OMG! Thinking of Getting Remora Skimmers, Need Advice Please
 

Okay, I checked my pulse and it's still within normal range. Just so you all know :lol:

Anyway, got reading about skimmers thanks to the $40 skimmer thread posted today. One link led to another link that led to another link that led to a Google search on Aqua C skimmers.

Holy cow!! Aqua C has HOB skimmers that will fit the back clearance of our tanks. Well, except for one tank, but, heck we can move it forward from the wall a bit if you folks can tell me more about your experiences with the Remora and Remora Pro skimmers.

Our three reefs are a 37g, a 67g and a 120g, each with low bioloads, no sumps, macroalgae in each for nutrient uptake - information you might need to help me decide if these skimmers are useful for us.

Things I need to know before buying ....

- have yours EVER over flowed? (We CANNOT have ANYTHING over flowing in our 2nd storey condo!)
- how common are over flows, in your experience?
- if yours has overflowed, what caused the over flow and what did you do to prevent it from happening again?
- are they easy to remove from tight spaces?
- how easy is it to get into the bottom box for cleaning?
- how do Aqua C skimmers compare to Prism skimmers? (Aqua C's website is far more detailed than the Prism site, so I'm leaning more toward the Aqua C Remoras based on info at their respective sites.)

I just want the facts, so please keep your I-told-you-so's to a minimum, please :razz:

All comments about, and experiences with, these skimmers are very, very welcome!

TIA :smile:

Remora's are great! It won't overflow because it has a design that prevents it from doing so. The thing that collects the skimmate has a hole at the top so that if it gets full, it will fall back inside the Remora. Ok, that wasn't very clear. I will try to find a pic, it will make this explanation super simple.

I have a Remora Pro & it works fine for the 65g & 20g sump. It will not handle a much larger tank or heavily stocked one, although it is one of the better regarded HOB.

Main things I dislike are that it produces microbubbles (you can get an add on overflow box that will catch most microbubbles).
The pump (Mag350) is a bit big & ugly in a display tank.

Other than that, for a lightly stocked tank, it should do great. I'm upgrading to a Tunze skimmer in the 20g sump/fuge & an ASM-G3 in-sump skimmer in the 50g sump/fuge mostly because I want to remove my micron-sock out of the 20g that I use to catch the RP's microbubbles.

HTH,

Anthony

It won't overflow. The most damage it could cause is some foam leaks through the hole on the lid. I have never had an overflow.. it simply cannot happen. Wait for the pic so you'll better understand.

As for cleaning inside the actual skimmer.. I don't believe you can. Downside? Perhaps.. but I don't care.

They are super easy to remove from tight spaces... they are long in design, that's about it..

I don't know how they compare to prism's , but .. from what I've read, I am sure they would kick a prism's butt no problem.

I've been using mine for a long time, not one issue.. super easy to clean and maintain, and it's always pulling out nasties.

You won't be dissapointed!

If the drain/overflow from the skimmer were to clog somehow with something, then yes, it will overflow. A snail did this on my bak-pak skimmer(with about the same diameter overflow pipe) and the skimmer started to flow over a bit. I dont think this is a very common occurence however.

Chris

Some are talking about skimmate overflowing, which no, would/cannot happen, but yes, water could overflow.

Chris

Didn't I read about this in Revelations ????

1 And I saw in the right hand of Bev, a protein skimmer that fitteth within a confined space and on the backside, sealed with O-rings or other;
2 And I saw a strong thread proclaiming with a load voice, Who is worthy to skim my tank, and to fractionate the foam thereof?
3 And no sump in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the tank, was able to hide other tank equipment, neither to look thereon,
4 And no leaks were to happen in the condo,
5 And the count shall be Three, not Two, nor Four,

... Oh never mind.

The skimmate in Remoras cannot overflow because when the collection cup is full, any additional skimmate will simply fall back down into the skimmer. You'll stop skimming but you'll still have a dry floor. There's a drain cup that AquaC sells that allows you to attach tubing that drains into another container so that you'll always be skimming.

You have to remove that whole unit to clean the insides. Just use a little vinegar and a long brush. I've only cleaned mine once after more than a year of continuous use. The only parts that you having to maintain on a regular basis are the collection cup (just take it off the top) and the injector nozzle (accessible from the top with an included brush).

There are some issues with amount of skimmate, noise and microbubbles but there are simple fixes. Having the pump inside the tank is unsightly but easily dealt with by hiding it behind some rockwork.

AquaC has fantastic customer service as well. I've even gotten freebies from them such as when the elastic around the collection cup broke.

IMO, the only way the Remora is going to let any water go......... Is if it's broken! (See: cracked or smashed)

By design, it will allow all water, skimate and foam to be put right back in the tank if the collection cup is over filled. Trace amounts of foam will appear around the hole in the collection cup when the foam isn't turning into liquid fast enough. (By trace amounts, I mean not even enough to drip off of the lid.)

There is no possible way for this skimmer to leak onto the floor without actualy breaking the body of it. (Works very good for a hang on also.)
:)

Wow! Very glowing testimonials :biggrin: Except for Tony's soooooo funny quasi-quote from Revelations :razz: :wink:

And, no, I'm not having a stroke because I can still type :lol:

Moving along.... A few I have questions brought up some of the discussion....

Microbubbles:
- am thinking of getting Maxi Jet and Mag Drive pump Surface Prefilter Boxes (http://www.proteinskimmer.com/surfaceprefilter.pdf ) to combat microbubbles and to help remove the surface scum we have in all three tanks. Any pros or cons to these pre-filters? Will they help remove the surface scum?

Noise:
- we are really used to very little noise coming from our tanks. The only noise we currently have is a wee bit of vibration from the powerheads in the tanks, which is still very quiet. How can I reduce noise from the skimmers, if there is any after the break in period?

Intake Protection for BTAs in 37g and 67g tanks (using Remoras and Maxi-jets)?:
- Gotta protect my BTAs in the event they decide to move after introducing the skimmers. Will the pre-filter box do the trick or do I have to cover the pre-filter box with something? Describe the something, if you know. (Not a trick question!)
- if we don't get the pre-filter boxes, what can we use to cover the pump intakes?

Tank Molding Size:
- the molding of these three tanks is 1 3/4" from front to back. Will these skimmers fit this non-standard molding size? If not, is there a modification we can make to the skimmers so they will hang onto the tanks?


Those are all my questions for now. Glad to hear that these skimmers will not leak or overflow water (unless broken), and that the skimmate will not overflow either.

Thank you all very much for responding :biggrin: