Can a skimmer be too big?

[Ian Baxter]

I have a 120g FOWLR tank and I'm picking up a Eshopps RS-200 sump. Would a ASM G4+ skimmer be too much for the tank? I'm going between the G3 and G4, but I found the G4 for $80.

 

[ndrwater]

Technically yes, but... No...
A skimmer will only skim what's available to skim. Get the 4... It's an excuse to get a bigger tank later!!

 

[Ian Baxter]

Technically yes, but... No...
A skimmer will only skim what's available to skim. Get the 4... It's an excuse to get a bigger tank later!!

I like the way you think. I definitely do want to upgrade eventually.

 

[motortrendz]

If it fits in the sump it's not too big. Lol. But seriously bigger is better. It will only be more efficient under heavy bio load.

 

[James77]

Yes, they can be oversized for a tank.

When you run an oversized skimmer, you are just going to get a lot of junk building up in the neck. It will not perform as a skimmer should.

Will it work? Yeah, its not going to be detrimental overall. But I have been far more happy with skimmers sized towards my tanks size and bioload than going all out and getting a massive skimmer.

 

[X-37B]

I have a 120g FOWLR tank and I'm picking up a Eshopps RS-200 sump. Would a ASM G4+ skimmer be too much for the tank? I'm going between the G3 and G4, but I found the G4 for $80.

$80? They are $450 new. Id snag it if thats real.
I am a tunze guy. My 120 has a 9410 dc. If you want a skimmer you can turn on and just clean the cup every week check them out. So simple yet very effient and they have the easiest cup to remove and clean of any skimmer made.
Here is my cup today after running a week.

 

[biecacka]

Yes they can be too big. The neck will be too large and struggle to get gunk into the collection cup. If you want to run a skimmer too big your best bet is to run it really wet. that will help with the inconsistency of an oversized skimmer.

corey

 

[C. Eymann]

Yes they can be too big. The neck will be too large and struggle to get gunk into the collection cup. If you want to run a skimmer too big your best bet is to run it really wet. that will help with the inconsistency of an oversized skimmer.

corey

^^^^ I agree with the "other" Corey.

I tried running an SRO xp2000 cone on my 75 for a few months, really struggled to develop a good head.


ASMs are fragile but great skimmers! sedra pumps are excellent, however ASM massively overrates their skimmers though, with a 120 FOWLR tank, esp a heavily fed a G4+ will perform great!
And for $80??? no brainer, also if you decided to go with a different skimmer you could flip that G4 for a nice profit.

Just my .02


- Corey

 

[biecacka]

Thanks -Corey-



corey

 

[Ian Baxter]

I ended up getting the G3 as I haven’t heard back from the guy with the G4. But if he hits me up I’m going to snag it.

 

[S2G]

Most def. If your skimmer is too large it will be a nightmare to tune and will run idle for most of the day. $80 bucks I'd give it a shot though.

 

[ahiggins]

Speaking from the smaller end of the tank sizing (80 gal and below) I’ve had issues with keeping nutrients IN lol so yes, ime skimmers can be too big. If it strips everything, it’s too much. Then again I’m not sure how the big big tanks work

 

[PatW]

You can over skim. But having a skimmer that is a bit over sized for your system is a good thing. My skimmer is rated for a tank that is 70% bigger than the tank it is on and that has not been a problem.

 

[biecacka]

I think something that is often overlooked is the skimmer brand. I HATE the inconsistency brands have in their skimmers ability to perform on said size tank. i think most tend to over state their ability. For example, I have a Bubble King Double King 200. It is rated for a 250 gallon tank heavy stocked. I have it on a 240 gallon tank so I considered going up a size in skimmers, I was convinced not to and I’m glad. I guess heavy stocked is subjective....but I have about 35 fish in my 240 and feed pellets 5 times a day and frozen once a day. The skimmer doesn’t even sweat to keep up. In fact sometimes I think it sits idle. i think the best thing is to find people with your brand and base your decision off of a baseline from others experience. Because if I had went up 1 or 2 sizes in BK skimmers the neck would be so large it wouldn’t work properly or it would have to skim so wet.

corey