What skimmer should I buy?

reefer108 · 04/03/2007, 05:19 PM

I have a 65 gallon reef tank and would like advice as to which skimmer I should buy

kodyboy · 04/03/2007, 05:32 PM

aquaeuro recirc 135 (if you have a sump)
http://www.reefnut.com/reefshop/prod...roducts_id=115
the classic 135 would work too, but this is on sale

if not get a D&D marine typhoon
not as good but a decent HOB skimmer

USC-fan · 04/03/2007, 06:32 PM

need more info if you want good suggestions....

how much are you looking to spend, how much room do you have for the skimmer, what do you plan to keep and do you have a sump?

joncat24 · 04/03/2007, 07:34 PM

dont take me wrong...I am not downing them cause I have never had one, but why all the rage over the aquaeuro skimmers??? they look like cheap knock offs of the asm's which dont impress me much anyway. How can they match up against the mrc's or etss's??
anyone done any side by side tests or just boosting them because of price or what??/
I dont get it...somebody clue me in

joncat24 · 04/03/2007, 08:03 PM

dont take me wrong...I am not downing them cause I have never had one, but why all the rage over the aquaeuro skimmers??? they look like cheap knock offs of the asm's which dont impress me much anyway. How can they match up against the mrc's or etss's??
anyone done any side by side tests or just boosting them because of price or what??/
I dont get it...somebody clue me in

reefer108 · 04/03/2007, 08:17 PM

I already have a cheap sea clone and looking to get a better one. I do have a 20 gallon home made sump, and i have six fish in my tank.

kodyboy · 04/03/2007, 08:17 PM

for the price the aquaeuros can not really be beat. Look at the classic 400, 10" body , 23" tall, 3 needlewheel pumps (about 450 lph, mesh modded about 700 lph) for under $300 shipped! In addition these units are well built and very sturdy. The Etss and mrcs are really too expensive to compare to them, but for the cost aquaeuros really perform.

joncat24 · 04/03/2007, 09:09 PM

u can also get the reef devil deluxe for under 300 shipped. I dont know how they compare, but i like the idea of only one pump to go out and no finicky needlwheels.
I also dont understand why someone would buy something brand new and as soon as they get it , they have to mod it to make it work. If it doesnt work right, why buy it.
no disrespect kody, but alot of your posts are recommending those skimmers and I was just wondering why they are so highly regarded. I had never even heard of them til I came on this board.

anybody got a link to a video of one of these things in action.

kodyboy · 04/03/2007, 09:23 PM

The aquaeuro usa are just octopus skimmers under a different name (made by the same company) and they are quite cheap (for now, octopus prices went up after they were shown to be effective). I have looked over many models and they all have excellent build quality. The pumps are not the best, but not the worst either, they are also inexpensive. The only mod that I am advocating is a mesh mod, that takes a few bucks and ten minutes to perform. I am not sure why all the needlewheel/pinwheel skimmer manufacturers don't do this to all of their skimmers out of the box, it is cheap and really increases performance.
I looked over some downdraft/becket units and was really interested in an aerofoamer, but the pumps needed to run them are quite large for a decent sized unit and the total cost put it out of my range.
To equal the AE skimmer you would proabably need an etss 800 unit, and a large pump. You could get two + AE classic 400s for that price! (of course you would need a tanker sized sump to put them in), but you get the idea. I have nothing against ETSS type units, and for really large tanks they may be cost effective, but for smaller ones they do not seem to be.

kodyboy · 04/03/2007, 09:26 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1070192

here is a link to all sorts of information about AE skimmers, and reefnut.com has them at great prices!

joncat24 · 04/03/2007, 09:50 PM

thanks for the link..
Like I said , I wasnt downing them I was just curious.

And I didnt mean to single you out, it is just that you post alot about them so I thought you might know.

someday when I have a few extra bucks I would love to get one and run it side by side with my etss and check em out. I have to say it is defintely one MASSIVE skimmer. I dont think I could fit it in my 55 gal fuge with that footprint with the pumps attached.

for now though I just love my little reef devil deluxe, it sucks about a 1/2 gallon a day out of my mixed 180 and I am already getting better sps polyp extension now that it is broken in.

here is a video after ten days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4KGpnyT3O0

kodyboy · 04/04/2007, 04:45 AM

that reefdevil looks good! I never had one. What pump runs it?

joncat24 · 04/04/2007, 09:47 PM

that is with the cheapo catlina 2200 that comes with it. I have a mag 7 ordered. I have a brand new mag 9.5 but AE tech said it would be too much pump for it.

diciple · 04/06/2007, 06:27 PM

euro reef rs 80 or one of the new cs would be a good skimmer and reasonable price too.

aninjaatemyshoe · 04/06/2007, 06:38 PM

I just bought one of the AE recircs, should arrive on Monday. I have been looking to upgrade from my CSS 125 for awhile now and have done a fair amount of research. For me, a recirculating skimmer is a no-brainer for two reasons:

-I have a rather small sump and would prefer to have a unit that I can run outside.
-I am big on energy savings and lowering heat added to the system. The recircs seem like the best in terms of this (except for an air stone PS).

I'm taking a bit of a gamble because not many people have bought them yet, but it is worth it for the price ($190 shipped). I took the same gamble with the Koralias and am not regretting it at all.

The question of what PS is the best is a loaded one when you don't meantion what you are willing to spend. Sure a Euroreef is probably one hell of a skimmer, but is it really worth it for someone who doesn't have alot of money to spend?

