External Skimmer - In or out of Sump

WLachnit · 03/31/2017, 12:04 PM

OK, I know that the pros and cons have been discussed before, but am hoping to get a crisp answer (wishful thinking).

I have a Reef Octopus 250EXT for my 300g mixed reef. Both my skimmer and the sump have to fit under the tank, so I have limited space....and I need to rebuild my sump. Do I maximize my sump size by placing the skimmer in the sump?....or do I build a smaller sump to accommodate the skimmer externally? Seems to me that I would gain some sump volume if I went with a bigger sump but not a lot since the skimmer would displace some of that.

Also, I know that I have seen skimmers that are plumbed remotely. For those installations, how is the increased back pressure dealt with?

ca1ore · 03/31/2017, 12:08 PM

All I can tell you is that I always run external skimmers external to the sump. Sump space is valuable and not worth being used up by the skimmer. Yes, it increases the possibility of leaks, but frankly if you plumb it well that's really rare.

WLachnit · 03/31/2017, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca1ore

All I can tell you is that I always run external skimmers external to the sump. Sump space is valuable and not worth being used up by the skimmer. Yes, it increases the possibility of leaks, but frankly if you plumb it well that's really rare.

OK, but in my case my sump will be smaller (60" vs 75" long) so that I have room for my skimmer.

03/31/2017, 12:04 PM	#1
WLachnit Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,722	External Skimmer - In or out of Sump OK, I know that the pros and cons have been discussed before, but am hoping to get a crisp answer (wishful thinking). I have a Reef Octopus 250EXT for my 300g mixed reef. Both my skimmer and the sump have to fit under the tank, so I have limited space....and I need to rebuild my sump. Do I maximize my sump size by placing the skimmer in the sump?....or do I build a smaller sump to accommodate the skimmer externally? Seems to me that I would gain some sump volume if I went with a bigger sump but not a lot since the skimmer would displace some of that. Also, I know that I have seen skimmers that are plumbed remotely. For those installations, how is the increased back pressure dealt with? __________________ (1) 300g mixed reef (Starfire DT) + 100g Sump (2) 100g Softie tank (Starfire DT) My Build Thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263472

03/31/2017, 12:08 PM	#2
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	All I can tell you is that I always run external skimmers external to the sump. Sump space is valuable and not worth being used up by the skimmer. Yes, it increases the possibility of leaks, but frankly if you plumb it well that's really rare. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs