Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board  

Go Back   Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board > General > Reef

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-22-2010, 02:20 PM
Milad's Avatar
Milad Milad is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: North Vancouver
Posts: 901
Milad is on a distinguished road
Send a message via MSN to Milad
Default Best skimmer out there?

So is there a site that ranks skimmers?
Im eyeing BKs, ASM G6 and even thinking on a DIY

If you had the room what would you go with? Is there downfall to some designs?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10-22-2010, 03:49 PM
sphelps's Avatar
sphelps sphelps is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lyalta, East of Calgary
Posts: 4,777
sphelps is on a distinguished road
Default

Can't go wrong with a BK but many others will get the job done. The new vertex line is pretty nice, using the same pumps as BK and sell for less. Euro-reefs or ASM are a more economical choice but can tend to be noisy and less consistent.

Basically buy whatever your budget allows for. Great tanks are not based on the type of skimmer you use.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-22-2010, 04:01 PM
lastlight's Avatar
lastlight lastlight is offline
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 6,997
lastlight has a spectacular aura aboutlastlight has a spectacular aura aboutlastlight has a spectacular aura about
Default

So long as the skimmer is sized accordingly I really believe most skimmer brands will get it done with some being slightly better than others.

If you want silence or a better pump you pay FAR more. The better pumps also come on the skimmers with cell-cast acrylic and machined parts rather than cheaper extruded. They also come with other subtle features that may boost performance a little but I don't believe your value increases proportionally to the cost. If your fancy pump fails (as mine did before you even have the skimmer running) then it can be a real hassle getting it repaired or replaced too.

I can appreciate why someone would want a BK afterall I saved like a dog to get one. Now that I've bought into the mid-range market with everything on my current tank I find that's what's best for me and I'll do the same next time. I prefer having more money for livestock and chemicals etc.

Just my 0.02
__________________
Brett
My 67 392 225 101 94 34 97 404 28 93 209 gallon reef.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-22-2010, 05:00 PM
Slick Fork's Avatar
Slick Fork Slick Fork is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Red Deer, Alberta
Posts: 631
Slick Fork is on a distinguished road
Default

As lastlight mentioned, depends on your budget. I'd recommend a nice midrange vertex or Bubble Magus. Consider what a "High-End" skimmer costs and decide if the extra $500-$2000 could be better spent elsewhere. My vertex (Gen1) pump is not the quietest or most energy efficient but the money I didn't spend on a super fancy gold plated skimmer pump is money I have to spend elsewhere on my system (IE a really nice controller or better lights, etc.).
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-22-2010, 05:03 PM
lastlight's Avatar
lastlight lastlight is offline
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 6,997
lastlight has a spectacular aura aboutlastlight has a spectacular aura aboutlastlight has a spectacular aura about
Default

Well yeah if I didn't have to save and scrimp for a build and I was well off nothing I said would apply. I'm sure I'd go high-end once more.
__________________
Brett
My 67 392 225 101 94 34 97 404 28 93 209 gallon reef.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-22-2010, 05:06 PM
sphelps's Avatar
sphelps sphelps is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lyalta, East of Calgary
Posts: 4,777
sphelps is on a distinguished road
Default

Where do you get a gold plated skimmer pump from? I want one!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-22-2010, 06:51 PM
globaldesigns's Avatar
globaldesigns globaldesigns is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 1,863
globaldesigns is on a distinguished road
Default

I do love my Hydor 1000, it is a great recirc skimmer, and high quality. With one input pump and 2 recirc pumps, it does a great job in a very small footprint.
__________________



Setup: 180G DT, 105G Refuge (approx. 300lbs LR, 150lbs Aragonite)
Hardware: Super Reef Octopus SSS-3000, Tunze ATO, Mag 18 return, 2x MP40W, 2X Koralia 4's Wavemaker
Lighting: 5ft Hamilton Belize Sun (2x250W MH, 2X80W T5HO)
Type of Aquarium: mixed reef (SPS & LPS) with fish
Dosing: Mg, Ca, Alk
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-22-2010, 07:04 PM
Kevotron's Avatar
Kevotron Kevotron is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 295
Kevotron is on a distinguished road
Default

I personally like Bubble Magus, super economical and gets the job done...
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-23-2010, 02:51 PM
KevinK KevinK is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Victoria
Posts: 320
KevinK is on a distinguished road
Default when size dous not matter

I run a DIY skimmer on my 450 gal total water volume

guided by the aqua medict turbo fl. 5000, it is

6 feet tall,
8 inch clear pipe
uses 160W in power
and pushes 3500 L of air into it,

skimmer is runing great, a tweek here and there once in a while, more becouse I feel like it (to se if it could run even better) than that it has to, as it is running fine, and paremeters in tank are all in check

cost, far, far, far below any other skimmer for a tank this size, I think I can build 5 for the cost of one fair brand name.

when you have the space, and dont mind a DIY project, than go for it.

maintanance wise, I clean the cup each 2 to 3 days, as I like to keep it clean and viseble what is happening --- and thats it

I cant upload the pic. I want, as it only alows 600 x 400 (a wide picture) and not a standing picture of 360x 550, se my photo album under my profile for the picture, it is in there

Last edited by KevinK; 10-23-2010 at 02:59 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-25-2010, 04:47 AM
Milad's Avatar
Milad Milad is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: North Vancouver
Posts: 901
Milad is on a distinguished road
Send a message via MSN to Milad
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinK View Post
I run a DIY skimmer on my 450 gal total water volume

guided by the aqua medict turbo fl. 5000, it is

6 feet tall,
8 inch clear pipe
uses 160W in power
and pushes 3500 L of air into it,

skimmer is runing great, a tweek here and there once in a while, more becouse I feel like it (to se if it could run even better) than that it has to, as it is running fine, and paremeters in tank are all in check

cost, far, far, far below any other skimmer for a tank this size, I think I can build 5 for the cost of one fair brand name.

when you have the space, and dont mind a DIY project, than go for it.

maintanance wise, I clean the cup each 2 to 3 days, as I like to keep it clean and viseble what is happening --- and thats it

I cant upload the pic. I want, as it only alows 600 x 400 (a wide picture) and not a standing picture of 360x 550, se my photo album under my profile for the picture, it is in there
where did you find the plans for that skimmer?
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 03:33 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.