04/03/2007, 05:19 PM	#1
reefer108 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: augusta GA Posts: 59	What skimmer should I buy? I have a 65 gallon reef tank and would like advice as to which skimmer I should buy

04/06/2007, 06:27 PM	#14
diciple Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: fremont,Mo. Posts: 355	euro reef rs 80 or one of the new cs would be a good skimmer and reasonable price too. __________________ 20gal pico aquariums starfire cube 150de mh w/Tunze streams.Seaside aquatics 3.5 skimm Current Tank Info: 22 g pico cube 150w mh+led supplement

04/06/2007, 06:38 PM	#15
aninjaatemyshoe Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 2,333	I just bought one of the AE recircs, should arrive on Monday. I have been looking to upgrade from my CSS 125 for awhile now and have done a fair amount of research. For me, a recirculating skimmer is a no-brainer for two reasons: -I have a rather small sump and would prefer to have a unit that I can run outside. -I am big on energy savings and lowering heat added to the system. The recircs seem like the best in terms of this (except for an air stone PS). I'm taking a bit of a gamble because not many people have bought them yet, but it is worth it for the price ($190 shipped). I took the same gamble with the Koralias and am not regretting it at all. The question of what PS is the best is a loaded one when you don't meantion what you are willing to spend. Sure a Euroreef is probably one hell of a skimmer, but is it really worth it for someone who doesn't have alot of money to spend? __________________ You are not brought upon this world to "get it"

04/03/2007, 05:32 PM	#2
kodyboy Moved On Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,990	aquaeuro recirc 135 (if you have a sump) http://www.reefnut.com/reefshop/prod...roducts_id=115 the classic 135 would work too, but this is on sale if not get a D&D marine typhoon not as good but a decent HOB skimmer

04/03/2007, 06:32 PM	#3
USC-fan Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 3,626	need more info if you want good suggestions.... how much are you looking to spend, how much room do you have for the skimmer, what do you plan to keep and do you have a sump?

04/03/2007, 07:34 PM	#4
joncat24 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Middletown,OH Posts: 443	dont take me wrong...I am not downing them cause I have never had one, but why all the rage over the aquaeuro skimmers??? they look like cheap knock offs of the asm's which dont impress me much anyway. How can they match up against the mrc's or etss's?? anyone done any side by side tests or just boosting them because of price or what??/ I dont get it...somebody clue me in

04/03/2007, 08:03 PM	#5
joncat24 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Middletown,OH Posts: 443	dont take me wrong...I am not downing them cause I have never had one, but why all the rage over the aquaeuro skimmers??? they look like cheap knock offs of the asm's which dont impress me much anyway. How can they match up against the mrc's or etss's?? anyone done any side by side tests or just boosting them because of price or what??/ I dont get it...somebody clue me in

04/03/2007, 08:17 PM	#6
reefer108 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: augusta GA Posts: 59	I already have a cheap sea clone and looking to get a better one. I do have a 20 gallon home made sump, and i have six fish in my tank.

04/03/2007, 09:09 PM	#8
joncat24 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Middletown,OH Posts: 443	u can also get the reef devil deluxe for under 300 shipped. I dont know how they compare, but i like the idea of only one pump to go out and no finicky needlwheels. I also dont understand why someone would buy something brand new and as soon as they get it , they have to mod it to make it work. If it doesnt work right, why buy it. no disrespect kody, but alot of your posts are recommending those skimmers and I was just wondering why they are so highly regarded. I had never even heard of them til I came on this board. anybody got a link to a video of one of these things in action.

04/03/2007, 09:23 PM	#9
kodyboy Moved On Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,990	The aquaeuro usa are just octopus skimmers under a different name (made by the same company) and they are quite cheap (for now, octopus prices went up after they were shown to be effective). I have looked over many models and they all have excellent build quality. The pumps are not the best, but not the worst either, they are also inexpensive. The only mod that I am advocating is a mesh mod, that takes a few bucks and ten minutes to perform. I am not sure why all the needlewheel/pinwheel skimmer manufacturers don't do this to all of their skimmers out of the box, it is cheap and really increases performance. I looked over some downdraft/becket units and was really interested in an aerofoamer, but the pumps needed to run them are quite large for a decent sized unit and the total cost put it out of my range. To equal the AE skimmer you would proabably need an etss 800 unit, and a large pump. You could get two + AE classic 400s for that price! (of course you would need a tanker sized sump to put them in), but you get the idea. I have nothing against ETSS type units, and for really large tanks they may be cost effective, but for smaller ones they do not seem to be.

04/03/2007, 09:26 PM	#10
kodyboy Moved On Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,990	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1070192 here is a link to all sorts of information about AE skimmers, and reefnut.com has them at great prices!

04/03/2007, 09:50 PM	#11
joncat24 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Middletown,OH Posts: 443	thanks for the link.. Like I said , I wasnt downing them I was just curious. And I didnt mean to single you out, it is just that you post alot about them so I thought you might know. someday when I have a few extra bucks I would love to get one and run it side by side with my etss and check em out. I have to say it is defintely one MASSIVE skimmer. I dont think I could fit it in my 55 gal fuge with that footprint with the pumps attached. for now though I just love my little reef devil deluxe, it sucks about a 1/2 gallon a day out of my mixed 180 and I am already getting better sps polyp extension now that it is broken in. here is a video after ten days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4KGpnyT3O0

04/04/2007, 04:45 AM	#12
kodyboy Moved On Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,990	that reefdevil looks good! I never had one. What pump runs it?

04/04/2007, 09:47 PM	#13
joncat24 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Middletown,OH Posts: 443	that is with the cheapo catlina 2200 that comes with it. I have a mag 7 ordered. I have a brand new mag 9.5 but AE tech said it would be too much pump for it.