skimmer on a budget??

[Totempolez]

So, i am sure this question has been asked before, but i cant find the thread so i will ask.
If a skimmer does not need to connect to a controller; if the skimmer breaks/goes down it is not a catastrophic to you tank health (immediately) ; then what is the harm in buying a middle of the road skimmer?
What is the big benefit to to buying a top of the line skimmer vs middle of the road?
My local fish store had used parts and i saw in the corner that he had a coralife 220 skimmer and he said he would part with it for 70 bucks. I declined, but should i have? i am just trying to get my first tank up and running and spending 70 bucks vs 450 would have my tank up and running a month a head of schedule; but when i made my first post to this site, the first piece of advice i got was "patience", tho should i exercise it here?
If some one has the time, could you link a top of the line model and a middle of the road model and share with me some pro vs cons so i could make a chose
P.S. space/size doesnt matter because i am building my sump before i build my stand
120g tank 55g sump

 

[madweazl]

I currently have a Bubble Magus Curve 5 on a 75g. The last skimmer I had was an AquaC Remora on a 40g about eight years ago. These are the only skimmers I've ever run in a little over 20 years of being addicted. Well, this isn't entirely true as I had an air stone driven skimmer in the early 90s for a while (Coral Life I believe). I've had two other reefs that I ran with no skimmer at all. All four systems worked out great so don't look at a skimmer as a must have item.

Now, back to my current skimmer. It works well when tuned to perfection but the problem is perfection is a very small window with this skimmer. A difference in water depth of just 1/4" can take this skimmer from barely skimming to overflowing the cup. In the image below it is working at about its best but if (when) the macro algae starts to get into the weir of the refugium chamber and the water level rises to the top of the weir, it fills the cup in short order. The water level is 5/16" below the top of the weir right now (this is the lowest the water line gets in that chamber). The skimmer is sitting at a depth of 9 15/16" of water with the return set to max. I have spent a lot of time tuning this skimmer and I've never had it working better than it will at these settings.



This is the only skimmer of this design I've ever used but I'd venture to guess the reputable brands have a larger tuning window to work within. Bubble Magus recommends a water depth of 9.5-11" but I cant for the life of me get the skimmer working well at anything other than what I previously posted. I know many people have it in as little 7" of water to try and get it working acceptably. If my initial statement is indeed true, you'd save yourself countless hours of fiddling with the skimmer by going with a different brand but if you're willing to waste some of your precious life away messing with a chunk of cheap acrylic that can operate really well, you can save quite a bit of money. Over the years, this has held true for most products in this hobby (the real point I was trying to make).

 

[Totempolez]

one side question, how do you know if a skimmer is working within that "tuned" range?
Is it hard to tell if it is working optimally or below average?

 

[madweazl]

one side question, how do you know if a skimmer is working within that "tuned" range?
Is it hard to tell if it is working optimally or below average?

I shoot for skimmate the consistency of what is pictured; a dryer frothy mix. When this skimmer is raised up (ie lower water depth) the skimmate gets too dry and just collect at the top of the neck/lid which throws the "tune" out of whack even more. Alternatively, in too much water it gets a really wet skimmate and fills the cu really quickly and removes little waste.

Forgot to add it to the original post but I maintain a SG of 1.025-1.026 and my water temp is 79.7-79.9 (almost never varies from 79.8).

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I'm no skimmer expert, but I do know about trying to skimp on equipment to save money...and then regretting that decision later. I've bought lower end skimmers, powerheads, lights, etc. only to wish I'd bought higher end to start with (because eventually I bought higher end any way).

To your specific question, a lower/middle grade skimmer (not sure what you're defining as middle grade) might be like the coralife in your story as compared to say a higher grade of reputable skimmer (again, opinions are going to vary about what should go on this category) like a NYOS or TUNZE. In this case, the skimmer is going to be more efficient and effective at filtration, so it will keep up with your bioload. There are some really high end skimmers that are really pricey (Royal Exclusive, etc.), and while they're probably higher quality in some respects (building materials, etc.) I'd qualify them in the category of a luxury rather than a necessity.

