I am researching, planning, and budgeting for my first reef tank. I just bought a 300 gallon tank. What are some folks recommendations on a budget friendly skimmer for a 300 gallon tank with a heavy bio load?
Recommendations for a 300 gallon
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Rickyb1982
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I have the your choice aquatics dc22 on my 300 gallon and it works great
Idoc
Getting lazier and lazier with upkeep!
Can you get anything "budget" for a 300g aquarium? Lol... that's going to cost a fortune to setup from scratch... especially when out comes to the lights to cover that much tank! I'm interested in seeing how you end up outfitting that beast... it'll look good when your finished!
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Define fortune... I only had to sell both kidneys, my 2nd and 3rd child, a left arm and take out a 3rd mortgage...
Not expensive at all...
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Really it is relative. You could buy a Bubble King skimmer and Dreambox sump, for the cost of a car, or, get the best equipment you can afford.
A good example is the SRO 5000 I mentioned earlier. No, not cheap at $600 but also does a great job on my heavily stocked SPS tank.
I seem to have become team Ecotech with my tank. Yes it is expensive gear, but it is built to last. One mistake that is often made is getting the cheapo "this will get me by" gear, only to end up replacing the cheapo with better longer lasting gear later down the line.
Buy the best you can afford.
A good example is the SRO 5000 I mentioned earlier. No, not cheap at $600 but also does a great job on my heavily stocked SPS tank.
I seem to have become team Ecotech with my tank. Yes it is expensive gear, but it is built to last. One mistake that is often made is getting the cheapo "this will get me by" gear, only to end up replacing the cheapo with better longer lasting gear later down the line.
Buy the best you can afford.
mcarroll
10K Club member
I still like my 9410 a lot, but I think for a 300 you'll want a bigger model....probably the 9415
Very compact skimmer at only 17" high! About $580:
Recommended for salt water aquariums up to
1,500 liters (400 USgal.).
Immersion depth from 100 to 200 mm
(4 to 8 in.) without setting.
Water flow rate: 900 l/h (238 USgal./h)
Air capacity: 1,000 l/h (264 USgal./h)
Energy consumption: 15 W, 230V/50Hz (15 W, 115V/60Hz)
Skimmer cup volume: 2 liters (.5 USgal.)
Dimensions of the skimmer cup including lid: ø215 x H.218 mm (8.46" x H. 8.58")
Dimensions (L x W x H): 350 x 300 x 440 mm (13.8 x 11.8 x 17.3 in.)
To be able to take off skimmer cup it must be raised by 71 mm (2.80") at least.
Very compact skimmer at only 17" high! About $580:
Recommended for salt water aquariums up to
1,500 liters (400 USgal.).
Immersion depth from 100 to 200 mm
(4 to 8 in.) without setting.
Water flow rate: 900 l/h (238 USgal./h)
Air capacity: 1,000 l/h (264 USgal./h)
Energy consumption: 15 W, 230V/50Hz (15 W, 115V/60Hz)
Skimmer cup volume: 2 liters (.5 USgal.)
Dimensions of the skimmer cup including lid: ø215 x H.218 mm (8.46" x H. 8.58")
Dimensions (L x W x H): 350 x 300 x 440 mm (13.8 x 11.8 x 17.3 in.)
To be able to take off skimmer cup it must be raised by 71 mm (2.80") at least.
I'm probably gonna get bashed for this, but I run a TMC V2 1500 on my 320g... it pulls out a ton of gunk and works flawlessly... cheap too 
I even sourced mine second hand and paid an enormous sum of £35... not sure what that is in dollars, but it's very very cheap!!
I even sourced mine second hand and paid an enormous sum of £35... not sure what that is in dollars, but it's very very cheap!!
roberthu526
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I initially bought an aquamaxx cone 5 for $600. Then realized my sump space is limited so I bought a RO 6000 ext.... Failed budgeting...
Look into lifereef. Purchase it once and you can always use it on larger tanks if needed by adding an extension. Ive been very impressed with mine and probably will never get rid of it after trying many different skimmers. Just do a google search and I doubt you'll find a bad review. Maybe you can work it into your budget....
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Look in the Marketplace here on R2R. You can type in what you are looking for.
You can also check eBay, or other Forums that shall remain nameless.
Another very good resource is local clubs. I know my local club SCMAS has a gear "swap meet" once or twice a year. Best part about buying from someone in your local club is you get a face to face transaction. You get the opportunity to ask questions that you may not if you were to buy non local.
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Vertex makes GREAT gear, but you pay for it. Not that that is a bad thing, but on a 300 or similar sized tank, you are getting into Bubble King type money with and Alpha sized appropriately.
Money being no issue, do it. Like I said above Vertex makes great gear as does Royal Exclusive with the Bubble King.
If cost is any consideration, there are very good options out there at a significantly lower price point.
The guy I bought my tank from had a bone yard of aquarium equipment. He said he would give me any skimmer he had for a low price. However, he didn't know any model numbers. Do you that a AquaC EV-400 or 1000?
