Octopus Skimmer 150 Recirculating

[ASaleem91]

Hey,
Just wanted to know what you guys think about this skimmer. Woud you recommend it? What are the pros/cons? Any pictures of it in action?

Thanks,
ASaeem91

[JCTewks]

i've got a 110 modded on my 50 gal system and love it. note that i have done some serious modding to it....hence the need for the neck extension

[Tony44]

I just got one last week, just got it figured out today, and havent added it to the tank yet. If you are a true newb like me, just remember these two words "ball valve", or the red thing, they will help you tremendously.

[ASaleem91]

Anyone else have any input?

[solRNY]

Originally posted by JCTewks
i've got a 110 modded on my 50 gal system and love it. note that i have done some serious modding to it....hence the need for the neck extension

awesome mod!! where you buy it?

[Wrench]

I have a recirc 150. Honestly, not real happy with it. I've never gotten any good skimmate from it. It's either too wet, like very light tea or I can lower the water level a bit but then I get no skimmate at all.

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by solRNY
awesome mod!! where you buy it?

I built it!!! It was the tube from the middle of a seaclone 100 and 2 2" sch80 unions.

[chem-e]

I have the 110 recirc as well, but it's about half the size of JCTewks.

I think these skimmers work okay and they're not too expensive, but I feel like you get what you pay for. It's doing the job, but I'll be upgrading one day.

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by chem-e
I have the 110 recirc as well, but it's about half the size of JCTewks.

I think these skimmers work okay and they're not too expensive, but I feel like you get what you pay for. It's doing the job, but I'll be upgrading one day.

Yes, yours would be half the size of mine...I built a custom 18" neck extension so that mine could handle 20scfh of air!!! They pull about 5scfh stock

[Lightsluvr]

But what about the DNW-150?

What are people using as a feed pump? How does the slide adjustment work? Can you replace that slide tube with a gate valve or ball valve? Does the DNW-150 use that %#$& metric tubing? If so, where can you buy additional pieces of that tubing in the U.S.?

Thanks.

LL

[solitude127]

Try the DAS EX-1. It's pretty much a plug and play. I've been very happy with mine and I've had it for about 3 months. It pulls out black coffee like skimmate and I have to empty it out every 3 day. for under $300 I'm very happy with it.

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr
But what about the DNW-150?

What are people using as a feed pump? How does the slide adjustment work? Can you replace that slide tube with a gate valve or ball valve? Does the DNW-150 use that %#$& metric tubing? If so, where can you buy additional pieces of that tubing in the U.S.?

Thanks.

LL

You can use a small maxijet as feed pump, or plumb a line directly from your overflow.

There is no slide adjustment (adjustable standpipe) on the DNW series...they all come with ball valves.

Yes, it is that @%#* metric pipe IIRC, savko MIGHT carry some extra pipe, but you shouldn't need any...there is quite a bit that comes with the skimmer.

[Lightsluvr]

Thanks for that info. I am going to start out with a MJ600 that I had laying around. (System volume is about 115G) If that doesn't cut it, I will replace with a MJ1200 with a valve on the pump's output.
I was concerned about the adjustable standpipe - the store photo where it was ordered looked like there was no valve. My DNW-200 has a ball valve; I'm hoping the DNW-150 has the same.

LL

[JCTewks]

the DNW150 is merely a 6" version of the DNW200!

[Lightsluvr]

That's OK - I have finally got the DNW-200 tweaked to my liking in our 180G SPS tank.

Looking forward to putting the DNW-150 on our seahorse tank...

It's on the FedEx truck for delivery this afternoon... (knock on acrylic)

LL

[solRNY]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr
That's OK - I have finally got the DNW-200 tweaked to my liking in our 180G SPS tank.

Looking forward to putting the DNW-150 on our seahorse tank...

It's on the FedEx truck for delivery this afternoon... (knock on acrylic)
LL

My DNW-150 is on the FedEx truck too!

JCTewks, thanks for the info gonna try to do something like that too.

[JCTewks]

you really won't need that neck extension....My skimmer was MEGA MODDED...and I burnt out 4 pumps to prove it

Do you have an air meter and a kill-a-watt meter? If not, don;t go modding the pump until you get them...you can only take them so far before cutting their lifespan down significantly!

When you get your skimmer in, measure the neck diameter and I;ll tell you how much air that neck can handle.

[Lightsluvr]

Originally posted by JCTewks
you really won't need that neck extension....My skimmer was MEGA MODDED...and I burnt out 4 pumps to prove it

Do you have an air meter and a kill-a-watt meter? If not, don;t go modding the pump until you get them...you can only take them so far before cutting their lifespan down significantly!

When you get your skimmer in, measure the neck diameter and I;ll tell you how much air that neck can handle.

Thanks...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

Originally posted by JCTewks
You can use a small maxijet as feed pump, or plumb a line directly from your overflow.

There is no slide adjustment (adjustable standpipe) on the DNW series...they all come with ball valves.

Yes, it is that @%#* metric pipe IIRC, savko MIGHT carry some extra pipe, but you shouldn't need any...there is quite a bit that comes with the skimmer.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the box on my brand new DNW-150 and found an adjustable standpipe instead of the much anticipated ball valve. Also, there is no union between the skimmer body and the cup - the cup just slides into the neck.

Blame it on the energy crisis... in China!

LL

[JCTewks]

NOOOO....you got the new AquaEuro Knockoff octopus skimmer!!!

I'm just not a big fan AT ALL of that design! Is it really a recirc? IIWM, I would send it back for full credit and get one of the "old" styl skimmers!

[Shaneo]

Instead of using a pump to feed my DNW-150 I went for gravity feed

[solRNY]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr
Imagine my surprise when I opened the box on my brand new DNW-150 and found an adjustable standpipe instead of the much anticipated ball valve. Also, there is no union between the skimmer body and the cup - the cup just slides into the neck.

Blame it on the energy crisis... in China!

LL

I too received what you recieved DNW-150... am very dissappointed at its performace. my first skimmer was a used asm g2, it made more and finer bubbles. the water level inside the body is hard to control, goes up and down when it wants. the inlet for the overflow creates too much turbalance that it pushes all the fine bubbles towards the bottom where it exits the body. i wish they did not weld the inlet T fitting, i would rather pipe it so water from the overflow it exits towards the bottom of the body.

JCTewks, i have a kill-a-watt meter and the pump is drawing 28W, how do i begin to mod this pump so i can get results like yours?

[Lightsluvr]

I am pretty happy with the DNW-200 I am using in my 180G reef tank...that's why I bought the DNW-150.

I haven't tried mine in saltwater yet. I just leak-tested it in tap water. I will hook it up to the feed pump this afternoon and see what it does. I expect a break-in period, but it doesn't look encouraging right now...

I hope DNW doesn't mean "Does Not Work" on this skimmer...

I'm already shopping for its replacement...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

Say, one thing I did get in the box with the DNW-150 was a narrow magnet cleaner for acrylic. That was a surprise... did somebody put that in the box by accident? Was I supposed to get one with the DNW-200?

I think that cleaner would clean the inside of the skimmer - it just never crossed my mind to use one! Whasssup?

LL

[solRNY]

Nope no freebie magnet cleaner in my box, but I was missing the "performance part". :P