QuoteReplyTopic: Best Skimmer? Posted: December 11 2011 at 4:07pm
I am working on a 20 gallon long tank, and am currently in the planning stage. It is drilled, so I will be using a sump. I would like this tank to be an SPS dominant tank. Lightly stocked because of the small size, but I still want to keep high quality corals and have a nice looking reef. So far the only fish is going to be a goby, not totally sure on what type, but I want to have a pair of pistol shrimp (type will depend on the goby) with the goby.
The sump will most likely be about 15 gallons, and house a small refugium. There will be 360gph flow through the sump/fuge at all times. I will also be running a powerhead on the main tank for better flow. Right now, I am trying to decide what skimmer to get.
All I'm asking is what skimmer to get, that will get the job done for this type of setup. I have a budget of $200 for the skimmer.
I personally woudn't put a skimmer on a 20 gallon tank, and I am one that is all for skimmers A skimmer isn't going to do anything a weekly water change wouldn't do on a tank that size. Save your money, do waterchanges and use the $200 towards corals.
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This my reply to a similar thread (below). I'm all about the Tunze 9002's, and they're well below your budget. I had a 10g QT with a 10g sump that regularly held ~50 corals (mostly SPS), and a couple fish. I also had a 55g with 20g sump (technically above the rated limit for the skimmer) - it had tons and tons of SPS with usually around 4 smaller fish.
The Tunze 9002 was like $150 when it first came out, but I've seen used ones for ~$65. Not sure what they're running nowadays, but I'm sure you can look that up if you're interested. :)
Reef'd Up wrote:
I've been running 2 Tunze 9002's on two systems since they came out, and I STILL am beyond happy with them (they came out like...what...5 years ago or something?). The first version had a horrible holder, but they fixed that in the newer version. My pump also died pretty quick on the first version, but I contacted Tunze, and they replaced it with no questions asked. My second 9002 is the updated version with the magnetic holder, and it works amazingly well. I have to say, they work better (per size) than the Octopus Extreme 250 on my 150g tank.Give it a week to break in. I've noticed that they work a lot better the dirtier they get (not to the point of clogging the pump though of course). The air screw can be tricky, but once you get it adjusted, you shouldn't ever have to adjust it again.
www.reefdup.com Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987 200g, 75g, & 15g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water
I personally woudn't put a skimmer on a 20 gallon tank, and I am one that is all for skimmers A skimmer isn't going to do anything a weekly water change wouldn't do on a tank that size. Save your money, do waterchanges and use the $200 towards corals.
Normally, I would agree with this. However, after running a skimmer on my 28 gallon Nano Cube, I've had better water quality, and healthier corals. The skimmer I'm running is a Seaclone skimmer, and though it gets the job done, it can be pretty finicky. Either way though, I don't regret getting it at all, especially considering the amount of crap I am getting out of my water.
Sorry the photos are sideways...
This is what the skimmer has pulled out after about 3 weeks. Yes, I know I need to clean it out.
Here's the tank right now. My water clarity definitely increased after adding the skimmer.
Ok, well I have been instructed to plan a large tank, by my dad. He wants it to be 6ft long, 2ft wide, and 3ft tall. This comes out to be 270 gallons in the display. Between the sump and the refugium, there will be around 90 gallons. The tank will have a large variety of corals and invertebrates, as well as a small assortment of fish. Corals will be just about all kinds (LPS, SPS, softies, etc.) and the invertebrates will be the CUC and some ornamental shrimp, anemone(s), and possibly starfish.
I figured I might as well throw this onto this thread as well.
What would be a good skimmer for this type of system? Budget....just something reasonable, and worth paying. Actual cost isn't a main concern while I'm planning it.
Ok, well I have been instructed to plan a large tank, by my dad. He wants it to be 6ft long, 2ft wide, and 3ft tall. This comes out to be 270 gallons in the display. Between the sump and the refugium, there will be around 90 gallons. The tank will have a large variety of corals and invertebrates, as well as a small assortment of fish. Corals will be just about all kinds (LPS, SPS, softies, etc.) and the invertebrates will be the CUC and some ornamental shrimp, anemone(s), and possibly starfish.
I figured I might as well throw this onto this thread as well.
What would be a good skimmer for this type of system? Budget....just something reasonable, and worth paying. Actual cost isn't a main concern while I'm planning it.
Thank you!
For a tank like this I always recommend getting a skimmer rated for double your total system volume. This creates a safety net in the event of die off or a pollution disaster (as much as we hate to think it will happen to us, it will happen sooner or later). Reef Octopus makes a few reasonably priced models, ATB is always a great choice (but be prepared to pay for the quality), the new ATI Powercone skimmers are amazing, and the BubbleMagus line of skimmers are great quality for the price. The most economical skimmer for a tank like this would be an ASM G5. Some people swear by them, but their performance just doesn't stack up against other brands. In any case be prepared to pay $500+ for a skimmer for a tank like this. The most important thing when planning a tank like this is to buy all the right equipment the first time, even though it adds major expense. It will save you money in the long run as you won't have to "fix" or upgrade your system, and will also save you lost livestock.
Steve My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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A skimmer isn't going to do anything a weekly water change wouldn't do on a tank that size. Save your money, do waterchanges and use the $200 towards corals.
Reef'd Up wrote:
