Skimmer Ideas for 80G Cube

cemyth · 12/10/2013, 10:04 AM

Anyone have any ideas for a good skimmer for a new 80 gallon cube with a 20 gallon sump. Should be about a total of 75 to 80 gallons of water.

The below I have considered.

- Reef Octopus NWB150 ---- Not too sure about the OPT pump.
- SWC160 ---- Don’t like the mesh wheel hybrid.

Any suggestions would be great!

cemyth · 12/10/2013, 10:25 AM

What about the RO-PS-2000 INT or RO-PS-1000 INT? Would either of them work on an 80 gallon? I just want a good skimmer.

cemyth · 12/10/2013, 12:32 PM

anyone have any ideas?

S14Swap240sx · 12/10/2013, 02:04 PM

would the new vertex 130 fit? I have the 150 in my 65g and its most certainly overkill.. but I am very happy with how easy it is to use. also the build quality.. and even the box it came in.. looked like a big *** apple iphone box

seems like a product built with lots of quality control and care

either of those two will be fine tho. skimmers is a tricky subject, you can get all the good reviews you want and all the bad.. just depends how you wanna search for them!

also it aint like your 80 gallon gonna be supporting that big of a bioload anyway.. and no a big skimmer wont help sustain one long term so get whatever makes you happy!

I don't think you can go wrong with either the reef octopus swc vertex and so on.

cemyth · 12/10/2013, 02:47 PM

Never looked at the Vertex. I really like what I see!

I think I will try the 150 out.

It seems that their are always good and bad reviews to everything.

Thanks for the help.

dkeller_nc · 12/10/2013, 03:11 PM

I have a system that's close to yours (50 gallon cube in my case). I've no doubts about the Vertex skimmers, but they're also new, so it's hard to know about reliability & noise. They also take up a good bit more room in a sump than some other skimmers because of the external pump mount.

What I've been using in my 50 gallon is a Seaside Aquatics ES5. They are Bubble Magus curve skimmers (wine glass shape), except with a Sicce PSK 200 skimmer pump. The pump is very, very quiet - I can't hear mine, and the mounting of the pump inside the skimmer body makes it very compact. They're about $250 from various 'net dealers.

cemyth · 12/10/2013, 03:18 PM

Would you think the ES7 is too big?

Wmich2008 · 12/10/2013, 04:36 PM

I used the reef octopus diablo xs160 on my 60 cube and it worked great.

dkeller_nc · 12/11/2013, 08:17 AM

The issue with going between the SSA ES5 to ES7 sizes is power. The Sicce PSK-200 pump in the ES5 draws 23 watts. The PSK-1000 in the ES7 draws 60 watts.

If power draw isn't a concern, I'm a fan of "bigger is better" when it comes to skimmers, at least within reason. But in my case, I wanted to keep power draw to a minimum, which is why I bought the ES5.

Another option that uses the Sicce pumps that seems to be well thought of is AquaMaxx ConeS skimmers.

thegrun · 12/11/2013, 08:43 AM

I like the CAD Lights TIA-1150 for a 80 gallon tank.

S14Swap240sx · 12/11/2013, 08:49 AM

see here we go! typically everyone likes what they have especially if they recommending it, and there are a ton of companies that make skimmers, and are all still in business for a reason!

as far as noise from the vertex 150... I could never tell you if it was on or off without looking at if its making bubbles or not

thegrun · 12/11/2013, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S14Swap240sx

see here we go! typically everyone likes what they have especially if they recommending it, and there are a ton of companies that make skimmers, and are all still in business for a reason!

as far as noise from the vertex 150... I could never tell you if it was on or off without looking at if its making bubbles or not

Agreed, there are at least two dozen great skimmers that would work well for his tank.

dkeller_nc · 12/11/2013, 09:05 AM

Personal experience with a CADlights skimmer: at least at this point, I can't recommend them. The problem is the "TIA" pump - mine started out pretty silent when I set up my 50 gal cube in April, but within a month had become very noisy - a really loud hum and rattling vibration. I contacted CADlights, and they sent me a new motor and rotor, but oddly, not the internal ceramic rod that serves as the static shaft that the rotor runs on.

I replaced the motor and rotor, and everything was OK for a couple of weeks, whereupon the pump became very loud again. I did a little troubleshooting, and this is my take: the materials of construction of the rotor don't stand up to continuous use. Specifically, the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor wear very quickly, at which point the rotor has a lot of play on the ceramic shaft. That results in loud vibrations, and further accelerated wear on the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor.

