Need Skimmer Advice for SPS

[SchnitzelReef]

http://m.marinedepot.com/products/uj00157/aquamaxx-cones-q-series-in-sump-protein-skimmer

That's great skimmer for $350.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I would get one that's over rated because I would say your already at a heavy bioload.

An 8" body around 24" high would be a better upgrade imo. Bigger the better

 

[Brandon McHenry]

If your not looking to spend big bucks on an ATB or bubble King, I would look at Aquamaxx skimmers. They aren't the cheapest skimmers out there, but they come with Sicce pumps. They are Italian made work horses, and very quiet. The biggest down fall to most budget/Chinese skimmers, is their pumps.

I have multiple friends in the Hobby that have the funds to buy any skimmer they want, and they run Aquamaxx skimmers. Kind of makes me regret buying my bubble King, when I see how great their skimmers work. Maybe not as pretty as mine, but we all know how stupid it is to own a pretty expensive toilet.

I've never heard of Aquamaxx but I'm open to all suggestions. I wasn't even in the market for a skimmer until I had the recent issue with mine and seeing as it's probably not performing very well for my tank I might as well at least see what's available to me. I looked up the Aquamaxx skimmer and it seems to have good reviews. Looking at my tank and bioload, how do you feel it would perform? Also, is having the pump internal an issue with cleaning?

 

[Brandon McHenry]

I would get one that's over rated because I would say your already at a heavy bioload.

An 8" body around 24" high would be a better upgrade imo. Bigger the better

I agree I have a large bioload. Is there a brand and model that you could suggest?

 

[rainmaker]

I have 150 tank like yours and am in the process of up grading my skimmer to a sro 5000 ext from a under sized skimmer

 

[CodyRVA]

If you're not having nutrient issues i'm not sure I understand the point of spending the money on a new skimmer, but to each their own!

 

[markalot]

I have a 150, same tank from the looks of it, and I use a SRO XP2000 INT with a neck extender. I think it's a little undersized for the tank but it works well when dialed in (neck extender needed because the bubble blaster pump is too dang strong). I would not buy an oversized skimmer nor would I spend a lot of money on a new one unless you are experiencing problems. It is nice having a reliable pump.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm going for bigger the better. I'm also dosing carbon to help with nitrates and pulling about same amount of skim from current skimmer and don't have nitrates where I want them yet. Hoping bigger skimmer will solve that problem

 

[SPSREEFS]

Well it used to be the biggest skimmer you could get was the best for SPS. However, with the advent of carbon dosing, I think you can really scale down now on size. Not to mention they are just so much more efficient then before!!! Bacteria really seem to eat up alot of the waste now with carbon dosing.
Look at the Vertex Omega line. Super nice skimmer. Look at the pump ratings. They pull in more air then probably 99.9 percent of the skimmers out there in their size range. Super quiet too. I have had mine for maybe 6 weeks now and so far I love it!

 

[SPSREEFS]

Maybe I should change that 99.9% to 90%! Before someone yells at me about it,lol. But it does pull out what bubble kings and other high end units do at a very economical price!

 

[Brandon McHenry]

I just want to get the best bang for my buck if I'm going to upgrade. I want to provide the best water possible for my SPS even though I already have very low nitrates and phosphates. I feed my fish enough to were a better skimmer is probably beneficial. Plus, if I still see small spots of algae and some brown tissue in my SPS I could probably do better despite my already low levels of nutrients.

 

[SPSREEFS]

How low are your nutrients???

 

[Brandon McHenry]

How low are your nutrients???

0.5 nitrates and 0.006 phosphates

 

[SPSREEFS]

What kits are you using??

 

[Brandon McHenry]

What kits are you using??

Salifert nitrate and Hanna ulr phosphate

 

[SPSREEFS]

I'd throw some snails in there and call it a day. Your numbers are plenty low

Sent from my XT1049 using REEF2REEF mobile app

 

[SPSREEFS]

Not sure a larger or better skimmer would change anything. I just upgraded from a reef octopus to the vertex. It pulls out more, but until I added snails I could not really see a difference..

Sent from my XT1049 using REEF2REEF mobile app

 

[SPSREEFS]

Algae issues??

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Algae issues??

It's very minimal. Mostly on some coral skeleton that died from a completely different issue and a patch or two in the overflow. The rest is pretty clean.

 

[SPSREEFS]

Sounds better then mine got! Was still getting great growth and color. Changed skimmers. I think it helped some. Them added 5 snails and it made all the difference for me!! Vertex is a super nice skimmer 250-300.