What Size Skimmer Do I Need?

[Usatennisfan]

So I have a 40 breeder and am going to be getting a bigger sump for it next month, I was thinking about doing a 30 breeder. In it I want to have a very large refugium with seahorses. I already have a fairly light bioload in the tank- maroon pair, red mandarin, and a for shrimp, but I have A LOT of corals.
My concerns with a 30 breeder is the height and not having enough room for the ponies to be happy. Long story short is I don't know what size skimmer I should do since I've heard ponies are messy eaters.

 

[NanaReefer]

SCA-301 or SCA-302

 

[Reefing Madness]

What your looking for is a skimmer rated for 80 gallons or better.

 

[Usatennisfan]

I was thinking a Reef Octopus Classic 150 but with seahorses needing to be fed so often I worry about dirty water since the DT is mainly spa and chalices.

 

[Reefing Madness]

That'll be more than enough. Just need to shut it down while feeding the Seahorses.

 

[Pete polyp]

I used a bubble magus curve 5 for my 40 with 40 sump. Its a really good fit for my setup.

 

[Usatennisfan]

I need to redo the plumbing but I plan on having the skimmer section and refugium on opposite ends of the sump so I would split the drain and have ~30% of the water going into the refugium section and the rest into the skimmer section. Would I still need to shut off the skimmer for feedings?

 

[Reefing Madness]

You may, it all depends on what you feed your tank, theres alot of stuff that makes a skimmer overflow.

 

[JimmyZ19]

1.5x - 2x the total tank volume will be more than enough.