Ultimately, I'd say be sure whatever skimmer you buy will get the job done. Check reviews and talk to others to be sure it's a reputable skimmer and not an expensive paper weight. For example, Bubble Magus, Tunze, and Nyos all sell reputable skimmers, but there's quite a bit of price difference between them, so there it's all about the one you want under your tank.

As you said, not having a skimmer for a brief time is not (usually) catastrophic immediately, but certainly if you're going to buy one, you want one that will be efficient for the job you're getting it to do, and not all skimmers are created equal. Just composting reviews will show that.

Best of luck as you set up your new tank!

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

@twilliard may weigh in. He knows a good bit about comparing skimmers.

 

[Sahye]

u can check this skimmer aquaone g224 from Australia i have been using that and up to now it has done pretty gud work.

 

[Totempolez]

u can check this skimmer aquaone g224 from Australia i have been using that and up to now it has done pretty gud work.

what is the maintenance like on that skimmer?

 

[Pugfishluv3]

I've had a coralife skimmer before I personally hate the thing. I run a bbubble magus now more towards the higher end without breating the bank. But as said before these are touchy skimmers.

 

[twilliard]

So, i am sure this question has been asked before, but i cant find the thread so i will ask.
If a skimmer does not need to connect to a controller; if the skimmer breaks/goes down it is not a catastrophic to you tank health (immediately) ; then what is the harm in buying a middle of the road skimmer?
What is the big benefit to to buying a top of the line skimmer vs middle of the road?
My local fish store had used parts and i saw in the corner that he had a coralife 220 skimmer and he said he would part with it for 70 bucks. I declined, but should i have? i am just trying to get my first tank up and running and spending 70 bucks vs 450 would have my tank up and running a month a head of schedule; but when i made my first post to this site, the first piece of advice i got was "patience", tho should i exercise it here?
If some one has the time, could you link a top of the line model and a middle of the road model and share with me some pro vs cons so i could make a chose
P.S. space/size doesnt matter because i am building my sump before i build my stand
120g tank 55g sump

I will try to help answer these the best I can
First I would suggest reading my thread about skimmers here
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/skimmers-explained.227824/
Now in this example I use this is what I consider a "user friendly skimmer" and I can help explain why.
I like to break skimmers down into 3 main areas. Air delivery, reaction time (this includes controls), maintenance

Please take a look at that thread and I am here to help with questions and further explanation.
Todd

 

[The Rook]

I purchased a Simplicity 120 for under $200. Great little skimmer. Solid built, dc pump and very stable. Would definitely purchase a larger version in the future.

 

[Waterjockey]

I started off with a coralife skimmer. It worked "ok" for about a year or so. By ok, I mean, if you don't mind having to mess around with it on a fairly regular basis. It would occasionally just stop producing bubbles (and there are many threads about this when I was researching why it was crapping out). It's not the easiest to tune. I drilled the air intake port out, added rigid tubing, tried the mesh mod, deep cleaned and ran it in vinegar almost monthly. Never did figure out why it would just stop working, and then work fine again after taking it apart and doing *nothing* but putting it back together again. It finally just stopped skimming one day. I dropped an air stone in it and let it run while I waited for my new skimmer to arrive. A week later (the day my new skimmer arrived), it suddenly decided to start working again. It now resides in a box in the basement as an "emergency" backup. I bought a bigger reef octopus skimmer for about $100 more than I bought the coralife for. The difference in build quality is night and day...thicker material and fit and finish is much better. Bubble production is far far better. Fine tuning is easy. Much quieter. Does it skim any better? Meh, not *vastly* better, but I never have to touch it except to clean the collection cup, and I'm not afraid of breaking parts while I clean it (went through 3 collection cups with the coralife).
For what it is worth, from reading several skimmer performance articles, all skimmers "perform" very close to each other in terms of % DOC removal et al....just the "better" ones do it in a shorter time frame...the "lesser" ones will get there, or very close to there, eventually. Imho what you are paying for is build quality, reliability, tunability, noise levels. The coralife is near the bottom of the catagory in all those areas...the pump it comes with is junk. I believe the few extra bucks for a better skimmer is well worth it.

