Protein skimmer for a 90 gallon?

Kfox93 · Mar 22, 2017

Hello everyone, I'm searching for a protein skimmer for my 90 gallon tank. What's the top of the line brands out there? Money is not an issue.

Nick stokes · Mar 22, 2017

Anything from eshops

midtownman · Mar 22, 2017

life reef

ReeferMaddness843 · Mar 22, 2017

I run an eshoppes s-120 and have gotten great results on my 90. Nothing else used to honestly compare with, but no need to switch yet to find out.

Kfox93 · Mar 22, 2017

What does everyone have to say about the reef octopus?

MaddyP · Mar 22, 2017

Vertex Omega 150 would be a good fit! Very quiet and easy to clean. I would know, just cleaned mine yesterday.

Nick stokes · Mar 22, 2017

Kfox93 said:
What does everyone have to say about the reef octopus?

I have one on my 34 gallon the reef octo classic 110s and it works great!!!

Maacc · Mar 22, 2017

Especially if money is not a concern go with deltec. You will not be disappointed. Plus you can't beat the support from Adam @Battlecorals

eleet · Mar 22, 2017

Once you go deltec, you never go back. Greatest skimmers known to man.

Bpb · Mar 22, 2017

Bubble king is pretty much at the top of the heap. Lifereef, MTC, and maybe Vertex would follow I'd say. Skimz, reef octo, bubble magus, aquamaxx would be third tier. Third tier isn't bad. That's where I reside and probably most people. They're a workhorse class with decent reliability and good performance and service. The top tier commmand the price they do based on the fact that they're largely hand made or machined drop top grade acrylic and use very good pumps and components. In the end it's all just bubbles and flow though

Kfox93 · Mar 22, 2017

What size Deltec should I be looking at for a 90 gallon?

chris31759 · Mar 23, 2017

Bulk reef supply has a good video explaining different types of skimmers. For my 90 I have a super reef octopus sro 2000 internal. I really like it. There are newer models of skimmers with dc motors that save energy and allow you to adjust the pump speed. I haven't ever used a deltec or a vertex skimmer. They look beautiful but I can't comment on performance. Good luck deciding.

Xclusive Reef · Mar 23, 2017

Kfox93 said:
What size Deltec should I be looking at for a 90 gallon?

i read on other posts that deltec were a bit loud. can't verify but do your research. I was also looking for a new skimmer for a 75 gal build and I and in between reef octopus and vertex. Everyone is going to tell you their skimmer is the best. just look at reviews on different models, decide if you want a DC pump or not and finally think about future.. you want a skimmer that is large enough in case you want to upgrade in the future. I am looking for a skimmer that can handle 250-300 gallons for a 75 gallon tank. overkill? yea but i won't need to but another skimmer in 1-2 year or whatever.

Mark Gray · Mar 23, 2017

Following My 90 will be my next build

Blue Spot Octopus · Mar 23, 2017

For a 90 gallon tank Bubble King 160, Reef Dynamics INS 135, ATB Nano, I-tech 100 with tunze 9410 pump.

tmtmtm · Mar 23, 2017

MRC? beckett skimmers are the best

Kfox93 · Mar 23, 2017

Mark Gray said:
Following My 90 will be my next build

Good luck! Mine has been nothing but a headache, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Maacc · Mar 23, 2017

Kfox93 said:
What size Deltec should I be looking at for a 90 gallon?

SC1351 or SCA 1351, those are both rated to 130 gallons. If you are happy with the tank size and not bitten with the upgrade bug, go with those, but if you are thinking about upgrading anytime soon, I would go with the 1455 or 1456 both are rated for 200 gallons. The only difference between the similar models are ac vs dc pumps.

Scott.h · Mar 23, 2017

Kfox93 said:
What does everyone have to say about the reef octopus?

have one. Awesome value for the money. Pulls garbage just fine. Is it as good as one 2-3x as much? Can't say. I've have a Red Sea, 2 reef octopus', and a euro reef. The reef octopus is the best of mine. If money truly wasn't an option I'd probably try a deltec.

Bpb · Mar 23, 2017

Scott.h said:
have one. Awesome value for the money. Pulls garbage just fine. Is it as good as one 2-3x as much? Can't say. I've have a Red Sea, 2 reef octopus', and a euro reef. The reef octopus is the best of mine. If money truly wasn't an option I'd probably try a deltec.

That's a tough metric to gauge though. We can't definitively measure how well a skimmer works. We can form opinions about acrylic quality, quality of construction, materials, energy efficiency of pumps and so on. But do those things equate to more organic matter pulled over a set period of time vs a less expensive option? Who can say? I suppose there are anecdotes some individuals have of "i switched from X skimmer to Y skimmer and suddenly my skimmate production massively increased" but those are hard to hang your hat on. Appropriate sizing and tuning can effect that just as much as quality of materials.

I'm a fan of removing the garbage with no track record from the radar, and finding the best bang for buck. Largest rating/size at the most affordable cost. With my family budget that's what has to happen. I currently use a bubble magus curve 7 on my 90 gallon. Bought it for $100 brand new from a local who was getting out of the hobby. Pump quality is probably not as nice as a top tier skimmer, but it was a price I couldn't pass up. If money and space were no option, it would likely be a toss up between a Lifereef or a dual Venturi MTC