Royal-Exclusiv vertex alpha 250 or 300???

[woowoodengy]

i am building a new 260 gal system and need help deciding between Royal-Exclusiv vertex alpha 250 or 300. my system wont have any frag tanks or additional volume other than the 260 gal display and the biggest sump/fuge i can fit in the stand. i was planning on going with the 300 but when i called Jeremy at premium aquatics he said that the 300 would be total overkill and would not perform good on a system my size. he is recommending the 250. i trust his judgment but would like your opinions as i am ordering tomorrow.

what do you guys think? i have been told to go with the biggest best skimmer i can afford by other people and i dont want to upgrade later.

[nikon187]

I think the 250 will work well on your system.

[rbnice1]

Running a 200 on a system of about 200 gallions total water volume and its way overkill. So I think a 250 would still be big for your system.

[woowoodengy]

i do plan to stock heavy.

[rbnice1]

I have a 155 heavily stocked, 20 gallon fug, 15 gallon frag tank, 30 long sump, been feeding heavy and its still almost to much skimmer.

[rkaires]

The 250 will work well on your system.

[woowoodengy]

ok it looks like i will get the 250
is this a good choice for a skimmer??? i was looking into a BK but dont really want to spend that much money

[woowoodengy]

ok something keeps telling me get the 300 especially since premium aquatics has a 10% of sale now.

how bad of an idea is it to get the 300 for my system??? would i have problems???

[woowoodengy]

the 250 is $899 on sale and the 300 is $1052
for $153 bucks i get a bigger skimmer and another red dragon pump. i wonder if i can just not use the second pump until i need it.
hope some people can chime in on this, i want to order tomorrow (monday) i like to go overkill but will the 300 even produce skimmate in a 260gal. would it be a big mistake?

[VivaBorg]

Do you plan to run a bacterial driven system using MB7 or Prodibo products? If so I would consider the larger 300

[woowoodengy]

Originally Posted by VivaBorg

Do you plan to run a bacterial driven system using MB7 or Prodibo products? If so I would consider the larger 300

never really looked into it. what are the benefits. seems a bit pricey in the long run

[rkaires]

I the long run you won't be happy with the performance if you go with a 300. When a oversize skimmer cleans up your system it won't preform as well and you will regret going oversize. Many people make the mistake of going way oversize on their skimmer. Once your systems organic's become depleted it won't preform as it did in the beginning. A 250 is more than enough for your system. Don't take my word, just do your research and see for yourself.

[viggen]

is the alpha 300 ok for a 450-475g FO?

[woowoodengy]

Originally Posted by viggen

is the alpha 300 ok for a 450-475g FO?

It's rated up to a 600. The 250 it rated up to 350 check out the vertex website

[woowoodengy]

Anyore more opinions? It looks like it will be the 250 I guess

[customdusty]

With Royal Exclusiv skimmers, you don't want to buy more skimmer than you need. They are one of the few skimmers (if they only ones) that are actually rated accurately. Because of their accurate rating, they will not perform well if they are oversized. Jeremy at PA is right, you just don't apply the same skimmer mentality when considering BK skimmers. I currently run an Alpha 200 on roughly 130 gallons of volume, although I vodka dose, MB7 dose, heavy feedings, AAs, and also keep my sump and frag tank barebottom with ridiculous amounts of flow so everything stays suspended for the skimmer. It does a good job, but doesn't perform as well as it should because I just don't have enough bioload to keep it fed. I previously ran a BK Mini 160 on the same volume, which was more consistent, although I only upgraded because I wanted the larger collection cup that the cones sported.

Don't underestimate the size or capability of these skimmers. The reaction chamber on the 250 is enormous, as is the neck diameter. Most people haven't seen a neck size on a collection cup that you can put your entire arm through up to your shoulder.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by customdusty

With Royal Exclusiv skimmers, you don't want to buy more skimmer than you need. They are one of the few skimmers (if they only ones) that are actually rated accurately. Because of their accurate rating, they will not perform well if they are oversized. Jeremy at PA is right, you just don't apply the same skimmer mentality when considering BK skimmers. I currently run an Alpha 200 on roughly 130 gallons of volume, although I vodka dose, MB7 dose, heavy feedings, AAs, and also keep my sump and frag tank barebottom with ridiculous amounts of flow so everything stays suspended for the skimmer. It does a good job, but doesn't perform as well as it should because I just don't have enough bioload to keep it fed. I previously ran a BK Mini 160 on the same volume, which was more consistent, although I only upgraded because I wanted the larger collection cup that the cones sported.

Don't underestimate the size or capability of these skimmers. The reaction chamber on the 250 is enormous, as is the neck diameter. Most people haven't seen a neck size on a collection cup that you can put your entire arm through up to your shoulder.

+1 Get the 250

[woowoodengy]

Thanks you guys are great. I just ordered the 250 =) now to start the sump design. There went the $$$ for the new profilux 3 =( oh well maybe I can get some cash before their pre order discount ends.

[rkaires]

You'll be happy with the 250. You gotta love all the advice people give to go way oversize. When you drop that kind of money on a nice skimmer only to see the performance drop off after your system cleans up can be disheartening. There is a point of diminishing returns. Good luck.

[VivaBorg]

My point was if your going to run a Bacterial driven system like customdusty mentioned he does, the larger skimmer will have plenty to skim off since you will be feeding the tank rather heavily to feed the "good" bacteria the NO3 and PO4 it needs to keep your system running Ultra low, plus the added bonus of larger O2 exchange.

If you had no plan to run this new type of system then yes I would go with the 250, but if you were thinking of running bacteria it wouldn't hurt to get the 300, but then again maybe not LOL I dunno I just confused myself.

Also the MB7 and Vodka method isnt really that bad on price. Yes a 2L of MB7 is $30 but it lasts a really long time once your system is past the first 2 weeks of dosing. And you can get half gallons of cheap 80proof vodka for like $9 that should last a year or so with your volumes

[rkaires]

VivaBorg,

This was not directed at you. It was a comment about many people who think going bigger is better. I've been running a bacterial driven system for well over a year now on a heavily stocked 170gal system. My ATB 840 skimmer has no troubles keeping up. I know people who went with the next size larger on a similarly sized system only to wish they went with a properly sized skimmer. The ratings on high end skimmers are conservative so the old sizing recommendations of cutting the rating in half doesn't hold true with some of the better skimmers out there now. Like I said don't take my word, just check the ATB, Alpha, I-tech etc forums and see for yourself.

[woowoodengy]

i may try the prodibo product, after consideration it is not as expensive as i thought and i have seen some nice tanks using it.

i went with the 250 i think i will be happy.

[hepatitis]

i have a silly question of 250. Can it be external use? add one more pump to suck water in.

[woowoodengy]

Originally Posted by hepatitis

i have a silly question of 250. Can it be external use? add one more pump to suck water in.

vertex is realeasing a external version of their skimmer really soon. its called the omega series. i thought long about going internal or external and was about to either wait for the omega or break down and get a Bubble King, but in the end i decided that going internal would be less chance for leaks and spills and since i live in an apartment safer is probably better.

here is a link to vertex (they are a sponsor here)
http://www.vertexaquaristik.com/prod...s/omega250.php
no info on them yet but they say early in the new year they will be released.

[woowoodengy]

here is a sump design that i am trying to have made




here is the thread http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1745744