best skimmer for up to $500

[mavgi]

Originally posted by Kb-smoker
any of these skimmer would be overkill on a 40gal tank.

for sure if it's for 40 gallon they will be over kill

[pjf]

Originally posted by Siapin
From what I understand, the extra $100 inverted collection cup is just for getting the skimmate into a container rather than filling up standard cup. Can you explain how performance is increased by that small addition of air in the chamber?

And does anybody have experience with both cups and notice a difference in performance?

Using the Tunze 9010 collection cup requires that the air valve be dialed back. Otherwise, the 700ml cup can fill to the brim within seconds.

For daily operation, I've set the air valve to collect about 200ml. The amount collected may vary slightly from day to day but it averages to 200ml. I've tried to set the air valve to collect 400ml daily but at that setting, the collection cup will fill to the brim about once a week. Although the skimmer stops foaming when the cup is full, it still leaves a minor mess as air pushes the remaining foam out beneath the lid.

The advantage of using the taller 9015 collection cup is that you can open the air valve fully and not overflow the cup. The skim collected is dryer but there is debate as to whether dry or wet skimming removes the most organic material.

Tunze recommends the foam extraction unit to maximize removal of organic compounds. I've purchased the foam extraction unit but have not installed it. I understand that with this unit, I can open up the air valve more and collect more. I’m told that the collection jar will not overflow because if the skim rises 3 inches above the bottom of the hose, then the back pressure will stop the skimming.

[Siapin]

hey pjf, why haven't you installed it yet? doesnt it take all but 30 seconds? post if you find any difference.

[David Grigor]

Sorry, I didn't realize that Siapin wasn't the original thread starter with the 150g tank. A 9010 on a 40g is plenty without the need for the foam extractor but PJF summed it up nicely.

Using a 9010 on a heavily loaded 110g tank personally feel that for a 150g you would want a little more skimmer. So I feel more comfortable with the 9020 or at minimum 9010 with foam extractor.

Of course that's only it you want to go with the Tunze. No experience with any of the others mentioned to know how the Tunze will stack up.

[Siapin]

yea, the skimmer is overload...but I want to 1) be able to use it on my upgrade of 150g within the next couple years, 2) be able to "overskim" if that's actually possible, and 3) run the skimmer only at night.

[David Grigor]

I wouldn't feel comforatble with a 150g high load tank but most likely fine for light to medium stock 150g so likely would be able to grow into it but at some point may not be quite enough. I guess adding the foam extractor later will give a little more room. Absolute worst case when 150g is heavily stocked and don't feel can keep up you can add another 9010 and have a 9020 type setup. But if you knew for sure, buying the 9020 upfront you save about $170 vs. buying 2 seperate 9010s with foam extractors.

I guess waiting till you actually need the second tower is probably worth the spending $170 more upfront since that day may or may not ever come or like me would likely have changed to the new flavor of the month skimmer by then anyways.

[pjf]

Originally posted by Siapin
hey pjf, why haven't you installed it yet? doesnt it take all but 30 seconds? post if you find any difference.

I just installed the "foam extraction unit" a few minutes ago. There were 3 surprises. This unit has a more precise fit than the collection cup. Unlike the cup, the foam extraction unit fits snugly and has no play. Second, the hose is almost 2 inches in diameter. I had to cut the top off an old plastic bottle to get the hose to fit. Initially, it seems to collect skim with the same air adjustment setting as the collection cup. I thought that I would have to increase the air flow. Well, I'll have to play with it and see. I’m leaving for a business trip to Boston next week and my daughter will have to make sure nothing overflows.

I did give you some misinformation. My skimmer does not need a vinegar bath at this time. It grew weaker because of salt creep on the inside rim of the skimmer that limits the air intake. To reduce the salt creep, I raised the skimmer on a platform to get the top portion out of the spray from the overflow.

