Skimmer Sugestions

R

Ross110

I am making plants to set my first big tank up.
total water volume will be about 220.
I am currently looking at a trigger 300 system.
Does anyone have any suggestions on other good submersible skimmers rated for this size?
 
i would steer away from venturi type skimmers as they are very inefficient power wise they take a big pump to get them to work efficiently.

i would look at

reeflo skimmer (external skimmer but in my opinion the best skimmer for a big tank)


i tech 400 with tunze pumps
royal cone skimmer
 
Can you give us an idea on budget.. skimmers that size will run anywhere from 400-1400 bucks new. Also give us an idea of available space you have to work with.
 
Also all trigger systems venturi skimmers I have seen were setup to be ran externally not in sump
 
@PFS_faceless wrote:
looking for something used...under 300 or around that. anywhere from 4x4" to 10x10" in space. said:
I know of no skimmer for that sized tank that will fit into that size space in that price range. The closest would be a MSX200 that uses 12 x 14.. you might be able to find one for that price.

Bermudas etc will fit.. but not with the pump too. Some of the cones may do it, but even those require more space and will be well out of that price range.

The only skimmers for larger tanks that have that footprint are the Bubble King Mini's and those will run you $800 plus used.

Maybe someone else knows of one... but I don't.
Click to expand...
 
Maybe i should ask if anyone can point me to a posting that analyzes and compares the different types of skimmer...
 
Maybe i should ask if anyone can point me to a posting that analyzes and compares the different types of skimmer...
 
Take a look at the Skimmer comparison chart. Granted, this page hasn't been updated since June 2008:

http://aquariumcontrollers.com/aquarium-equipment-comparisons.php

There are several kinds of skimmers on the market.

Beckett (Trigger Systems, for example)
Needle Wheel (Euro-reef, ASM, Octopus)
Mesh Wheel (MSX, some tiny Euro-reef skimmers)
True Venturi (Sea Clone, Prism, CPR Bakpak)
Spray Injection (Aqua C - EV-series, Remora, Urchin)

The "best skimmer" discussion is an arbitrary one. It comes down to how much money a person paid for theirs, and how much they want to defend that purchase. Also, the bioload of the tank can have a huge effect on how well a skimmer works or won't work. If the skimmer is massively oversized for example, the owner may be completely unhappy with the lack of results. Using my giant skimmer on a Nano tank is a good example. In theory, the skimmer works perfectly but the lack of waste in the water would imiply that my skimmer doesn't work correctly due to a lack of skimmate.

If you have a 300g tank, you need a skimmer that can skimmer 300g with a heavy bioload. In that case, I'd be looking for a skimmer that others really like, and I'd probably seek a skimmer that can handle 350 to 400g ratings-wise.

The newer Cone skimmers seem to be able to handle larger tanks with smaller footprints and with less electricity. I'd love to try one out to see if it is true, but for now I'm not really shopping for a skimmer. What I have works. It's a Euroreef CS12-2 with two Eheim pumps using needle-wheel impellars. The skimmer cost me $800 back in 2005, and I just replaced both pumps this year at a cost of $400. My skimmer is rated for 500g. My system is around 350-375g total, but the actual water volume is very likely around 255g.
 
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