SCA Skimmers

[DirtDiggler2823]

I'm currently looking at skimmers for my very much not built 90 gallon reef aquarium, and I stumbled upon this SCA 302 skimmer that looks to be half the price of the other brands. I have ZERO experience with any skimmer of any kind, and I'm trying to get this right on the first try. I'm not opposed to spending money, but the juice has gotta be worth the squeeze. I'd like to hear from this community regarding this SCA Skimmer, and what other skimmers I should consider. I'm building a 40 breeder as the sump, and I plan to at some point have SPS corals, but that is a long ways off. I'm not sure how to quantify what the bioload will be in the tank, as it isn't really a thing yet (no water, no fish...), but I'll probably have no more than 2 fish of "size", and several smaller fish, plus CUC. Thanks!

 

[Jimbo662]

I've had two of them, great skimmers for that price. Very easy to set up and break in. Sit them in about 8" of water and they run great.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I've had two of them, great skimmers for that price. Very easy to set up and break in. Sit them in about 8" of water and they run great.

Very comforting. What size tank did you run it on? Did you have to replace any parts? How long was it running? Was their support good to go? So many questions...

 

[Jimbo662]

I had it on a 66g tank that ran for over a year until I sold the tank. I only had to replace the impeller shaft because I chipped it. Steve at SCA is great to work with.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I had it on a 66g tank that ran for over a year until I sold the tank. I only had to replace the impeller shaft because I chipped it. Steve at SCA is great to work with.

Looking to run it on a 90 gallon. Do you see any issues with running it there? Also going to run a fuge, so I'm not trying to scrub EVERYTHING out of the water.

 

[DSC reef]

Ran a SC-303 on a 75 reef tank for many years. Never had to deal with customer service because the skimmer never had an issue. Once a year we would replace the impeller to the pump just for maintenance. That skimmer was a work horse.

 

[Jimbo662]

Looking to run it on a 90 gallon. Do you see any issues with running it there? Also going to run a fuge, so I'm not trying to scrub EVERYTHING out of the water.

Yep, should do a great job on it.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Yep, should do a great job on it.

Looks like I might have a winner! Thanks everyone! I'm still open for conversation on this though, the more I know, the better.

 

[erk]

I had the SCA-301 on ~50 gallon system. It was good for a cheap skimmer. I got a used PM venturi skimmer on ~70 gallon system and it blows the SCA away. I now recommend trying to find used high end skimmers. Visit your LFS and see what kind of used equipment they have. I got my PM venturi skimmer for less than a SCA-302.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I had the SCA-301 on ~50 gallon system. It was good for a cheap skimmer. I got a used PM venturi skimmer on ~70 gallon system and it blows the SCA away. I now recommend trying to find used high end skimmers. Visit your LFS and see what kind of used equipment they have. I got my PM venturi skimmer for less than a SCA-302.

What is a PM Skimmer?

 

[DSC reef]

Precision marine. Make sure you research water level requirements for certain skimmers. The SCA will provide more than enough for your 90

 

[fishybizzness]

Have mine on my 55 dt with a 30 gal sump. It broke in in about 3 days. The photo is what it was pulling after a week or two! Very good build quality for the price.

 

[fishybizzness]

This was on the 3rd day!

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Have mine on my 55 dt with a 30 gal sump. It broke in in about 3 days. The photo is what it was pulling after a week or two! Very good build quality for the price.

Good to know! Thanks for the pictures!