Low maintenance skimmer?

[minorhero]

There is no other maintenance other than cleaning the cup. The air intake gets flushed when you lift the cup off if you leave it running during cleaning. Of course, like any other equipment, it benefits from a yearly cleaning. It likes a stable water level of 6-7". Do you not plan to use an ATO?

Yes, I plan to use an ATO. Probably a tunze since that seems to be the most reliable, but I am not attached to that at all, I haven't looked into ATO much other then that I need one.

 

[Spare time]

Keep in mind that I HEAVILY feed my tank and only have socks, carbon, and a refugium. I occasionally have to dose nitrate or phosphate. Unless you are carbon dosing and likely using some gfo, a skimmer only system is going to require more maintenance

 

[Midrats]

A full Tunze accouterment wouldn't be a bad thing! Best customer service in the business. Osmolators are excellent.

 

[rknapp]

I second the recommendation of the LifeReef skimmers. Been using one since 2005 and it is pretty much, as you asked, set it and forget it. Only touch it once a week to clean the collection cup. Perhaps change adjustments seasonally as tank metabolism shifts a little bit based on ambient water temp from winter to summer (78-81).

 

[polyppal]

Skimmer is something you don’t want to go with a cheap/unknown brand on for long term performance/reliability.

+1 in the basic Reef Octopus, Aquamaxx or Tunze (I use Tunzes and they are a little finicky at first but then work well)

 

[JMM744]

I use the lifereef 24 external on my 70 reef and use a mag pump with it. Noise is not a concern really but you might go with an oversized dc pump which is quieter and cheaper to run.
my 300 system has a 6 ft lifereef skimmer and I run a paralta dc pump on it. I went oversized and it's been working for a couple years flawlessly. I have both skimmers on a system where the sludge goes into a locker and when it gets full it shuts the skimmer off. That works best for me. I clean the cups as needed.

 

[meinekebob]

life reef, set it and forget it. mine is quiet with a sicce pump

 

[Midrats]

Skimmer is something you don’t want to go with a cheap/unknown brand on for long term performance/reliability.

+1 in the basic Reef Octopus, Aquamaxx or Tunze (I use Tunzes and they are a little finicky at first but then work well)

The 9000 series is a little finicky. The 9400 not at all, completely set and forget.

 

[legionofdoon]

If the bashsea won't fit neither will the lifereef. I have the lifereef svs3-24 on my 40 breeder and it works great. A little too great I'm currently dealing with some dinos, when my nitrates dropped. My chaeto also stopped growing.