What skimmer do you recommend for a 225g mixed reef?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I'm getting the 225g peninsula plans going in full force. What kind of skimmer do you guys recommend?

I want to say it's going to be an SPS dominant mixed reef with a moderate fish stocking...but honestly, I usually stock heavy, and while I wish I could say I'm going to behave...I probably won't. So, what kind of a beast skimmer should I get?

 

[t5Nitro]

The lifereef is pretty amazing. Way better than the old Vertex skimmer I used to have. It's just ugly by today's gear. Can't imagine bubble king is actually better. Almost impossible. This thing is a workhorse and rarely needs to be cleaned, and by that I mean pour a little hot RODI water down the venturi if the bubble column isn't looking like it was when it was new. I just had to do that after 3 years of continuous operation and no maintenance. Looks like new again. Don't like the magdrive default pump? Put whatever pump you want on it since it accepts all.

 

[jda]

I would get two if you are going to stock heavy. Two average skimmers are better than a single best of breed many-thousand-dollar skimmers. All that you need is a slightly larger sump, which should be easy in the planning stages.

Tunze, LifeReef are better than most. Older ROs with Sicce PSK pumps are wonderful, but they are hard to find anymore. I used to really like Red Dragon powered skimmers, but parts can be SO hard.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I would get two if you are going to stock heavy. Two average skimmers are better than a single best of breed many-thousand-dollar skimmers. All that you need is a slightly larger sump, which should be easy in the planning stages.

Tunze, LifeReef are better than most. Older ROs with Sicce PSK pumps are wonderful, but they are hard to find anymore. I used to really like Red Dragon powered skimmers, but parts can be SO hard.

Thanks @jda. That's really helpful. How big should I go on the 2 skimmers? Would buying ones rated for the tank size work, or should I go slightly larger on both of them?

 

[Rmckoy]

I'm getting the 225g peninsula plans going in full force. What kind of skimmer do you guys recommend?

I want to say it's going to be an SPS dominant mixed reef with a moderate fish stocking...but honestly, I usually stock heavy, and while I wish I could say I'm going to behave...I probably won't. So, what kind of a beast skimmer should I get?

Mrc makes amazing skimmers .
I wonder what the rating for the above skimmer is ?

my vote is a Mrc external skimmer . But I don’t think you need one of that size .
Mrc MR2 is enough for a 225 .
to increase its volume capacity , add another Beckett boosting it upwards of 600 gal

 

[Rmckoy]

Pro Series | MRC America

www.mrcamerica.com

 

[jda]

Two skimmers for tank size with heavy load are good. BTW - I don't believe in light or medium stocking load estimates... I will see a unicorn before I see one of these.

 

[blaxsun]

Maybe a pair of Nyos Quantum 220s or a Quantum 300? Another one I've recently been made aware of is the Italian Ultra Reef skimmer line (supposedly just an incredible skimmer).

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Maybe a pair of Nyos Quantum 220s or a Quantum 300? Another one I've recently been made aware of is the Italian Ultra Reef skimmer line (supposedly just an incredible skimmer).

I noticed @gcarroll picked up an Ultra Reef recently. That's not one I was familiar with either. I do love the look of the Nyos skimmers I haven't had one yet, but that's a brand it wouldn't be hard for me to be convinced to get.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

The skimmer in the pic is bigger than my tank. Is that for a public aquarium?

 

[Lividfanatica]

I have been really happy with my RO Regal 250INT on my 210. NOTE: it is still fishless, but setup and configuration/tuning was very easy so far. It actually is producing a good amount of dark skimmate with minor ghost feeding. If needed, i could fit an additional 200 in the other chamber of my sump.

 

[LRT]

Check out the bubblemagus rated for 240 gallon. I'm running 2 on my 80.

 

[Sean Clark]

How about one of these RK2 Systems XFlo skimmers?

RK2 Systems - Protein Skimmers

Professional Grade Aquatic Life Support filtration for freshwater or seawater shellfish and finfish aquaculture systems, public aquarium and zoological facilities and the hobbyist fish/reef aquarium markets worldwide.

www.rk2.com

 

[Ultraman]

I’ve got 22 years of skimmer experience and have used many different types. My RO Regal 300 external is silent and dependable with consistent performance. However, my Lifereef 30” Venturi skimmer consistently pulls more skimmate in comparison. I’m going to replace my Regal 300 with a custom built dual Venturi from Lifereef in the very near future.

Skimmers I’ve used over the years:

Dual Beckett, quad Beckett, Aquamedic Turboflotor, needle wheel skimmers, air stone skimmers and large Baldor needle wheels. Pros and cons with all of them, but low maintenance and consistent performance are my must haves.

 

[jda]

I cannot explain how well Tunze skimmers work, for new skimmers. I used to think that they were expensive, but compared to how much even RO skimmers have gone up, they are cheap anymore.

You can always look for used skimmers. ASM body and an appropriate sized Sicce PSK pump really outperform most skimmers on the market anymore. The older RO skimmers with Sicce PSK pumps were much better than anything since, IMO. If good skimmers are going to be 800-1000 anymore, then you might be able to get 3 great ones used even if you have to get new pumps and fittings - 2 to use and one for a backup.

On my 240g with 80g sump, I have an old EuroReef 12-2 (maybe 12-1) with a Sedra 9000 pump, ASM G3 with a retrofitted Sicce PSK (the middle sized one) and an older RO with a retrofitted Tunze Hydrofoamer (great skimmer pump). I will put any of these three up against anything other than maybe a downdraft, beckett or LifeReef.

On my other 225g, I have a LifeReef 24-3 with a 1000 gph AC pump (modern and like 35 watts - I forget what kind, but maybe a Sicce or Tunze?) and an older RO with the larger Sicce PSK pump. When the load gets heavy, I have a downdraft that I can set inside of my 60x24 attached frag tank - it has a 1200gph pump and it really pulls some nasty skim, but it won't fit inside of my cabinet, so I keep it around as a backup if the load gets heavy and just set it inside of the 10 inch deep tank/table.

 

[mehaffydr]

I would go with that MRC in your original post. That would double the water volume of your system.
seriously I have had a couple of MRC and love them.

 

[trevorhiller]

I noticed @gcarroll picked up an Ultra Reef recently. That's not one I was familiar with either. I do love the look of the Nyos skimmers I haven't had one yet, but that's a brand it wouldn't be hard for me to be convinced to get.

I can’t speak to the actual operation of the skimmer as I don’t have my new tank just yet, however, I bought one of the smaller ultra reef skimmers (160) and I’m really impressed by the build quality.

It makes my Eshopps skimmer feel like it came from the dollar store bargain bin. Not that I don’t like my Eshopps, but the build quality is on two entirely different levels.

 

[vetteguy53081]

On the 660g, great success with Reef Octopus DC 250EXT
For your tank, you may very well like the Aquamaxx ConeS Q3 Protein Skimmer. Very quiet and easy to service

 

[Jubei2006]

Have sro 5000 on my 525. Looked at the MRC orca 2 and the nyos 300.

 

[mandarin417]

The very best skimmer I ever had was an AquaC EV-180. No longer manufactured.