HELP!!! Protein Skimmer selection is.....

Bruno3047 · 04/14/2008, 03:02 PM

....driving me absolutely batty. 60 gallon FOWLR tank setup is imminent, but I still cannot decide on a protein skimmer. After more hours of research that I care to think about, just when I think I've narrowed it down to 2 or 3 possibilities, I get confused all over again.

Could someone PLEASE HELP ME find a skimmer in the $200 range that is quiet, effective, easy to set up and requires very little ongoing adjustments.

As always, any input will be greatly appreciated.

TIA.

matt880305 · 04/14/2008, 03:33 PM

http://www.aquacave.com/octopus-nw-1...immer-749.html
http://www.aquacave.com/ps-135-needl...-usa-2057.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._nautilus.html

Shawn D · 04/14/2008, 03:45 PM

Are you looking for internal or external

Bruno3047 · 04/14/2008, 03:55 PM

Will be used in a 24x10x18 sump.

intenseimage · 04/14/2008, 04:24 PM

I will HIGHLY recommend a Bermuda 3C ... but they are $300 ...

This is 1 weeks collection on our 75g w/ 29g sump - heavily stocked

YUMMY!!!!!

Shawn D · 04/14/2008, 04:51 PM

I would go with the octo nw 150, it will be good out of the box and if you decide you want to mod it you can make it into a killer skimmer

carlso63 · 04/14/2008, 05:48 PM

I wouldn't get the NW150 from AquaCave at $189

You can get the NW200 with an 8" body and a bigger pump for $199 here:

http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/ca..._35/index.html

It will run you around 225 shipped which is a great price.

And you can mod the heck out of it to handle much bigger tanks in the future (if you ever upgrade) instead of having to go out and buy a bigger skimmer along with that bigger tank.

I have one coming in a day or 2 that I am going to mod (according to the Luke 33s RC thread on modding to 40 scfh the Octo NW200) and I'll run it on my 225g Reef

Your 60g you don't need to mod it all and it will handle it with ease!!!

And it should fit in your sump as well

Bruno3047 · 04/14/2008, 10:24 PM

Thanks for all of the input and ideas, folks. Matt & Shawn, I actually had decided on an Octopus PS150 when I first started researching skimmers few months back, but couldn't find them in stock anywhere online so I forgot about them. Carlso, thanks for the link to marinesolutions, but the NW 200 wouldn't fit in my available sump space. Intense, that skimmate is what I aspire to produce someday out of my setup on a weekly basis. Thanks for the inspirational fotos.

Anyway, I've decided to go with the Turbofloter 1000 Standalone.

After looking at the mechanics of just about every $200 and under skimmer on the market, I noticed that the Turboflotor gets its reaction chamber water directly from an overflow and then uses a pump to recirculate the water in the reaction chamber before spilling the filtered water out into the sump, making it i.e. a recirculating skimmer. This is a more efficient design than a skimmer that takes sump water, pumps it into the skimmer and then spills it back into the sump, only to be pumped back into the skimmer to be filtered again. The recirculating feature pumps up the price of a comparable Octopus 200 from $200 to $340 (on sale now though for $290) Plus, the Turboflotor has a bioball box to eliminate micro-bubbles spilling into the sump and getting pumped into the display tank. This I like. Also, from what I've read, they run pretty quietly and that is pretty important to me.

In any case, I'm gonna run a 1200 GPH dual Hurricanefilters HOB overflow with one feed going unimpeded into my trickle filter (must have bio-balls for now) and the other feed gated directly into my Turboflotor. Return pump will be an Eheim 1260.

Any thoughts on my plans are always welcome.

04/14/2008, 03:02 PM	#1
Bruno3047 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,018	HELP!!! Protein Skimmer selection is..... ....driving me absolutely batty. 60 gallon FOWLR tank setup is imminent, but I still cannot decide on a protein skimmer. After more hours of research that I care to think about, just when I think I've narrowed it down to 2 or 3 possibilities, I get confused all over again. Could someone PLEASE HELP ME find a skimmer in the $200 range that is quiet, effective, easy to set up and requires very little ongoing adjustments. As always, any input will be greatly appreciated. TIA.