One weakness of the Tunze 9010 is that it only wet skims with its standard cup. When comparing skimmers, it may be useful to find out how dark and dry the skimmate is. I’ve heard of downdraft and Beckett skimmers that are big, noisy and wasteful of electricity but collect skimmate of a “pudding� consistency. I’d inquire if the ATI Bubble Master 160 or the H&S A110-2000 mentioned in this thread can collect dry skimmate. I believe that there are pictures of their collection cups in this forum. Still, for its small size, quiet operation and energy efficiency (21 watts), it is hard to beat the 9010.

[Siapin]

It seems like there is no conclusion to whether dry or wet skimmate is more efficient. Very credible/experienced sources have told me opposing views, so I don't know what to think...I don't thinik I'm worried about dry vs wet...just as long as it looks dark.

[kroe]

Those tunze skimmers would be overkill on a 40 for sure, but I don't think they are even close to being worth the money.

Two things matter with skimmers - forget all the other voodoo (there are other factors, but these are by FAR the most significant).

1.) What is the skimmer body volume? This tells you how much air the skimmer can handle. This is the most important thing if you are going to mod the skimmer. The bigger it is, the more you can push the performance. The reef octopus and aqua euro skimmers have large, high quality skimmer bodies that have lots of modding potential. The reef octopus pumps are better than the pumps used in the aqua euros and have more potential. Skimmer body volume for your money none of the designer brands can hold a candle to the chinese imports (reef octopus or aqua euro).

2.) How much air is the pump capable of injecting? Two factors... how much air will the pump pull stock, and how much can you easily mod it to pull. If you aren't interested in mods, then only look at the stock air draw.

Personally I would get a reef octopus or aqua euro, spend a couple hours modding, end up with a skimmer that blows away what you can get for $500 from a designer brand and spend the extra couple hundred on something else.

Just my opinion however

[outy]

i hope i can pm you for help when i mod my oct 250.

after reading many post i just got the oct 250 recirc for my 100

i almost got the bm 200 but with the modding i can have that air volume and the fact that the oct is a recirc and will be out of my sump leaned me towards the octopus

[Siapin]

If your skimmer isn't taking in all of the water from the overflow, then doesn't that defeat the purpose of a recirc skimmer? makes sense that in order to benefit from a recirc, then you need all the overflow water going into the skimmer.

kroe, those "opinions" sound good...what websites sell those skimmers recommended? also, where can I see instructions on mods?...after I look a little in to them, I'mgoing to want to ask more questions on them.

What do you have experience with as far as skimmers are concerned?

[hilde123]

You may want to consider an AquaC EV150 or 180. If you read some reviews it seems alot of the senior members swear by them. I cannot speak for the BM200, I know they are new but it seems like it must just be hype

[outy]

the bm200 is not hype, do some reading they pull down some serious air, if i was going to do a in-sump thats the skimmer i would have went with

[Siapin]

I'm not necessarily crazy about going with an in-sump skimmer...my sump is rather small...i might even prefer to get an out-of-sump model.

[pjf]

Originally posted by Siapin
hey pjf, why haven't you installed it yet? doesnt it take all but 30 seconds? post if you find any difference.

I've had the foam extraction unit installed for less than a week and so far, I'd give it a mixed review.

I am not able to turn the Venturi all the way open without flooding my 2-quart collection jar with clear wet skim. In fact, I don't think that I can open my Venturi much beyond the setting for the regular 9010 collection cup without flooding my 2-quart jar overnight.

If the foam extraction system was advertised as a "vacation" system, I may have been satisfied. Unfortunately, I was told that I could turn up the Venturi to full bore for better skim collection.

The foam extractor fits more tightly than the collection cup and seals the air and foam inside the reaction tube. It is unforgiving. A quarter turn of the Venturi adjustment can mean the difference between no skim or a flooded collection jar.

Per the Tunze USA forum, all new Tunze 9010/9015/9020 skimmers have a larger Venturi opening. If that is the case, I would scan the Tunze forum to see what collection system works best with the more powerful Venturi. I suspect that Tunze's sales of the taller 9015 collection cups may go up.

