Restarting after 2 years and looking for suggestion for a hang on skimmer, please

[aieong19]

Hi all,

I recently started planning on restarting my 90 gallon tank after a two years break.

I'm looking to make it a saltwater fish only setup and I am looking for some suggestion on a good hang-on protein skimmer.

I got this 90 gallon tank second handed two years ago and it came with a very crappy sump setup with a in tank skimmer located in the sump. The plumbing done for the sump is absolutely terrible.
I am now planning to just ignore the sump altogether because I also don't think I am up for the job to handle all the plumbing required to make the sump work.
This is the main reason why I want to just use a hang-on skimmer if it is possible.
Is it okay to run a 90 gallon setup with a hang-on skimmer? Or do I HAVE to stick with the sump? This is the largest system I have dealt with so far so my experience is limted.

I used to have a Red Sea Prizm Pro Deluxe skimmer I used for a 45 gallon setup I was running two years ago (also fish only with live rocks).
Is that too small for a 90 gallon tank? I also saw a lot of bad review about this skimmer on the web and wondering if you guys have any opinion on that.

I am planning on using sand for the substrate and all the live rocks I have from two years ago (More than 100 lbs of them). Though they are all dried up by now, I figured they would be good for aquascaping to make shelter for the fishes and for the eventual buildup of beneficial bacteria.
In this kind of setup, can you all kindly give some recommendation for a good hang-on skimmer?

Please also feel free to point out anything I am missing or being wrong.

Thanks for reading!

[Shawn D]

What kind of money do you want to spend? I would go with the new ATB hang on thats not out yet but will be soon and should be awesome, or I would go with the new CNC sicce powered hang on the back

[aieong19]

Originally posted by Shawn D
What kind of money do you want to spend? I would go with the new ATB hang on thats not out yet but will be soon and should be awesome, or I would go with the new CNC sicce powered hang on the back

I have been out of the hobby for so long that I totally forgot how much these stuffs go for, but if it would be great if I can keep it below $200. Is this at all possible?

[john37]

i have this for sale if you're interested
bermuda rogue

for sale thread

[Shawn D]

Rogue is another good HOB as well. The skimmers I mentioned earlier are more expesnive and another cheaper alternative would be the Octopus HOB's. If I had to put them in order I would say
1. CNC or ATB
2. Rogue
3. Octupus

[carman9941]

warner marine has hob skimmers i would go with the H2, but its a little more than you want to pay, but a great skimmer

[cveverly]

I have an Octopus and it is a nice skimmer but I wish I would have stepped up to the Warner Marine.

[nebraskareef]

post pics/details of your setup. I think you will be MUCH better served with an in sump skimmer. It might be as bad as you say it is, it might not. It may take you 30 minutes and $20 to get it running.....LETS SEE IT!

[amay121]

+1 with nebraskareef.

I'd rather go with the sump, it'll give you some options to add in a fuge to help with nutrient export as well as help with the build of some pods for food. Good luck to whatever you decide to use though.

It took me 2 weeks to figure out my plumbing (newbie), just to learn that I could've made it so much easier with just some flex tubing. Oh well, you learn the hard way sometimes.

[aieong19]

Originally posted by nebraskareef
post pics/details of your setup. I think you will be MUCH better served with an in sump skimmer. It might be as bad as you say it is, it might not. It may take you 30 minutes and $20 to get it running.....LETS SEE IT!

sure I'll see if I can take and post some picture up! And ya, I understand it would be nice to have the sump...I actually wanted it and have been trying to figure out the plumbing for a few days until few minutes before I started this topic. Thats when I decided I probably don't have to skill to make it work.

I also decided not to use the sump because I feel that it can never be completely leak proof.
While I know how to make it leak proof witht the return pump in case of power failure, I can't think of a way to absolutely avoid leaking from the overflow ( in case of lost siphon, especially).
I understand that constant monitoring the overflow box (the siphon) will solve the risk but, for me, the problem is that quite often I need to travel or at least leave home for school or work for more than half the day. Therefore I always need to ask my humble friends to take care of the tank for me (usually just feeding, I check water and top off evaporation by myself at night after work).
I feel that asking them to handle all the complications about the return and especially the overflow box are way too much and, more importantly, dangerous. I had a bunch of leaks from this tanks two years ago when it was still running and I really can't afford another leak.

[aieong19]

Originally posted by amay121
+1 with nebraskareef.

I'd rather go with the sump, it'll give you some options to add in a fuge to help with nutrient export as well as help with the build of some pods for food. Good luck to whatever you decide to use though.

It took me 2 weeks to figure out my plumbing (newbie), just to learn that I could've made it so much easier with just some flex tubing. Oh well, you learn the hard way sometimes.

Ya I am totally new to plumbing too and I only have August for setup. Thats why I don't want to deal with the plumbing because I figured it will take me very likely a week or two to make it work. That will leave me with little time to cycle the tank.

I was hoping to get the tank up and running and completely cycled (no fish yet) before September comes and my normal schedule starts.

[aieong19]

Originally posted by Shawn D
Rogue is another good HOB as well. The skimmers I mentioned earlier are more expesnive and another cheaper alternative would be the Octopus HOB's. If I had to put them in order I would say
1. CNC or ATB
2. Rogue
3. Octupus

Many thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them!

[aieong19]

Originally posted by john37
i have this for sale if you're interested
bermuda rogue

for sale thread

Sounds tempting. You are looking for around $200ish if i didn't read your sale post wrong?

However, I live in Canada. Will that create big shipping problems for us?

[nebraskareef]

If it's a hang on overflow, I can't in good faith recommend you set it up if you aren't confident in your ability.

They can, and do work for alot of people, but they are too risky, IMO, for anyone that cannot provide constant attention to them.

There have been several good products mentioned in the thread - I'm sure you will have no problem finding a good candidate.

[aieong19]

Originally posted by nebraskareef
If it's a hang on overflow, I can't in good faith recommend you set it up if you aren't confident in your ability.

They can, and do work for alot of people, but they are too risky, IMO, for anyone that cannot provide constant attention to them.

There have been several good products mentioned in the thread - I'm sure you will have no problem finding a good candidate.

ya it is a very typical hang on overflow box with a single U-tube design. Thats why I'm worry. I understand it should work fine and that I only have myself to blame if I can't put the attention to it. But well, if it doesn't work for me, it doesn't work I guess.
I feel like such a shame too because I still really want to run a sump....but I guess I'll just get the system going with a hang on skimmer for now and if later on I have the time to slowly and carefully learn how to do the plumbing, maybe i'll add the sump back on in the future when I finally built all the plumbing. Because I'm planning to leave the sump tank inside the stand even though I'm not using it, too much hassle to take it out

Anyways, thanks a lot for your comment!!

[moondoggy4]

I have a 30 gallon tank without a sump, the problem is you need a skimmer that can turn over the tank as if you are turning over the tank with a sump. So it needs to be a beast, my vote is the ATB hang on. Save money where you can spend over where you have too. Second choice is the CNC which also is in Canada ie as yourself. The Rogue is another excellent choice. Good luck

[sjm817]

I ran a (good quality) HOB U Tube overflow for years without issue. I traveled all the time and it was never even a thought. Since the tank isn't set up yet, why not drill it? That way, you can run a sump with all the benefits it brings and not have to worry.