Vertex Alpha 300 Question

waterart · 03/03/2012, 10:30 PM

Can anyone think of a reason why I should not buy one of these for my 250 Gallon system?

waterart · 03/03/2012, 11:03 PM

And, has anyone ever heard of this skimmer being ran external?

If not, what cone skimmers can be ran external?

Crkbaby · 03/03/2012, 11:20 PM

the vertex royal exclusive is nice I have the 250 on my tank I also run a sro 3000 int the only real difference I can see is the vertex pulls a small amount of more waste and it can be fully broken down for clean up. With that being said if I was in your shoes I would run 2 SRO-XP5000 int cone skimmers. can be fully broken down, will cost the same, you have a back up in a bad situation (vertex parts can be very costly and take some time to get) 3 year warrenty and bubble blaster pumps really have impressed me. Just an opinion of course either way you are good on filtration. I am just paranoid always nice to have overkill filtration and a failsafe.

waterart · 03/03/2012, 11:26 PM

hmm...I'll check out the super reef octo's....I have been reading good things about them. Thanks for the info!

shaginwagon13 · 03/04/2012, 01:28 AM

The vertex Alpha 300 IMO is overkill for a 250 gallon unless you plan to get a whopper of a tank in the future and want to run the Alpha 300 on it.

I have a Vertex Alpha 250 for my system and it is amazing. At the LFS they had a Alpha 250 hauling from 600 gallons of heavy stocked tanks no problem. I would say the Alpha 250 is more then enough for a 250 Gallon.

No you can't run the Alpha 250 or 300 externally I tried to see if it could be done. The adjustment pipe that controls the outflow if skimmed water is not sealed to the bottom of the skimmer so water would just leak out.

CHSUB · 03/04/2012, 07:15 AM

i ordered the 300 last week for my 281 gallon dt 80 gallon sump, had to redesign sump to fit skimmer, you might consider the 250...although i too wanted the 300!

03/03/2012, 10:30 PM	#1
waterart Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Posts: 239	Vertex Alpha 300 Question Can anyone think of a reason why I should not buy one of these for my 250 Gallon system? __________________ Never let yesterday use up too much of today. Current Tank Info: 150 Starphire, Sump Room, Auto Dosing Station Ca Alk Mg, Cont. water change 30% mth, Auto Topoff, 60 Gal saltwater mixing barrel, Media Reactors, 700 GPD RODI, SRO 3000 Skimmer, Radion x 3, 2 MP40, 65 Gallon Sump, 30 Gal Prop Tank

03/03/2012, 11:03 PM	#2
waterart Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Posts: 239	And, has anyone ever heard of this skimmer being ran external? If not, what cone skimmers can be ran external? __________________ Never let yesterday use up too much of today. Current Tank Info: 150 Starphire, Sump Room, Auto Dosing Station Ca Alk Mg, Cont. water change 30% mth, Auto Topoff, 60 Gal saltwater mixing barrel, Media Reactors, 700 GPD RODI, SRO 3000 Skimmer, Radion x 3, 2 MP40, 65 Gallon Sump, 30 Gal Prop Tank

03/03/2012, 11:26 PM	#4
waterart Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Posts: 239	hmm...I'll check out the super reef octo's....I have been reading good things about them. Thanks for the info! __________________ Never let yesterday use up too much of today. Current Tank Info: 150 Starphire, Sump Room, Auto Dosing Station Ca Alk Mg, Cont. water change 30% mth, Auto Topoff, 60 Gal saltwater mixing barrel, Media Reactors, 700 GPD RODI, SRO 3000 Skimmer, Radion x 3, 2 MP40, 65 Gallon Sump, 30 Gal Prop Tank

03/04/2012, 01:28 AM	#5
shaginwagon13 Chartered Accountant Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 2,219	The vertex Alpha 300 IMO is overkill for a 250 gallon unless you plan to get a whopper of a tank in the future and want to run the Alpha 300 on it. I have a Vertex Alpha 250 for my system and it is amazing. At the LFS they had a Alpha 250 hauling from 600 gallons of heavy stocked tanks no problem. I would say the Alpha 250 is more then enough for a 250 Gallon. No you can't run the Alpha 250 or 300 externally I tried to see if it could be done. The adjustment pipe that controls the outflow if skimmed water is not sealed to the bottom of the skimmer so water would just leak out. __________________ - Shaginwagon - Current Tank Info: 550 Gallon SPS Reef l 200 Gallon Sump l Skimmer: Vertex Alpha 250 l Return Pump: Reeflo Hammerhead l Tank Circulation: (2) Maxspect Gyre XF280 l Lighting: (3) 400w Halides & (3) AI Hydra 52 HD

03/04/2012, 07:15 AM	#6
CHSUB "Certified Hobby Expert" Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 2,038	i ordered the 300 last week for my 281 gallon dt 80 gallon sump, had to redesign sump to fit skimmer, you might consider the 250...although i too wanted the 300! __________________ Goniopora Police _________________ building a 60"x36"x30" peninsula reef...follow at "NEW TANK BUILD" on reef discussion forum! http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2110638

03/03/2012, 11:20 PM	#3
Crkbaby Registered Member. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Cleveland Ohio Posts: 422	the vertex royal exclusive is nice I have the 250 on my tank I also run a sro 3000 int the only real difference I can see is the vertex pulls a small amount of more waste and it can be fully broken down for clean up. With that being said if I was in your shoes I would run 2 SRO-XP5000 int cone skimmers. can be fully broken down, will cost the same, you have a back up in a bad situation (vertex parts can be very costly and take some time to get) 3 year warrenty and bubble blaster pumps really have impressed me. Just an opinion of course either way you are good on filtration. I am just paranoid always nice to have overkill filtration and a failsafe.