Suggestions for QUIET protein skimmer

[Indigoblue12]

Hi all!!

I'm new to the hobby. This is my first
Reef tank. I have a 90gallon tank with
30gallon sump.. I need a suggestion
For a protein skimmer that is under $360.00
That is QUIET and will work well with my
90 + 30 system. Ones I have looked at are

Bubble Magnus curve 7
Vertex omega 130
Reef octopus nwb 150
Aquamaxx cone 1

The vertex is rated for 100g tank.. The model
Above the 130 is a bit expensive.

The bubble Magnus says it requires a min of
9.5" if water ... We'll, 9.5 to 10 is all I have really.

The aquamaxx is on backorder for a couple months

I then concidered a reef octopus but people at online
Pet stores are saying it does a good job but is
LOUD.. This tank is going in a master bedroom

[SloppyJ]

RLSS R6i. Hands down the quietest quality skimmer you will find. It utilizes a waveline DC pump.

[Indigoblue12]

Thank you !! I was going to go with reef nwb150
But this is in a bedroom

[Indigoblue12]

Never heard of RLSS I'm new to this.. It's rated
100 gallon to 150gallon.. Isn't that small for a 90g plus a
30 gallon sump?

[d2mini]

My LifeReef is very quiet.

[dotkat77]

I am happy with my Skimz skimer

[Drae]

Don't truss the chinese dc pumps that come on the rlss. A life reef with an askoll pump or an aqaumaxx with a sicce are very quiet.

[Indigoblue12]

So how are the reef octopus and the vertex
For noise?
Life reef looked nice ... Those however are almost 600.00 skimmers..
I'm looking for around 360.00.....So far the octopus nwb150 and the vertex 130
Are kinda in my price range

[James77]

Reef Octopus, using the SRO pumps, are quiet....but not silent. If you are concerned this much about noise, it will not work for you.

I have used the Vertex Omega 150, which uses a Sicce 2.0 pump....nearly dead silent as far as the pump goes. I could not hear it outside the stand. The air intake is audible a little, I solve that by recycling the air from the collection cup. But it was more than tolerable, barely audible out of the stand. THE Omega 130 should be quieter....not sure what size pump it uses.

No experience with the AquaMaxx...but the Sicce 1.5 should be silent as well. Of the list you gave, I would go with the Vertex or the AquaMaxx.

I have used dozens of skimmers. The Omega 150 was in the top 3 for silence...the others being Bubble King 160 and the ATB Elegance 200(Both very pricey, not worth the price) using a laguna. But the AquaMaxx may be just as quiet, I have no experience though. The SRO was a great performer, but had a hum that I could hear out of stand.

[Drae]

Just read your tank size... Aquamaxx em200 or coneS co-2. Quiet and affordable.

[rounder45]

Originally Posted by Drae

Don't truss the chinese dc pumps that come on the rlss. A life reef with an askoll pump or an aqaumaxx with a sicce are very quiet.

Under $360 ? That would be awesome if they were. If aquamaxx is back ordered for a couple months, I suggest an eshopps s150 cone. quiet( mine is near silent) excellent performance. Research em oh the sro1000 is also a silent skimmer well within budget. Great for a 90 mixed reef.

[dotkat77]

Look for JNS CO-2 got one last week for $390

[Indigoblue12]

Wow thanks for all the great suggestions
So I'm hearing that the vertex will be quiter
Then the reef octopus 150 but the SRO is
Decent ..

Thank you for all the help

I will look into the aquamaxx as well as the vertex
I hate to be this picky but the tank is in the bedroom..

I guess I will need a vertex 150 with a 90 display and 30
Sump... The vertex 130 is rated for 100gallons..

Can someone explain the math on what rating you need to
Consider for my size tank?

[reefer roman]

Rlss is super quiet.utilizing dc pumps. There is a used one on the buy sell trade.

[James77]

Originally Posted by Indigoblue12

I guess I will need a vertex 150 with a 90 display and 30
Sump... The vertex 130 is rated for 100gallons..

Skimmer ratings are all over the place. Some of the cheaper models are rated far over what they can handle....where a company like Bubble King rates them very honestly. Vertex ratings I would peg at the medium load area. So rated for 100 medium on the 130.