04/14/2008, 05:48 PM	#7
carlso63 Reefkeeping since 1977 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Lehi, Utah Posts: 948	I wouldn't get the NW150 from AquaCave at $189 You can get the NW200 with an 8" body and a bigger pump for $199 here: http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/ca..._35/index.html It will run you around 225 shipped which is a great price. And you can mod the heck out of it to handle much bigger tanks in the future (if you ever upgrade) instead of having to go out and buy a bigger skimmer along with that bigger tank. I have one coming in a day or 2 that I am going to mod (according to the Luke 33s RC thread on modding to 40 scfh the Octo NW200) and I'll run it on my 225g Reef Your 60g you don't need to mod it all and it will handle it with ease!!! And it should fit in your sump as well __________________ -Member of the 35 & Over Club- Wanna see my tank? Go to www.utahreefs.com Current Tank Info: 150g Reef: 3 X 250 Halides (LumenMax3 / IceCap / Pheonix 14K DE), 2 X Gyre 150s, Elite Aquatics sump, dc9000 return, Curve 7, RKE, BRS Dual Reactor, Chaeto / Caulerpa Fuge

04/14/2008, 03:33 PM	#2
matt880305 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: montgomery, il Posts: 844	http://www.aquacave.com/octopus-nw-1...immer-749.html http://www.aquacave.com/ps-135-needl...-usa-2057.html http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._nautilus.html

04/14/2008, 03:45 PM	#3
Shawn D Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 725	Are you looking for internal or external

04/14/2008, 03:55 PM	#4
Bruno3047 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,018	Will be used in a 24x10x18 sump.

04/14/2008, 04:24 PM	#5
intenseimage Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Northampton, PA Posts: 1,135	I will HIGHLY recommend a Bermuda 3C ... but they are $300 ... This is 1 weeks collection on our 75g w/ 29g sump - heavily stocked YUMMY!!!!!

04/14/2008, 04:51 PM	#6
Shawn D Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 725	I would go with the octo nw 150, it will be good out of the box and if you decide you want to mod it you can make it into a killer skimmer

04/14/2008, 10:24 PM	#8
Bruno3047 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,018	Thanks for all of the input and ideas, folks. Matt & Shawn, I actually had decided on an Octopus PS150 when I first started researching skimmers few months back, but couldn't find them in stock anywhere online so I forgot about them. Carlso, thanks for the link to marinesolutions, but the NW 200 wouldn't fit in my available sump space. Intense, that skimmate is what I aspire to produce someday out of my setup on a weekly basis. Thanks for the inspirational fotos. Anyway, I've decided to go with the Turbofloter 1000 Standalone. After looking at the mechanics of just about every $200 and under skimmer on the market, I noticed that the Turboflotor gets its reaction chamber water directly from an overflow and then uses a pump to recirculate the water in the reaction chamber before spilling the filtered water out into the sump, making it i.e. a recirculating skimmer. This is a more efficient design than a skimmer that takes sump water, pumps it into the skimmer and then spills it back into the sump, only to be pumped back into the skimmer to be filtered again. The recirculating feature pumps up the price of a comparable Octopus 200 from $200 to $340 (on sale now though for $290) Plus, the Turboflotor has a bioball box to eliminate micro-bubbles spilling into the sump and getting pumped into the display tank. This I like. Also, from what I've read, they run pretty quietly and that is pretty important to me. In any case, I'm gonna run a 1200 GPH dual Hurricanefilters HOB overflow with one feed going unimpeded into my trickle filter (must have bio-balls for now) and the other feed gated directly into my Turboflotor. Return pump will be an Eheim 1260. Any thoughts on my plans are always welcome.