Good Skimmer or no?

[megatron8121]

Hi, I was wondering if this was a good skimmer or not...

I'm getting it for like 80 brand new so the price is really good, Don't really have any more money than that so it's either this or none for right now. Not going to get it if it's going to be a waste of money, I was surprised at how pet stores downed the own products they sell. They wouldn't sell me any of the ones under 100 because they said they were so bad.

55 gallon tank with fish and live rock. (Well just live rock as of now)

http://www.petco.com/product/110883/...t=OnSiteSearch

[dannyp1512]

my friend has a few on his system at a lfs and i think the are crap... never seems to skim very well imo

[thebkramer]

WELCOME TO RC & THE ADDICTION!!

yea.. most will say those are HORRID!!
Eshopps & Octopus seem to be among the best (there are better.. but it'll cost ya)
I have an Eshopps and LOVE it..
take a look on Ebay.. I got mine for $100.. normally its $160

[sporto0]

i have the larger coralife needlewheel skimmer on my fish only tank (220) & it works just fine, maybe not as good as my reef octopus that i run on my reef (90) but for the price, you can't beat it. imo this would be better than not running a skimmer if you can't afford a more pricey model.

[EllieSuz]

Look into the SWC (Salt Water Connection) series. I think the 120 Xtreme Cone would suit your needs. I recognize that it's over your budget at $199, but a quality skimmer is important to success in this hobby and well worth saving up for. The Octopus series are also good skimmers. There are a whole bunch of folks that have nice tanks without a skimmer at all, so just perform regular water changes and save up for a good one. Buying cheap doesn't work, as I found out when I began keeping saltwater. Before long I was replacing my bad skimmer with a better one, so the original money spent was wasted.

[tymon]

save up until you have enough for a good one a reef tank will not be nearly as healthy without an effective skimmer. right now you are fine without one. fish can handle some nitrate, inverts and corals cannot. besides it will be less noise. the cheaper end skimmers are much louder. also if you are going to have a reef and you do not already have RO/DI water that is more important than a skimmer. unless you trust your tap water.

[davocean]

I had one years ago.
It did skim ok, but needed constant adjustment.
FWIW I just sold a octo extreme 160 for $100, and that skimmer was very good, way better than the CSS.
I would look for something similar used over that CSS new.

[dlterry85]

+1 on waiting. instead of buying your next fish or piece of coral, put the money away for a better skimmer. in the long run you won't regret it.

[Thisseemsfishy]

I will agree that a good skimmer is necessary when it comes to housing coral. That being said, I also think that unless you are going to keep many SPS than an average skimmer will do. I personally run a skimmer that cost about $60, it was cheap off ebay. I house all kinds of Zoa's and LPS, I also have 2 monti caps SPS. My skimmer pulls out plenty of junk, what I believe is just enough to keep the tank healthy. Most SPS require extremely clean water so unless you plan on that route you may be just fine with the skimmer your looking at. JMO

[Palting]

Originally Posted by megatron8121

Hi, 55 gallon tank with fish and live rock. (Well just live rock as of now)

http://www.petco.com/product/110883/...t=OnSiteSearch

I think that last statement you made there is key. There is no rush to getting a skimmer. Don't need one when your tank has live rock only and is still cycling, don't need one if you only have fish, but will need one if you plan on a successful reef tank. If and when you do need one, make sure to get a quality skimmer that is rated for at least twice your DT size. This skimmer is NOT it. Save up and get a better one.

[zeeter]

I just bought a skimmer for my FOWLR tanks in my basement. It seems to work pretty well. They're not great skimmers but they do the job that is asked of them and nothing more. The larger ones tend to be better than the ones made for smaller systems. Coral Life skimmers have a bad reputation, but they have improved in recent years.

