hi- i was looking for as much info on specific skimmers, such as which ones people have had good luck with, which people have had bad luck with, how to determine the appropriate size skimmer for a certain size tank, whether or not people feel skimmers are necessary or optional, etc. any feedback would be greatly appreciated. thanx.
protein skimmers????
- Thread starter azriel
- Start date
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/protein_skimmer_impressions.htm
I use a CPR Bak Pak 2 with a maxi-jet pump instead of a Rio. It seems to work well for me. I'd first check online to see what size tank the skimmer is REALLY good for, then pick one according to price and how much skimming you need. If you're feeding lionfish, you'll want a strong skimmer. Lawnmower blennies, on the other hand, would need comparatively very little skimming as most of what they eat is the algae in your tank.
I'd recommend some skimming unless you use an mechanical filter and clean the filter media religiously. But if you overskim, you'll lose most of the plankton in your tank, which will prevent you from keeping a very nice variety of filter-feeling invertebrates. My cerith snails make a ton of plankton in my tank (four sets of eggs in the tank at the same time) and my corals, zoanthids, feather-worms, etc. all eat that zooplankton. These plus copepods, algae spores, and other tiny life forms are the basis of the marine food chain. The more you skim, the less microfauna you have in the water column. Too much food in the water can lead to severe algae and barcterial blooms, but not enough can make the tank a bit 'sterile'.
I use a CPR Bak Pak 2 with a maxi-jet pump instead of a Rio. It seems to work well for me. I'd first check online to see what size tank the skimmer is REALLY good for, then pick one according to price and how much skimming you need. If you're feeding lionfish, you'll want a strong skimmer. Lawnmower blennies, on the other hand, would need comparatively very little skimming as most of what they eat is the algae in your tank.
I'd recommend some skimming unless you use an mechanical filter and clean the filter media religiously. But if you overskim, you'll lose most of the plankton in your tank, which will prevent you from keeping a very nice variety of filter-feeling invertebrates. My cerith snails make a ton of plankton in my tank (four sets of eggs in the tank at the same time) and my corals, zoanthids, feather-worms, etc. all eat that zooplankton. These plus copepods, algae spores, and other tiny life forms are the basis of the marine food chain. The more you skim, the less microfauna you have in the water column. Too much food in the water can lead to severe algae and barcterial blooms, but not enough can make the tank a bit 'sterile'.
I think skimming is a wise idea to keep down the undissolve proteins in your tank. I use a Seaclone 150 on my 55 gal and Seaclone 100 on my 35 gal tank...I'm waiting for the boos & hisses, and ducking my head.
Many people on this forum don't like this brand, but I've had good success with both, besides the price was right. $130 Cdn at Petsmart for the 150. You can modify the Seaclones to improve performance. Clinton Yiu has posted the instructions and images at:
http://reefcentral.com/diy/seaclone_modifications.htm
Just my 2 cents, Chris
Many people on this forum don't like this brand, but I've had good success with both, besides the price was right. $130 Cdn at Petsmart for the 150. You can modify the Seaclones to improve performance. Clinton Yiu has posted the instructions and images at:
http://reefcentral.com/diy/seaclone_modifications.htm
Just my 2 cents, Chris
That page from wetwebmedia that Ben suggested is a good start.
What kind of skimmer you get depends on your setup. If you have a small tank with no sump, then a HOB model like a CPR BakPak or AquaC Remora will work fine. If you have a sump, then you have a lot more choices. Figuring out capacity is not easy. Manufacturers usually inflate the abilities of their units, so I take whatever they say and divide it by half. The best thing to do is go to a place like Premium Aquatics, Marine Depot or Marine and Reef and see what is available for your size tank. Then start posting around at different sites asking about experience with particular models.
I have enough to fiddle with, I don't want to tweak my skimmer constantly. If you go cheap, that's what you'll get. I have a bakpak 2R for my 20 and a EuroReef CS6-2 for the 90, and they are both dead easy to use. The Euroreef is an incredible skimmer (should be, at that price), making an opaque mass of bubbles, and pulling out a ton of thick, dark skimmate. The bakpak is also good and reliable.
What kind of skimmer you get depends on your setup. If you have a small tank with no sump, then a HOB model like a CPR BakPak or AquaC Remora will work fine. If you have a sump, then you have a lot more choices. Figuring out capacity is not easy. Manufacturers usually inflate the abilities of their units, so I take whatever they say and divide it by half. The best thing to do is go to a place like Premium Aquatics, Marine Depot or Marine and Reef and see what is available for your size tank. Then start posting around at different sites asking about experience with particular models.
I have enough to fiddle with, I don't want to tweak my skimmer constantly. If you go cheap, that's what you'll get. I have a bakpak 2R for my 20 and a EuroReef CS6-2 for the 90, and they are both dead easy to use. The Euroreef is an incredible skimmer (should be, at that price), making an opaque mass of bubbles, and pulling out a ton of thick, dark skimmate. The bakpak is also good and reliable.
Depending on the size of your tank I would reccomend either of the HOB models that mogurnda listed for tanks under 55 gallons. I have been using a Premium Aquatics Bullet 2 skimmer on my 110 for about a year now and it works great. The EuroReef skimmers are also well worth their cost.