Help me choose a skimmer

Red_Ant · 09/01/2013, 08:34 AM

I have a 135 gallon tank. Really 100 gallons after rock/sand. I have a reef octopus nwb200 which is too powerful for my setup/bio load so I think I need to go down one level. Would like to go external or recirc at a minimum. Help!

Red_Ant · 09/03/2013, 08:32 AM

Bump

dixiedog · 09/03/2013, 08:43 AM

Honestly I'd stay with the NWB 200 if it were me. My skimmers are always rated for roughly double my volume, and I'm a big fan of the NWB's.

Red_Ant · 09/03/2013, 09:37 AM

What are your thoughts on the Bubble Magus Curve 5 or i-Tech 200?

greendougan · 09/03/2013, 09:54 AM

Just curious on how or why you think your skimmer is to much...
I was planning on upgrading and I was going to go huge cuz I have always heard you cant skim to much ?

Red_Ant · 09/03/2013, 10:07 AM

It's not pulling a whole lot of gunk out. Most of it stays as bubbles in the skimmer neck. My bio load is not very high. I have 13 fish in my 135 gallon tank, but they are all small and all I feed it a pinch of flake food once a day and 1 cube every couple of days. I have yet to get close to filling up the skimmer collection cup even after 3 weeks I'm barely half way there.

I had a Reef Octopus nwb150 on the tank original and it was pulling gunk like crazy. Probably filled it once a week or week and half. I heard bigger is better so I bought the 200 and sold my 150. Now I'm starting to realize that if the skimmer is too big then it will just sit idle. So it seems to be better to have the right sized skimmer for your tank.

greendougan · 09/03/2013, 10:20 AM

Just found this.. might answer both of our questions.
When a skimmer is larger and the system is a low nutrient system, then there might not be enough organics for the skimmer to maintain a head to export the skimmate. It is kinda like building a large car engine and using an undersized fuel pump... so the engine is just starved. A lot of times, folks will buy a big skimmer and it will do well for a few months. After a while, the skimmate production drops... In reality, the skimmer caught up to the tank's organics and then settled down to a more normal output. But, some folks will see this as their current skimmer "wearing down" and go out and buy the next size up. As a result, this skimmer does "ok" for a while the completely drops off to near nothing. That is over skimming.

Large skimmers, because of their large neck size requires more organics to build the head than smaller neck skimmers. However, large skimmer necks handle more air then smaller ones so they can skim more when there is enough organics.

I am one of those who is over skimming. I have to have a large bioload and carbon dose for my skimmer to produce anything. Still, because carbon can excite a skimmer, oversizing the skimmer is a good idea and it maintains the O2 level better.

Red_Ant · 09/03/2013, 11:04 AM

That is great and I think that is exactly what's happening. I actually have a biopellet reactor which is helping some, but it feels like the skimmer still isn't pulling it all out because my nitrates are still stuck around 20. I have an O2 problem which is the other reason I went larger. But, still have the O2 issue (yesterday I moved the skimmer air intake to outside to try to help, but have no idea how long it takes).

09/01/2013, 08:34 AM	#1
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Help me choose a skimmer I have a 135 gallon tank. Really 100 gallons after rock/sand. I have a reef octopus nwb200 which is too powerful for my setup/bio load so I think I need to go down one level. Would like to go external or recirc at a minimum. Help!

09/03/2013, 10:20 AM	#7
greendougan Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 54	Just found this.. might answer both of our questions. When a skimmer is larger and the system is a low nutrient system, then there might not be enough organics for the skimmer to maintain a head to export the skimmate. It is kinda like building a large car engine and using an undersized fuel pump... so the engine is just starved. A lot of times, folks will buy a big skimmer and it will do well for a few months. After a while, the skimmate production drops... In reality, the skimmer caught up to the tank's organics and then settled down to a more normal output. But, some folks will see this as their current skimmer "wearing down" and go out and buy the next size up. As a result, this skimmer does "ok" for a while the completely drops off to near nothing. That is over skimming. Large skimmers, because of their large neck size requires more organics to build the head than smaller neck skimmers. However, large skimmer necks handle more air then smaller ones so they can skim more when there is enough organics. I am one of those who is over skimming. I have to have a large bioload and carbon dose for my skimmer to produce anything. Still, because carbon can excite a skimmer, oversizing the skimmer is a good idea and it maintains the O2 level better. Last edited by greendougan; 09/03/2013 at 10:21 AM. Reason: insert

09/03/2013, 08:32 AM	#2
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Bump

09/03/2013, 08:43 AM	#3
dixiedog Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Gainesville, Florida Posts: 1,626	Honestly I'd stay with the NWB 200 if it were me. My skimmers are always rated for roughly double my volume, and I'm a big fan of the NWB's.

09/03/2013, 09:37 AM	#4
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	What are your thoughts on the Bubble Magus Curve 5 or i-Tech 200?

09/03/2013, 09:54 AM	#5
greendougan Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 54	Just curious on how or why you think your skimmer is to much... I was planning on upgrading and I was going to go huge cuz I have always heard you cant skim to much ?

09/03/2013, 10:07 AM	#6
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	It's not pulling a whole lot of gunk out. Most of it stays as bubbles in the skimmer neck. My bio load is not very high. I have 13 fish in my 135 gallon tank, but they are all small and all I feed it a pinch of flake food once a day and 1 cube every couple of days. I have yet to get close to filling up the skimmer collection cup even after 3 weeks I'm barely half way there. I had a Reef Octopus nwb150 on the tank original and it was pulling gunk like crazy. Probably filled it once a week or week and half. I heard bigger is better so I bought the 200 and sold my 150. Now I'm starting to realize that if the skimmer is too big then it will just sit idle. So it seems to be better to have the right sized skimmer for your tank.

09/03/2013, 11:04 AM	#8
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	That is great and I think that is exactly what's happening. I actually have a biopellet reactor which is helping some, but it feels like the skimmer still isn't pulling it all out because my nitrates are still stuck around 20. I have an O2 problem which is the other reason I went larger. But, still have the O2 issue (yesterday I moved the skimmer air intake to outside to try to help, but have no idea how long it takes).