So I replaced the CADlights skimmer that came with the tank with the afore-mentioned Sea Side Aquatics ES5. I recently replaced the ancient Tunze centrifugal skimmer on my 20 nano with the CADlights skimmer, but within 3 weeks of operation the CADlights skimmer has become so loud that I'm going to replace it with another SSA ES5 or something similar with a sicce pump.

thegrun · 12/11/2013, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

Personal experience with a CADlights skimmer: at least at this point, I can't recommend them. The problem is the "TIA" pump - mine started out pretty silent when I set up my 50 gal cube in April, but within a month had become very noisy - a really loud hum and rattling vibration. I contacted CADlights, and they sent me a new motor and rotor, but oddly, not the internal ceramic rod that serves as the static shaft that the rotor runs on.

I replaced the motor and rotor, and everything was OK for a couple of weeks, whereupon the pump became very loud again. I did a little troubleshooting, and this is my take: the materials of construction of the rotor don't stand up to continuous use. Specifically, the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor wear very quickly, at which point the rotor has a lot of play on the ceramic shaft. That results in loud vibrations, and further accelerated wear on the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor.

So I replaced the CADlights skimmer that came with the tank with the afore-mentioned Sea Side Aquatics ES5. I recently replaced the ancient Tunze centrifugal skimmer on my 20 nano with the CADlights skimmer, but within 3 weeks of operation the CADlights skimmer has become so loud that I'm going to replace it with another SSA ES5 or something similar with a sicce pump.

Interesting. I haven't had any issues with mine (although I've only used it six months). I think I'll stop recommending it until I hear input from other users. I got lucky and won mine at a raffle from our local reef club. I have been impressed with the skimmer since I started using it, but if there are noise problems I don't want to give an unwarranted recommendation.

cbashaw · 12/11/2013, 10:07 AM

I'm using the Avast CS-1 and am very happy with it. I can hear it a little bit if I get close but it's pretty close to silent.

The SICCE PSK pumps seem to be very reliable, and work really well.

cemyth · 12/11/2013, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

The issue with going between the SSA ES5 to ES7 sizes is power. The Sicce PSK-200 pump in the ES5 draws 23 watts. The PSK-1000 in the ES7 draws 60 watts.

If power draw isn't a concern, I'm a fan of "bigger is better" when it comes to skimmers, at least within reason. But in my case, I wanted to keep power draw to a minimum, which is why I bought the ES5.

Another option that uses the Sicce pumps that seems to be well thought of is AquaMaxx ConeS skimmers.

I like the design of the Vertex 150 and the Sea Side Aquatics ES5 the most. I am leaning towards the ES5 due to the pump location, space saving qualities and as you mentioned power consumption. 60 watts for the ES7 does seem like a lot.

I am currently running a Aquamaxx AM 300-S on my 100 gallon that I don't like. If I look at it wrong it will lose its foam head and won't start back up until I place a small piece of filter floss next to it.

I am building the all glass 80G cube to replace my 100G acrylic that has all kinds of issues.

I agree that everyone likes what the have. I am just trying to get some suggestions and a direction for the next skimmer purchase.

Thanks everyone for your input.

dkeller_nc · 12/11/2013, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

Interesting. I haven't had any issues with mine (although I've only used it six months). I think I'll stop recommending it until I hear input from other users. I got lucky and won mine at a raffle from our local reef club. I have been impressed with the skimmer since I started using it, but if there are noise problems I don't want to give an unwarranted recommendation.

It's definitely not impossible that there was a "bad batch" of pumps, and a subsequent bad replacement batch. Since the one I have is the 1st generation pipeless skimmer that had some serious design shortcomings, I just resigned myself to putting it in the "museum of outdated reef equipment" and replacing it with a better design.

12/10/2013, 10:04 AM	#1
cemyth Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 207	Skimmer Ideas for 80G Cube Anyone have any ideas for a good skimmer for a new 80 gallon cube with a 20 gallon sump. Should be about a total of 75 to 80 gallons of water. The below I have considered. - Reef Octopus NWB150 ---- Not too sure about the OPT pump. - SWC160 ---- Don’t like the mesh wheel hybrid. Any suggestions would be great! __________________ In The Works: 80G All Glass Reef Savvy Rimless, Neptune Apex Controller, 2x Mp40, Elite Aquatics Sump, Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer \| 20G Innovative Marine Nano, Neptune Apex Controller, Mp10, Bubble Ma

12/10/2013, 10:25 AM	#2
cemyth Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 207	What about the RO-PS-2000 INT or RO-PS-1000 INT? Would either of them work on an 80 gallon? I just want a good skimmer. __________________ In The Works: 80G All Glass Reef Savvy Rimless, Neptune Apex Controller, 2x Mp40, Elite Aquatics Sump, Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer \| 20G Innovative Marine Nano, Neptune Apex Controller, Mp10, Bubble Ma

12/10/2013, 12:32 PM	#3
cemyth Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 207	anyone have any ideas? __________________ In The Works: 80G All Glass Reef Savvy Rimless, Neptune Apex Controller, 2x Mp40, Elite Aquatics Sump, Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer \| 20G Innovative Marine Nano, Neptune Apex Controller, Mp10, Bubble Ma