PS - Luckily, the collection does stop if the bottom inch of the hose is under skimmate. You may want to cut the collection hose shorter. The hose reaches almost to the bottom of the Tunze.

[jimbo045]

SeaClone 150 is a good skimmer for about 100.00

[kroe]

Not to be a jerk... just don't want someone to see this and waste their money.

Jimbo MUST just be advocating what he uses... the seaclone 150 is useless. For $100 you can get pretty much anything else and it will perform better.

Jimbo - have you used any other skimmer?

I fell into the seaclone trap too... bought a 100 based on the Doc Fosters reccomendation... it did nothing. Replaced it with a remora pro that worked much better. Then I read about people getting real skimmate, and ditched the remora pro... it worked great compared to a seaclone, but still sucked.

Don't buy a skimmer without comparing it's air draw and body volume to other skimmers in the price range.

Not sure if anyone has tested the seaclone's air draw, but the body volume is tiny, and I bet the air draw is absolutely horrible.

[sjm817]

.

[Siapin]

anybody have any mod info on octopus or aqua euro...and the air input they increase to?

[Siapin]

Originally posted by outy
i hope i can pm you for help when i mod my oct 250.

after reading many post i just got the oct 250 recirc for my 100

i almost got the bm 200 but with the modding i can have that air volume and the fact that the oct is a recirc and will be out of my sump leaned me towards the octopus

How is it working for you? Where did you get it?

[samsfishnchips]

kroe,

maybe jimbo045 was joking lol

have you guys compared MR3 to the listed above side by side?

I have it and feel it a great skimmer compared to the ones I have test

sam

[Dwarf Seahorses]

Best skimmer for under $500? A Schuran Jetskim 150.

Nobody really uses them in the US but ask ANYONE who uses one and they'll tell you they are the best skimmer for the money, much better than deltec and H&S. People who see venturi automatically shoot it down but they obviously haven't seen a Schuran skimmer before.

[RichConley]

Originally posted by Kb-smoker
any of these skimmer would be overkill on a 40gal tank.

If you're paying $500 for a skimmer, and it ISNT overkill on a 40g, you got jacked.

[Ewan]

Originally posted by Dwarf Seahorses
Best skimmer for under $500? A Schuran Jetskim 150.

Nobody really uses them in the US but ask ANYONE who uses one and they'll tell you they are the best skimmer for the money, much better than deltec and H&S. People who see venturi automatically shoot it down but they obviously haven't seen a Schuran skimmer before.

It's funny you mention this. I visit some forums in the UK and Germany, and the trend in Germany is toward efficient venturis. The UK and US are still working with needlewheels and mesh.

A point of reference would be the Fauna Marin Ultraskims. The Jet (venturi) version is popular in Deutschland, while there is more demand for the NW version in the UK and US. Fauna Marin cites that the Jet version is every bit as consistent and productive as the needlewheel version. The obvious benefit is cheaper replacement parts. There seems to be a greater understanding of what it takes to handle large volumes of air in a skimmer, and this just happens to fall at the same time that we're discovering efficient NW and meshwheel pumps.

Interesting times we live in. I've been in the hobby for about 12 years, and my first skimmer was airstone driven. To be honest, there has been very little innovation until just recently. Now quality manufacturers are re-examining old (proven) methods.

Pair a decent venturi with an appropriate-sized neck, a diffuser plate if needed, and you've got a powerful candidate. I've always been interested in reefkeeping on a worldwide scale, and some places are much farther ahead than others. I'll be interested to see if venturis are reborn in north america...

E.

[Siapin]

Originally posted by RichConley
If you're paying $500 for a skimmer, and it ISNT overkill on a 40g, you got jacked.

Yes, that makes sense....but I'm looking for a skimmer that 1) will be sufficient for my soon to be 150g upgrade, and 2) I plan on running it only a part of the day.