Can anyone suggest an in sump skimmer for me?

[Madreefer]

The Bubbleking Mini 180 will fit and works awesome. Only rated for 180 but supposedly works better if pushed beyond it's rating. You should be able to pick a used one up for around $700. But they don't come around that often. Keep the one you have for now until you find a good deal.

[ferret]

The bubbleking skimmers are good but not for the mini models. Don't waste money on the mini to handle a system of 200 gal.

[snow1]

Ya I like those skimmers but alas I don't have $900+ to spend right now. I guess I'll keep what I have until I save up for a better skimmer. Are these are only skimmers that have the pump on the inside or are there other brands as well?

[Slick Fork]

I'm going to agree with those saying keep what you've got until you can afford a reasonable upgrade. Trading a decent skimmer like yours for a bargain brand which claims a higher capacity but doesn't work as well isn't a really good option.

Do a search over at reef central for the vertex skimmer club, I skimmed a few posts over there discussing replacing the pump and the MASSIVE difference it made in skimmate production. That might work out to be the most cost effective stop-gap measure for you. I can't recall if the In-80's were discussed or not.

Where does the 20" height restriction come from? Your stand? I can't imagine any skimmers rated for that size of a tank that would fit in there. I have an In-180 and I need at least 25" clearance. If it's the way the sump is designed you may have to bite the bullet and buy a new sump to fit a properly sized skimmer.

[dsaundry]

I would normally recommend the BM or the SWC normally, I just bought a SWC 180 and I am wishing I had got the BM now I think. Still having a hell of a time dialing this skimmer in. Sometimes it works great and other times it doesnt, overflows sometimes and other times it puts way too many microbubbles in system. Water levels are controlled by ato and not an issue imo. If I can't lock this down soon I am going to put the old skimmer back in sump.

[Gooly001]

Daryl,

Bring it in, we'll do a full test on it for you and if it's a defective skimmer it will be under warranty.

I'll run if for a few days at the store to see what's causing the inconsistency.

LMK if that works.

Paul

Originally Posted by dsaundry

I would normally recommend the BM or the SWC normally, I just bought a SWC 180 and I am wishing I had got the BM now I think. Still having a hell of a time dialing this skimmer in. Sometimes it works great and other times it doesnt, overflows sometimes and other times it puts way too many microbubbles in system. Water levels are controlled by ato and not an issue imo. If I can't lock this down soon I am going to put the old skimmer back in sump.

[dsaundry]

Thanks Paul, pm'd you.

[Myka]

I have a couple large EuroReefs, a small Vertex, and a small SWC cone. I find all these skimmers are fussy...not set and forget by any stretch of the imagination. Mine are all controlled by a baffle so water height is consistent. I find they all perform best in the lowest manufacturer recommended water height. When they are skimming these are all good skimmers...they just overflow every once in awhile and I can't seem to make a connection to figure out why. I just clean the cups out every couple days so when they overflow they aren't dumping too much back into the system. Oh, and I swear at them regularly.

[Red Fish Blue Fish]

Originally Posted by ferret

The bubbleking skimmers are good but not for the mini models. Don't waste money on the mini to handle a system of 200 gal.

Do you have one or seen one in action? I run a mini on 240 gallon fish only and its a beast. Mini = compact for space. water is crystal clear and huge fish. Vertex are great skimmers as well I didnt mention it because of your space req.

[ferret]

Yes and I've been running a mini 200 for my 240gal fowlr system too for nearly 2 years but not quite satisfied with the result when compared with my other 140gal fish only system using the swc skimmer I recently bought.