[bandr1002]

my ? to u is this....

do you have to have a HOB skimmer? if not i would highly recommend waiting for the cash to buy one that you will enjoy. I purchased a cheap skimmer once, had to replace it cause it sucked to bad and wound up leaking on the floor. I wound up spending more money than it was worth. when i could have just saved my cash and bought a good one from the start.
if you are having to get a HOB skimmer i would recommend an Aqua C remora, I used one on my last 75 gal tank and it was not bad for the money.
if you are able to have a fuge skimmer i would get the Reef Octopus 150. you can find them online from marine depot for about 150. I have one and I LOVE it!! for the money you cant beat it.

[bandr1002]

after thought....

this was my old system with the Aqua C Remora on it. keep in mind that i only got this skimmer becuase i needed a HOB skimmer. this is my first choice if you have to have a HOB.

[carlos413]

Dont do it... I owned one of these the only thing it was good for was for massive micro bubbles in the3 display tank, And it didnt skim much. I now use the pump it came with to mix salt in my mixing bucketts

[thebkramer]

Originally Posted by bandr1002

after thought....

this was my old system with the Aqua C Remora on it. keep in mind that i only got this skimmer becuase i needed a HOB skimmer. this is my first choice if you have to have a HOB.

Can I ask what else did you run with the HOB Aqua C??
GORGEOUS TANK!!!

[twelvebeer]

I have the 125 model. I used it for a while as a HOB skimmer and it did produce a lot of micro bubbles. I eventually added a sump and put it in there. IMO it skims pretty good. I have to empty the cup about once a week and it collect some pretty nasty stuff! Look at amazon before buying it from petco. It may be cheaper.

[Lynnmw1208]

I heard the coralife ones are crap and they are pricey at that. I have an eshopps skimmer and it works great! I get nice BLACK skim every day! they are much less than other skimmers as well.

[Peale]

Originally Posted by Lynnmw1208

I heard the coralife ones are crap and they are pricey at that. I have an eshopps skimmer and it works great! I get nice BLACK skim every day! they are much less than other skimmers as well.

I agree. I had an Eshopps and the thing skimmed the heck out of my 65.

[bandr1002]

Originally Posted by thebkramer

Can I ask what else did you run with the HOB Aqua C??
GORGEOUS TANK!!!

i would up building a fuge for this tank, and placed the aqua c remora on the back of the fuge. no bio balls, all natural filtration with the chaeto and LR down below.

[megatron8121]

I read some more reviews from other sites and a lot said it was better as a HOB than in sump which is what I'm doing. (HOB)

[thebkramer]

Originally Posted by megatron8121

I read some more reviews from other sites and a lot said it was better as a HOB than in sump which is what I'm doing. (HOB)

thats why I suggested the Eshopps.. its WAY better & you won't kick yourself in the butt 6months from now

I have the HOB Eshopps and it does its job & then some!!!

you can see mine here #163
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1852186&page=7

[lordofthereef]

If you are buying it new, there are better ways to spend your money IMO. If you are getting it used (they sell here for $20 or less), and you cannot afford something better used, it is probably better than nothing.

As many have chimed in though, this thing doesn't do a very good job.

If you are looking to buy that skimmer new, you can get an ASM skimmer for about that in the used forums. The ASM will kick that skimmer's butt, and give skimmers four times its price NEW a run for their money. (EDIT: Should have looked and seen you are a new member - once you hit 50 meanignful posts and have been a member for 90 days that forum will open up for you)

[davocean]

Originally Posted by megatron8121

I read some more reviews from other sites and a lot said it was better as a HOB than in sump which is what I'm doing. (HOB)

If you are referring to the coralife, you will probably be sorely dissapointed.
HOB's are notorious for lots of micro bubbles, and if water level changes, you have to adjust skimmer w/ it.
Of course they will give you a big filterbox thing w/ sponge to TRY to reduce those bubbles, pretty clunky looking.
Trust me, had one, GAVE it away.

[pmark]

Are needle wheel skimmers the best available?

[lordofthereef]

"Best" is a relative term. Needle wheels simple discribe the impeller having many pegs that look like needles that do great at chopping up air into tiny bubbles.