 

[ridgley52]

I have a Eshoppes 300 on a 220 gal. With a 55gal. Sump. Easy to maintain and skims very well. Not very expensive compared to some.

 

[Totempolez]

I have a Eshoppes 300 on a 220 gal. With a 55gal. Sump. Easy to maintain and skims very well. Not very expensive compared to some.

i am going to research that...

researched, if it is the one i am looking at 500 for is out of my budget range, i was thinking Bubble magus curve 7?

 

[Totempolez]

I purchased a Simplicity 120 for under $200. Great little skimmer. Solid built, dc pump and very stable. Would definitely purchase a larger version in the future.

the 240 would work for me and 250 is more like my price range, anyone else have a review on this

 

[Totempolez]

@twilliard that was very informative, but what would the maintenance consist of on a skimmer

 

[kalare]

All skimmers more or less require the same maintenance, cleaning the cup and neck regularly, and cleaning the body a little less regularly. I've had more skimmers than I have fingers and toes over the last 20 years, and honestly, they all mostly work the same. Middle of the road or even low end skimmers can function perfectly fine and work well on many systems. DIY airstone skimmers are still used by many and are about the lowest cost and lowest tech options out there. Bubble Magus and SCA skimmers are well reviewed, as are Eshopps, and they are all lower priced models.

One thing to remember about reefers, we like new gagets! If you're one of the type that loves new and cool gagets, you should probably start with a higher end model, simply because you want the shiny toy. If you only want something that will work for your tank, then find a middle of the road, well reviewed skimmer...and I would recommend buying one size up.

 

[Joeganja]

So, i am sure this question has been asked before, but i cant find the thread so i will ask.
If a skimmer does not need to connect to a controller; if the skimmer breaks/goes down it is not a catastrophic to you tank health (immediately) ; then what is the harm in buying a middle of the road skimmer?
What is the big benefit to to buying a top of the line skimmer vs middle of the road?
My local fish store had used parts and i saw in the corner that he had a coralife 220 skimmer and he said he would part with it for 70 bucks. I declined, but should i have? i am just trying to get my first tank up and running and spending 70 bucks vs 450 would have my tank up and running a month a head of schedule; but when i made my first post to this site, the first piece of advice i got was "patience", tho should i exercise it here?
If some one has the time, could you link a top of the line model and a middle of the road model and share with me some pro vs cons so i could make a chose
P.S. space/size doesnt matter because i am building my sump before i build my stand
120g tank 55g sump

Want a cost effective skimmer. Plain and simple. Marine depot is having sales on their skimmers and I recommend you spending a little more to get the best bang for your buck. Get either an aquamaxx, bubble magus, or reef octopus. Aquamaxx's skimmers are absolutely amazing. I have one and I'm getting another this week hopefully. Get skimming quick.

 

[ntsekov]

I have ATi 200is and I regret buying it instead of the Chinese nobrand in the LFS every day. The Nobrand has bigger cup, drain pipe, same Jebao pump with much better needle impeller, the same old hard plastic venturi as my old Bubble Magus BM150 had (just bigger).

The ATi 200is has 3d printed venturi inlet that breaks by cleaning it with a toothpick, and even worse - the surface is with such a finish it takes the bacteria a week to clog. The connection to the body is just a piece of hose (not even cut well). The impeller is 3D printed too, and totally impossible to clean. If you push it with more than 1500 l/h (measured using the digital meter they sell), it will overflow easily. If you raise the water level instead it will work with no more than 1400 l/h, or it will overflow. Once it breaks the surface tension (like when you are adding food), it takes hours to half a day to get back to work. The outlet is spilling water at the same level happening to be the max water level (really great idea if you like the noise and all the microbubbles that now get back in my tank). It's clunky and the plastic is thin.

They will not send you printable venturi inlet if you break it. Trade secrets and all. I cleaned the BM inlet with a knife, still looks as in the day I got it. ATi's I managed to damage with a toothpick.

 

[madweazl]

My BM5 ceases operation for quite a while after feeding (some times hours with PE Mysis freshwater). While I feel it is worth the money, it certainly has its own issues as well.