it can be a solution. But why? If You want to control the flow there are valves.
3. I still have my old skimmers from starting the shop in 2007 - 3008. One I have changed the pump to a Tunze and another has an ATI DC pump with a grid wheel that I cant recommend. The grid weel very easily get clogged with detritus or algae so I have to clean it often to get good foam. Sad because it gives very good foam when it is clean.
4. The thermostate is Eheim/Jäger and looks exactly as a shorter heater.
It is set two degrees higher so it noramlly is always on.
5. A Roller filter may break down but that is no problem for the tank. It will only be some particles in the water. But it will work for some months without maintance.
Thats something else compared to change and wash filter socks 2 times every week.
6. I missed one thing. I would definatly have a cheap glass thermometer in the sump. Electronic thermometers do break down so a second opinion is good to have when You suspect something.
I drove 700 miles to pick up a used little giant external. Plus there is no electricity in the tank. Thats my main goal now. No electric cables in the tank. Sea urchins can chew them.
TheDallasCollector
Community Member
Looking for suggestions. My wife and I are in the process of building a new home and we will be keeping a 300 gallon reef tank. I’m thoughtfully taking the bulletproof approach here. The electrician comes next week and we can ask him to drop any number of circuits, GFI, 220v, 110v, etc. I want to build my system in a way that’s ready for outages, disaster recovery, no downtime etc.
Does anybody have an electrical diagram they could share? Thank you
