Quiet Protein Skimmer?

Mmcghee102485 · Apr 19, 2020

Member

Hello all,

I know this has been asked before but what do you guys recommend for a quiet skimmer for my Reefer 350? I currently have the Red Sea RSk300 and the motor has a annoying humming sound that I can not stand. I can hear it in a room a way.(Cleaned, removed reassembled, not vibrating on anything)

I’ve read that the reef octopus and Nyos are pretty efficient and quiet. And that DC pump skimmers are quieter then AC pumps skimmers. Is this true? Thanks in advance!

Sdot · Apr 19, 2020

Nyos gets my vote.

ROB2005 · Apr 19, 2020

Go for the octo essence 130. Can’t hear it at all!

JCTReefer · Apr 19, 2020

BRS did a great video on comparing skimmers. Best of 2019. It’s worth a watch. Other than that, I’ve just been reading reviews on various models.

Han · Apr 19, 2020

I don’t have one personally, but I’ve had the opportunity to see the nyos in action and it’s very quiet.

MTBake · Apr 19, 2020

My Deltec is very quiet. But I've heard they are hard to find in the states right now. Nyos would be my second choice.

JCTReefer · Apr 19, 2020

+1 for the Octo essence 130 .. Received great reviews and it’s easy to disassemble. I believe it was mentioned on the video also.

Mmcghee102485 · Apr 19, 2020

JCTReefer said:
BRS did a great video on comparing skimmers. Best of 2019. It’s worth a watch. Other than that, I’ve just been reading reviews on various models.

Good call with the video!! Thank you! I’m leaning toward the octopus regal 150. I like the idea of a controllable pump. And the pump being quieter.

leepink23 · Apr 19, 2020

Mmcghee102485 said:
Member

Hello all,

I know this has been asked before but what do you guys recommend for a quiet skimmer for my Reefer 350? I currently have the Red Sea RSk300 and the motor has a annoying humming sound that I can not stand. I can hear it in a room a way.(Cleaned, removed reassembled, not vibrating on anything)

I’ve read that the reef octopus and Nyos are pretty efficient and quiet. And that DC pump skimmers are quieter then AC pumps skimmers. Is this true? Thanks in advance!

I recently got this same skimmer and mine is very quiet, can’t hear it with the sump doors open. I would think anything with a dc pump is going to be the absolute best option for sound.

Mmcghee102485 · Apr 19, 2020

leepink23 said:
I recently got this same skimmer and mine is very quiet, can’t hear it with the sump doors open. I would think anything with a dc pump is going to be the absolute best option for sound.

I’ve read the same thing on other peoples reviews about I’ve being very quiet. Some say quiet and some say it’s loud....

leepink23 · Apr 19, 2020

Mmcghee102485 said:
I’ve read the same thing on other peoples reviews about I’ve being very quiet. Some say quiet and some say it’s loud....

Comparatively speaking it’s louder than my varios 6 return pump, but that’s completely silent, it’s dramatically quieter than my previous skimz skimmer. I am pretty sensitive to noises so I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe they could swap the pump out for you?

dannysreeftank · Apr 26, 2020

Hello in my Red Sea reefer 350; I run a NYOS quantum 120 https://amzn.to/2SW2OBb I love this skimmer super quiet! (www.youtube.com/dannysreeftank)

Plecosam · Apr 26, 2020

I personally have never heard a super quiet AC pump, I have heard the Dalua Great White Skimmers and they are quiet with in my opinion a pump of better quality then a deltec.

Dalua DC make AC skimmers loud by comparison.

sfin52 · Apr 26, 2020

Mmcghee102485 said:
Member

Hello all,

I know this has been asked before but what do you guys recommend for a quiet skimmer for my Reefer 350? I currently have the Red Sea RSk300 and the motor has a annoying humming sound that I can not stand. I can hear it in a room a way.(Cleaned, removed reassembled, not vibrating on anything)

I’ve read that the reef octopus and Nyos are pretty efficient and quiet. And that DC pump skimmers are quieter then AC pumps skimmers. Is this true? Thanks in advance!

Reef octopus extremely quiet and I have a hob. No place to deaden the sound. Mine is dead quiet.

homer1475 · Apr 26, 2020

Bubble magus elite line. Dead silent Sicce pump, and it's AC. Don't fall into the trap of DC motors. It's the current fad. A skimmer is not something you'll be needing to turn the pump up and down. They are pretty much set and forget.

While I shop at BRS and they put out great video's, keep in mind they are doing videos to sell you stuff. I always take their recommendations with a grain of salt. I will look for real world reviews from people who actually use the product, not from people who are trying to sell me stuff(think of BRS like QVC, their basically the equivalent of the reefing infomercial.

Not sold on the NYOS skimmers. Most reviews I read on it basically say it's loud, and doesn't work very well, but they are pretty. Just have a look through the for sale forum, loaded with NYOS skimmers.

Plecosam · Apr 26, 2020

No pump is dead silent, especially an AC pump, I own Sicce pumps and silent they are not, relatively quiet, but far from silent let alone "dead silent". I suppose an AC pump could be silent if it is switched off, but if not it is going to hum and make some noise.

Personally I think Nyos skimmers are for sale more because of the owner and not the skimmer itself, many threads with people praising their success.

Homer, DC pumps may be a fad but they are quiet, there is no denying that. I do not run a DC skimmer but if noise is an important factor then DC must be considered. I will agree that i care little for how BRS rate skimmers, they rate by by how many they sell, not really a function of quality or performance but more that of popularity.

homer1475 · Apr 26, 2020

And I disagree with you.

I cannot hear my Sicce pumps(and they are known for being quiet). Anything that spins a rotor is going to hum, AC or DC. It's just a fact of physics. My refrigerator is louder then anything in my tank. lol

Noise is just one of those things you have to deal with if you want a tank. Plain and simple. We all hear things differently. Everyone says MP pumps are silent, yet I can hear the hum of the MP10 over everything else in the tank, yet cannot hear my jebao's that everyone else says is noisy. Pumps and their associated hum is just part of owning a tank, AC or DC.

While I can't argue with the NYOS comment(never owned one), I'm just going off what I've read, and see for sale in the used section. All those skimmers can't be great if they are constantly for sale, user error or not. If it's not easy to use, or works as good as all the great reviews are, you wouldn't be seeing them for sale as much as we do.

EDIT:
I will agree DC pumps are quieter, but again how often do you change the percentage on a skimmer pump? Heck I have a DC return, only because I liked it's size, and have yet in 3 years changed the percentage on it's output. I personally see DC pumps(not powerheads) as a fad, that will die out eventually.

Scorpius · Apr 26, 2020

Reef Octopus with their DC pumps. Thing is dead quiet and works great.

nkyreef · Apr 26, 2020

+1 on Reef Octopus with Varios pumps. Mine is silent, completely adjustable, Apex ready, and since I've started running it my pH has been higher than ever before.