This has been some good info. I am building a new tank and have only ever had a RSM250 so I have never used a standard type of skimmer. I am looking around a 90-100g tank that will be a heavy load with fish and dominated by SPS. But I also don't want to break the bank and need something that isnt to crazy on my power bill. Any thoughts on that?

My tank and requirements are pretty much the same, so hang out and see what progresses.
Denny posted some good info.

I have an Omega 150 in the back of my car right now, the guy that loaned it to me suggested I should spend my time watching cartoons rather than set it up. He's pretty experienced with skimmers, so, hmm :)

I do like BK, and I while I can't afford that, I might try if I knew it would last forever. But I am pretty sure it won't. And if I bought it, I wouldn't be able to afford the fix it. That's just life I guess.

The CSC look good, discontinued. Figures. Deltec, heard several people say quality is lacking, and parts are German/expensive.

Keep the chat going, let's see what others have to say

I bet it did great, I just can't do "fancy expensive" :)

If you do try out the Omega150 please let us know your thoughts... for obvious reason id like to know if I did infact make a bad purchase. If you try it how long do you plan on giving it as a test?

Check out the SRO 2000int , it's a beast. Rated for 180 to 200 gallons IIRC. Has been out for years now and from all the reading I've done on reef central on skimmers it has to be one of the most popular skimmers out there.

I would run it for a week. It's dirty and used, so I'd give it a surface clean, therefore I wouldn't expect it to require a break in period. The guy did use the volute adjustment for the air as well.

I've read that a bit, I'll look into it further.

Love my ER. When upgrading to my 180 I looked at a lot of skimmers but wasn't willing to take the plunge on the big $$ without being able to try or see it in action. Lucky another used ER came up so it was a no brainer. The "newer" ones (pre-cost saving measures to compete with chinese knockoffs) have way thinner acrylic and are more "delicate" (I'm not the most gentle with them) than my old little tank of a skimmer. Broke the neck off 2 weeks after buying it but a quick fix with some crazy glue or whatever I had on hand and it has been running like a champ ever since even though it ain't pretty. Pump is great too, goes through impellers every 12-18 mo due to swelling of the magnet. One day I'll be unable to find the sedra 9000 impellers but until then I'm good to go :biggrin:

I'm also kicking it old school with metal halides :razz:

I thought you had an ER??? What happened to it?

I'm in exact same boat, just picked one up for build in progress.
Just finishing sump so have not got it wet yet. Would love to here others experience with one.

Too tall. I had to take a hit with a lower stand and it had to go. Otherwise it would still be running.
I also have a RS180 here, but no pump. The Sedra 5000 won't run it well, so I would need something bigger.

I was able to buy 2 BK mini 160s, one with a shot pump, for $350. The good one was good for about 10 days before it died :) Now I'm just ****ed -lol

Yeah I'd be ****ed too. No pump replacements? I just can't keep up with all the skimmer talk these days. Seems you can drop 2K on a skimmer and then people are all "ooh you need to upgrade the pump to a flaming dragon". My money tree is dead so I'm effed if my ER ever croaks. Either that or I'll be hitting up your equipment graveyard for salvage :razz:

I have anything you need :)

The Flaming Dragon is actually a good name, and the cost is from the shiny sticker they put on a $100 Laguna pump.
If I can find a pump, at a price I don't need to give up eating for, I'll probably run the BK 160, it did an ok job. OR, if I can find better, within budget, I might go that way.
The official pump replacement is about $250 US, plus all the costs to get it here. If I can buy the $100 pumps, I can buy two and have a spare 160.

Brad I had the Omega 130 and was not impressed. I tried the volume and wedge pipe for adjustment and couldn't find a setting to work properly the build was great the performance not so much.
Bought a reef Octopus NWB-SSS and it's a beast. Same body style as the bk you have without the price. Out performs the Omega hand down

The 150 is rated for 210g, I think that's pushing it with a 6" chamber at 21" height. But yes, probably comparable to the mini 160 at a much nicer price. Would be nice if there was a model a bit bigger, say 8" diameter. But yes, this is something I'd look at. Thanks

Wait a minute...... Some of you have a MONEY Tree?!? What the..... It doesn't matter if it's dead. I'm amazed some of you had one to begin with. I want one. I'm doing something wrong here.

Christy had a money tree. It died. I don't. Never did. I have, instead, a bill pit. All my money goes in it. Once in a while the dog digs some up and I get to spend it on my hobby. A tree would be nice :)

Final thoughts on this (unrelated) topic:

Understood.

