Skimmer Ideas for 150

chris023 · 12/04/2007, 06:05 PM

I will be setting up a 150 gallon soon and am going back and forth on my choice of skimmer. I would like to keep it EXTERNAL from my sump as i don't want the added heat from the pump, living in California, it remains pretty hot most of the year (unless you all think that the recommeded pumps for any given skimmer would add much heat to a 150 gallon). I have read that pumps should provide 1 - 1.5 times your water volume, giving that i would need a pump around 2GPH 9about 20 watts or so). Then again i have read some skimmers come with MAG 5 - MAG 7 which puts our much more wattage.
So far the top choices i have heard through research are Euro-Reef (which seems way too expensive for the externals for my budget), Aqua C (looks like a good choice), ASM (although i heard it is just a cheaper euro-reef knock off), ETTS (seems to much work to keep dialed in).
What do you think?

badhand2222 · 12/04/2007, 06:36 PM

asm g-3

McCrary · 12/04/2007, 07:00 PM

What are you planning to keep in the tank in terms of number of fish and coral?

Lumamae · 12/04/2007, 09:17 PM

I would highly recommend the ATi Bubblemaster 200 if you have the sump space for it. The skimmer pump is only 24 watts, so will create a lot less heat than any of the pumps that are on the skimmers you've listed above. But you need about 9"W x 13"L. The air draw on the BM200 is around 1,000-1,100lph, so much stronger than any of the above listed skimmers, so this only if you do really want an in sump and have the room for it, but was afraid of the heat.

If you're looking for a pump to feed the external skimmer properly, it depends on the skimmer. For the ER, you probably need around 250gph. For the AquaC EV series, you probbably need the Eheim 1260 as you loose a lot with the back pressure of the injection technology.

12/04/2007, 06:05 PM	#1
chris023 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 311	Skimmer Ideas for 150 I will be setting up a 150 gallon soon and am going back and forth on my choice of skimmer. I would like to keep it EXTERNAL from my sump as i don't want the added heat from the pump, living in California, it remains pretty hot most of the year (unless you all think that the recommeded pumps for any given skimmer would add much heat to a 150 gallon). I have read that pumps should provide 1 - 1.5 times your water volume, giving that i would need a pump around 2GPH 9about 20 watts or so). Then again i have read some skimmers come with MAG 5 - MAG 7 which puts our much more wattage. So far the top choices i have heard through research are Euro-Reef (which seems way too expensive for the externals for my budget), Aqua C (looks like a good choice), ASM (although i heard it is just a cheaper euro-reef knock off), ETTS (seems to much work to keep dialed in). What do you think?

12/04/2007, 07:00 PM	#3
McCrary Can't Stop Time Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,079	What are you planning to keep in the tank in terms of number of fish and coral? __________________ Matt Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC), Rudens

12/04/2007, 06:36 PM	#2
badhand2222 Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: tallahassee, fl Posts: 134	asm g-3

12/04/2007, 09:17 PM	#4
Lumamae Moved On Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Bay Area, CA, USA Posts: 216	I would highly recommend the ATi Bubblemaster 200 if you have the sump space for it. The skimmer pump is only 24 watts, so will create a lot less heat than any of the pumps that are on the skimmers you've listed above. But you need about 9"W x 13"L. The air draw on the BM200 is around 1,000-1,100lph, so much stronger than any of the above listed skimmers, so this only if you do really want an in sump and have the room for it, but was afraid of the heat. If you're looking for a pump to feed the external skimmer properly, it depends on the skimmer. For the ER, you probably need around 250gph. For the AquaC EV series, you probbably need the Eheim 1260 as you loose a lot with the back pressure of the injection technology.