A Vertex 130 would do very well on a 90. If you are planning on heavily stocking, then go for the 150. Its only about $80 difference....so you cant go wrong on the 150....but if your budget is tight, don't think that the 130 is insufficient. Were I to even use Vertex again on my 120( I may, but I am eyeing the Aquamaxx) I would do the 130.

I would not want an SRO octopus in my bedroom. Then again, I cannot sleep without a fan or AC running...I truly am nuts. GREAT skimmer though....just some hum to them. But one of the best performers I have used. It is not deafening....just you can hear a faint background hum.

The Omega pumps are as close to silent as I have ever heard. The air intake can be heard....but only if you try. Behind stand doors, I doubt most could hear it. I am a nut about silence....so I did this:



No impact on performance at all. Though you would get less air exchange. Smell goes down as well

[Indigoblue12]

Ok this has been great info..
Ok I will narrow it down to the
Vertex and the aquamaxx em200..
The Em series looks like it handles a huge load
For the cash..

Only issue is there is a 8 week wait on
All aquamaxx gear

Thank you for all your help

[OZsps]

Tunze are the best. Run silence pumps with very good efficiency and low running costs! Win win

[JonasW]

I have a Coral Box D700 skimmer from Fish-Street in my 130 gallon. Works great and is dead silent. Cheap too and comes with a Jebao DC3000 DC-pump. It's rated up to 185 gallon.

190$ from HK and 255$ from US warehouse +shipping.

[azjohnny]

I really don't see the fascination with DC pumps especially for a skimmer pump. AC power is more efficient, and no way I would trust any of the cheap Chinese brands. I can see using a DC pump where there will frequent starts and stops such as a circulation pump

[SloppyJ]

You're telling me you stop your return more often than your skimmer? Do you just let it spill over when you clean it out. If you don't have a DC pump I'm not sure how you can talk down about them?

[Zacktosterone]

vertext omega 130 would be incredibly quiet. or a reef octopus SRO not nwb protein skimmer

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by SloppyJ

You're telling me you stop your return more often than your skimmer?

I do.
My return stops every time I feed.
My skimmer stop about once every few weeks when I decide to remove the cup to clean it. The rest of the time I just drain the cup.
Another advantage to a LifeReef skimmer... quiet AND low maintenance... and it doesn't freak out from feedings or a change in sump water level.

And careful with the personal pot shots.
If you disagree with Drae (one of RC's skimmer experts), leave it at that.

[rounder45]

Originally Posted by azjohnny

I really don't see the fascination with DC pumps especially for a skimmer pump. AC power is more efficient, and no way I would trust any of the cheap Chinese brands. I can see using a DC pump where there will frequent starts and stops such as a circulation pump

I can think of a couple more advantages to DC... one is you tailor the pump input(both water and air) to the bioload... while commonly we would just cut the air, that poses a problem as the water then increases causing more velocity in the skimmer...microbubbles occur out the output or it is not enough to factor a more controllable bubble column... now slow both flow and air simultaneously, the velocity inside the skimmer improves vs negates. With the pump tailored to your bioload, the skimmer will adjust easier(much less finicky) and you can get a good bubble rising velocity for a nice dry saturated foam up the neck. Also, how about when we upgrade tanks. Turn up the dc pump so the skimmer can handle the increased bioload.. now this won't necessarily work for someone that upgrades much beyond the capacity of the skimmer at max, but it sure will be handy for someone that might upgrade from a 90 to a 180 or something along those lines. I believe I read you have an oversized sro skimmer on your tank and you tailored it with neck extensions... well, in your case, an adjustable dc pump would have worked here instead

with the O.P.'s budget being a factor, the discussion of both DC skimmers and lifereef skimmers here is a moot point though.

[Nanook]

Here at Reef Central, we believe that dialogs between participants should be conducted in a friendly and helpful manner. If you disagree with a posting, please express yourself in a way that is conducive to further constructive dialog. Conversely, when you post on any given subject, you must be willing to accept constructive criticism without posting a hostile or inflammatory response. Personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated. Please work to insure that Reef Central remains a friendly and flame free site where everyone, especially newcomers, can feel free to post questions without fear of being unfairly criticized. Thank you for your cooperation.

[starionesir]

I have a RLSS 6i and been running it for about 2 months and its working great. Extremely quiet and easy to adjust. Very short break in time as well. I've read that alot of the waveline failures were the first gen pumps and the second gen are more reliable. So far the waveline pump for the skimmer and my return have worked flawlessly and ultra quiet.