What is the best skimmer?

[GoTakeANap]

Hello everyone. I've been out of the hobby for a little while and I am looking to upgrade my skimmer. What brand is the best on the market now a days? I will be using the skimmer for a 54 gallon corner tank.

 

[road_runner]

Hello everyone. I've been out of the hobby for a little while and I am looking to upgrade my skimmer. What brand is the best on the market now a days? I will be using the skimmer for a 54 gallon corner tank.

If money is not a priority you can never go wrong with bubble kind.

 

[Montiman]

My opinion is that the market is saturated with plenty of skimmers that perform well. The performance difference between skimmers that are in the low mid range to the highest end is minimal.

There are differences on build quality, ease of maintenance, longevity, parts, availability, support, and ease of adjustment.

What I look for in a skimmer is an external pump. External pumps are easier to remove for cleaning and easier to upgrade if you need to in the future. Space saver models take proprietary pumps and suffer in performance because the reaction chamber is smaller to accommodate the pump.

I like gate valve water level control. Many skimmers now use a wedge pipe which is easy to manufacture but 1 half turn of a wedge pipe goes from completely open to completely closed while a gate valve has about 3-4 full rotations between opening and closing. this makes fine adjustments much easier.

I also would look at the pump. The pump is the only moving part of the skimmer and it is the biggest factor in price. The pump should be high quality but also easy to find replacement parts for since this is the most common failure point.

Because of all of these factors I really like the Reef octopus INT skimmers they have a proven track records and all of the features I mentioned. I also really like the tunze master doc skimmers for the same reason.

Many skimmers that are considered high end actually don’t have these features. BubbleKing, Vertex, and Deltec all have poor US support in my experience and many use wedge pipes not gate valves. Not to mention that parts availability is no where near as good as with many other brands.

 

[road_runner]

My opinion is that the market is saturated with plenty of skimmers that perform well. The performance difference between skimmers that are in the low mid range to the highest end is minimal.

There are differences on build quality, ease of maintenance, longevity, parts, availability, support, and ease of adjustment.

What I look for in a skimmer is an external pump. External pumps are easier to remove for cleaning and easier to upgrade if you need to in the future. Space saver models take proprietary pumps and suffer in performance because the reaction chamber is smaller to accommodate the pump.

I like gate valve water level control. Many skimmers now use a wedge pipe which is easy to manufacture but 1 half turn of a wedge pipe goes from completely open to completely closed while a gate valve has about 3-4 full rotations between opening and closing. this makes fine adjustments much easier.

I also would look at the pump. The pump is the only moving part of the skimmer and it is the biggest factor in price. The pump should be high quality but also easy to find replacement parts for since this is the most common failure point.

Because of all of these factors I really like the Reef octopus INT skimmers they have a proven track records and all of the features I mentioned. I also really like the tunze master doc skimmers for the same reason.

Many skimmers that are considered high end actually don’t have these features. BubbleKing, Vertex, and Deltec all have poor US support in my experience and many use wedge pipes not gate valves. Not to mention that parts availability is no where near as good as with many other brands.

Well said.

 

[JoshH]

My opinion is that the market is saturated with plenty of skimmers that perform well. The performance difference between skimmers that are in the low mid range to the highest end is minimal.

There are differences on build quality, ease of maintenance, longevity, parts, availability, support, and ease of adjustment.

What I look for in a skimmer is an external pump. External pumps are easier to remove for cleaning and easier to upgrade if you need to in the future. Space saver models take proprietary pumps and suffer in performance because the reaction chamber is smaller to accommodate the pump.

I like gate valve water level control. Many skimmers now use a wedge pipe which is easy to manufacture but 1 half turn of a wedge pipe goes from completely open to completely closed while a gate valve has about 3-4 full rotations between opening and closing. this makes fine adjustments much easier.

I also would look at the pump. The pump is the only moving part of the skimmer and it is the biggest factor in price. The pump should be high quality but also easy to find replacement parts for since this is the most common failure point.

Because of all of these factors I really like the Reef octopus INT skimmers they have a proven track records and all of the features I mentioned. I also really like the tunze master doc skimmers for the same reason.

Many skimmers that are considered high end actually don’t have these features. BubbleKing, Vertex, and Deltec all have poor US support in my experience and many use wedge pipes not gate valves. Not to mention that parts availability is no where near as good as with many other brands.

Gotta love a Lifereef for all those reasons and SO much more! They are definately high end and include all those features and so much more! Granted even the smallest lifereef is rated for almost double a 54 Gallon but man they are SO worth it!

@Brokendeck get a Lifereef and never look back

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I like my Nyos. The pump is on the inside, saves a ton of space, strong and so far bullet proof. It is dead quiet. Maintenance is not an issue since I clean it once every other year. I have cleaned it twice. It’s made from abs plastic so it’s built well.

It replaced me more expensive vertex and works better imo

 

[road_runner]

My opinion is that the market is saturated with plenty of skimmers that perform well. The performance difference between skimmers that are in the low mid range to the highest end is minimal.

There are differences on build quality, ease of maintenance, longevity, parts, availability, support, and ease of adjustment.

What I look for in a skimmer is an external pump. External pumps are easier to remove for cleaning and easier to upgrade if you need to in the future. Space saver models take proprietary pumps and suffer in performance because the reaction chamber is smaller to accommodate the pump.

I like gate valve water level control. Many skimmers now use a wedge pipe which is easy to manufacture but 1 half turn of a wedge pipe goes from completely open to completely closed while a gate valve has about 3-4 full rotations between opening and closing. this makes fine adjustments much easier.

I also would look at the pump. The pump is the only moving part of the skimmer and it is the biggest factor in price. The pump should be high quality but also easy to find replacement parts for since this is the most common failure point.

Because of all of these factors I really like the Reef octopus INT skimmers they have a proven track records and all of the features I mentioned. I also really like the tunze master doc skimmers for the same reason.

Many skimmers that are considered high end actually don’t have these features. BubbleKing, Vertex, and Deltec all have poor US support in my experience and many use wedge pipes not gate valves. Not to mention that parts availability is no where near as good as with many other brands.

I heard many good things about reef octopus but when I was shopping for skimmer for some reason I remember the reef octopus was not that cheaper than bubble king..maybe am wrong.
Totally agree with you on the external pump. I tried both internal and external pumps skimmer. Regardless of how top of the line skimmer is. The external configuration is always superior.

 

[ca1ore]

For a tank that size, the choices are close to endless. Probably a competent pass through, internal skimmer would suffice. Recirculators and externals are fine, but probably only called for on very large tanks. Also keep in mind that performance tests done on skimmers in the past suggest that there’s not much difference as long as the unit is adequately sized. Go for one that’s rated for 2-3x your tanks size.

 

[Montiman]

I heard many good things about reef octopus but when I was shopping for skimmer for some reason I remember the reef octopus was not that cheaper than bubble king..maybe am wrong.
Totally agree with you on the external pump. I tried both internal and external pumps skimmer. Regardless of how top of the line skimmer is. The external configuration is always superior.

I would do a Reef Octopus 110 INT. Very adorable available and proven.