what hang on the back skimmer should I go with

[Myka]

Originally Posted by gobytron

Hey, no problem...lol
If I were a lonely tradesman in saskatchewan I would be looking for laughs anywhere I could get them too...

...not everyone is a ticketed journyman without much more in life than their aquarium to spend money on...

Wow, you're really a piece of work. I'm not a ticketed journeyman. You must be referring to an earlier post in this thread where I said I am 6 months away from my Red Seal...? I am not in that line of work anymore. I'm not sure why you're so interested in my life or where I spend my money, but I am definitely not lonely. I do make good money, but most of my money is not spent on my aquarium. You have spent a lot more money on your aquarium than I have, so I'm not sure what leg you have to stand on there...?

And FYI, even at 60-75% of a discount, which is rare as in my experience, unless the equipment you are buying is in really poor condition you can really onlyexpect a 30-40% reduction from retail price.
and even then, it's always a challenge to find exactly what you need when you need it.
But lets assume you do get that wonderful discount on used....lol
It`s still expensive to a lot of people

Would you like a price list of what I have spent on equipment for my tank (I'm sure you're not interested)? It took 6 months to collect all the equipment, but I did spend 60-75% less than retail (even more if you consider the retail prices aroundSK), and all the equipment is less than a year old in very good condition. You just have to be ready to jump on a good deal.

Originally Posted by gobytron

I regret that I don`t have a thousand or more posts, but I still feel that I should be able to express myself, even if I don`t concurr with the opinion of someone who`s more....established than me.

You can express yourself all you want. There are dozens of people on these forums that know me in person. There are hundreds that have taken my advice to improve their reefs or increase their knowledge. Many people trust what I have to say because I have a track record. If you're concerned about your "lack of establishment" or that your opinions are falling on deaf ears or whatever it is you're actually whining about make a track record for yourself. Oh, but your life is just way too exciting to bother with such a pathetic waste of time.

[mike31154]

I'm looking forward to a future build with basement sump. In the meantime I've been running a sumpless 77 gal that I aquired used from a lady in Richmond a few years ago. It came with a DIY HOB old school counter current wooden air diffuser skimmer. I was a total newb & had little clue as to what was in store for me. The only info I started with was a small book on SW aquariums my niece had given me for Xmas. About a year or so later I snagged a deal on another tank (65 gal) that was on sale locally. Added the livestock & LR to the 77 and replaced the old school skimmer with the RemoraC Pro that came with the 65.

Must say that I prefer the old DIY skimmer over the Remora. I found the Remora very noisy and only pulled mild tea out of my system. The price was right since it came with the 65 gallon, but I really don't think I'd spend the money on a new one. I ended up cracking the intake tubing one day and was happy to go back to the old DIY job. Much quieter and uses a fraction of the wattage as the beast of a Mag 3 pump that ran the Remora. After a few mods to the DIY skimmer it performs well. I'm now even to the point where I'm making my own 'monster' wooden air diffusers since the LFS around here don't stock wooden air stones with any regularity. It skims quite dry and the stuff I scrape out of the upper chamber is what I consider 'quality' gunk. I have a drain tube on the collection cup going to a 2 liter pop bottle and only need to empty that every few months, to give you an idea how dry I skim.

Debates on skimmers seem to get heated quite regularly. The cheapo used DIY unit is still running on my sumpless system and I have no plans to 'upgrade' until I do the basement sump build. At that time I'm considering another 'wood driven' DIY skimmer, only much taller since room won't be an issue. I have no problem changing wooden air stones every once in a while. Still one of the best methods to create very fine bubbles with a minimum requirement for high powered equipment. Other than the Remora and my DIY, I have zero experience or knowledge regarding skimmer technology. Most of what I see out there is beyond what I'm willing to spend to replace my current one.

I'd say Myka's advice on having your tank drilled now is a good idea, even if you don't plan a sump right away. As mentioned you can plug the holes until you're ready for a sump. At the very least this will save you some time when you make your move. The less time your livestock spends in temporary containers during a move, the better. As you've seen throughout this thread, there are a number of options open to you, including sumpless, skimmerless with more frequent water changes or going all out with overflow, sump, skimmer and all the fixins'. I guess it boils down to your budget and future plans. Either way I'm sure you'll be successful. Best of luck.

Here's my favourite skimmer. Foam head is quite white since it's just been cleaned. I've upgraded the air pump to a larger one since taking the photo:



Pre skimmer box with pump and skimmer output into separate compartment at far end:

Hi Mike i like your air driven skimmer and I have seen it in action works great. I don't think I will give up my Aqua Medic though as It works extreemly well for me.
So that air pump is working better for you?

Bill

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by bvlester

Hi Mike i like your air driven skimmer and I have seen it in action works great. I don't think I will give up my Aqua Medic though as It works extreemly well for me.
So that air pump is working better for you?

Bill

Yes, the larger air pump makes a noticeable difference, especially since I purchased a plank of basswood and built my own wooden air diffuser. It's much larger than anything you can buy and since all four sides produce bubbles, way more efficient. I had to put a small rock inside it to help weigh it down, but it still wants to float. Meant to take a photo after gluing it together, but didn't.