- I want a dog that can dig up some $ ....even if it's sporadic and on occasion.

- I'm open to the concept of....I believe the term is....."Sugar Momma"

- I may be being presumptuous but I believe Aquattro is open to the concept of a "Skimmer Benefactor".

:mrgreen:

That would be an accurate presumption :)

I'm going to throw my 2 cents in. Lifereef. Give Jeff a call and tell him what you need.

They seem a little complex, thumbscrews, external and loud pumps. Might need more room than I have to dedicate to a skimmer, but I'll poke around his site.

I run my Omega 150 in about 7 inches of water and with the adjustable venturi out two turns or so. Skims great for me. Lots of dark smelly crap. My daughter commented on the smell as I cleaned out the cup earlier tonight :)

While Vertex recommends that they can be run as deep as 9" my experience is that they do far better in shallower water. That seemed to be the problem with the Omega 130 as well which worked best at about a 6" depth. As I said, they are also quite sensitive to buildup in the volute and venturi too so those should be cleaned regularly. That's easy since the whole thing just twists off the front of the pump.

I own the CSC 450 and have owned the CSC 250. Great skimmers for a great price. You might be able to find a used 250 somewhere. If not I would buy a Skimz. Great skimmers. The thing I like about them is they seem to be a set and forget skimmer which is what I needed when I was skimmer shopping.The Avast marine skimmer that was mentioned earlier would be something to look at as well.

Brad, if you want to look at the SRO 2000 INT, my old one is here if you want to test it and it is for sale. I'm coming down on Tues night for another wife's Dr's appointment so I could drop it off

Sure Dom, bring it down!

I also have an Omega 150, quick question by turning out the venturi, am I right in thinking it speeds up the water and air mixture going into the skimmer by increasing the flow length?

It allows more or less air to mix with the water, which in turn affects the height as the less air the more efficiently the pump will pump water

The csc and skimz have a screw that controls a gate valve. I set mine 6 months ago and haven't had to fiddle with it since

Yes. And I believe screwing it out should draw more air if I remember correctly.

I have a 120G display with about 30G more in sump.
Run both an Omega 150 with a Vertex Vectra neck cleaner and a Skimz SK181

The Skimz has about 9" of water, Vertex is lifted to about 6.5"
Biopellets piped right into Skimz skimmer, it pulls out decent sludge/waste

Vertex is right next to my drain pipe, it pulls out the darkest, nastiest crudd :D venturi is turned in all the way. I found it was a bugger to get figured out but also found that small adjustments over long periods of time was best for getting it going good

I have a Lifereef skimmer and it is great. Had euro reef and swc 160 before that was reasonably happy with them except euro reef was loud and the swc, regardless how adjusted, always gunned up the neck. The Life reef was a big improvement on both counts. And it really pulls the organics out. It has been great.

What model, what pump, how loud?

And truth be told, I look at Lifereef's site and visual OCD kicks in and makes me leave. Worst site ever.

It's a vs2-24 in sump with a mag drive 9 pump. I don't find it noisy at all. My eheim 1262 return pump is louder.

Yes the site sucks. But how many companies in this hobby can you call and speak to the actual owner and at the same time the manufacturer?

Mag pumps, as pumps go, are fairly loud. I have a mag 3 on my reactor and it's the loudest thing in the tank.

As for support, that's all great, but I hope to never have to speak to the owner :) But ya, good feature if you need it.

However, being all old school and stuff, I do think injected skimmers beat the various wheel designs.

I always thought eheim was supposed to be quiet but it is way louder. As were the swc and the euro reef. If you want you can also buy it without the pump and use the pump of your choice as it is a Venturi skimmer. No pin wheel pump needed. Just something of the proper size to push the water.

Something to think about for sure. Ya, I just moved a tank for someone, it has an eheim pump for return. Loudest pump I've heard in a while -lol
I have heard (or rather, not) eheims in setups that didn't sound like they were running.

Man, now you have me thinking return pumps and more $$! Time to call it a night!

I'm now running a Lifereef VSV-48. Best skimmer yet. Running a Waveline DC12000 on it and... Woweeeeeee! lol
But at over 48" tall, didn't think your wife would appreciate it, hahaha. Thus I didn't mention it :)

Dom, something that tall will outperform anything else around. If I had a sump room, I'd be using a 6' air driven skimmer.