12/10/2013, 02:47 PM	#5
cemyth Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 207	Never looked at the Vertex. I really like what I see! I think I will try the 150 out. It seems that their are always good and bad reviews to everything. Thanks for the help. __________________ In The Works: 80G All Glass Reef Savvy Rimless, Neptune Apex Controller, 2x Mp40, Elite Aquatics Sump, Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer \| 20G Innovative Marine Nano, Neptune Apex Controller, Mp10, Bubble Ma

12/10/2013, 03:18 PM	#7
cemyth Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 207	Would you think the ES7 is too big? __________________ In The Works: 80G All Glass Reef Savvy Rimless, Neptune Apex Controller, 2x Mp40, Elite Aquatics Sump, Vertex Omega 150 Skimmer \| 20G Innovative Marine Nano, Neptune Apex Controller, Mp10, Bubble Ma

12/10/2013, 02:04 PM	#4
S14Swap240sx Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 258	would the new vertex 130 fit? I have the 150 in my 65g and its most certainly overkill.. but I am very happy with how easy it is to use. also the build quality.. and even the box it came in.. looked like a big *** apple iphone box seems like a product built with lots of quality control and care either of those two will be fine tho. skimmers is a tricky subject, you can get all the good reviews you want and all the bad.. just depends how you wanna search for them! also it aint like your 80 gallon gonna be supporting that big of a bioload anyway.. and no a big skimmer wont help sustain one long term so get whatever makes you happy! I don't think you can go wrong with either the reef octopus swc vertex and so on.

12/10/2013, 03:11 PM	#6
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	I have a system that's close to yours (50 gallon cube in my case). I've no doubts about the Vertex skimmers, but they're also new, so it's hard to know about reliability & noise. They also take up a good bit more room in a sump than some other skimmers because of the external pump mount. What I've been using in my 50 gallon is a Seaside Aquatics ES5. They are Bubble Magus curve skimmers (wine glass shape), except with a Sicce PSK 200 skimmer pump. The pump is very, very quiet - I can't hear mine, and the mounting of the pump inside the skimmer body makes it very compact. They're about $250 from various 'net dealers.

12/10/2013, 04:36 PM	#8
Wmich2008 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Battle creek Michigan Posts: 536	I used the reef octopus diablo xs160 on my 60 cube and it worked great.

12/11/2013, 08:17 AM	#9
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	The issue with going between the SSA ES5 to ES7 sizes is power. The Sicce PSK-200 pump in the ES5 draws 23 watts. The PSK-1000 in the ES7 draws 60 watts. If power draw isn't a concern, I'm a fan of "bigger is better" when it comes to skimmers, at least within reason. But in my case, I wanted to keep power draw to a minimum, which is why I bought the ES5. Another option that uses the Sicce pumps that seems to be well thought of is AquaMaxx ConeS skimmers.

12/11/2013, 08:43 AM	#10
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I like the CAD Lights TIA-1150 for a 80 gallon tank.

12/11/2013, 08:49 AM	#11
S14Swap240sx Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 258	see here we go! typically everyone likes what they have especially if they recommending it, and there are a ton of companies that make skimmers, and are all still in business for a reason! as far as noise from the vertex 150... I could never tell you if it was on or off without looking at if its making bubbles or not

12/11/2013, 09:05 AM	#13
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Personal experience with a CADlights skimmer: at least at this point, I can't recommend them. The problem is the "TIA" pump - mine started out pretty silent when I set up my 50 gal cube in April, but within a month had become very noisy - a really loud hum and rattling vibration. I contacted CADlights, and they sent me a new motor and rotor, but oddly, not the internal ceramic rod that serves as the static shaft that the rotor runs on. I replaced the motor and rotor, and everything was OK for a couple of weeks, whereupon the pump became very loud again. I did a little troubleshooting, and this is my take: the materials of construction of the rotor don't stand up to continuous use. Specifically, the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor wear very quickly, at which point the rotor has a lot of play on the ceramic shaft. That results in loud vibrations, and further accelerated wear on the internal bearing surfaces of the rotor. So I replaced the CADlights skimmer that came with the tank with the afore-mentioned Sea Side Aquatics ES5. I recently replaced the ancient Tunze centrifugal skimmer on my 20 nano with the CADlights skimmer, but within 3 weeks of operation the CADlights skimmer has become so loud that I'm going to replace it with another SSA ES5 or something similar with a sicce pump.

12/11/2013, 10:07 AM	#15
cbashaw Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Urbana, MD Posts: 330	I'm using the Avast CS-1 and am very happy with it. I can hear it a little bit if I get close but it's pretty close to silent. The SICCE PSK pumps seem to be very reliable, and work really well.