rooroo April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 My mom has an old venturi skimmer just sitting around her house, all it needs is a new pump. It's an Amiracle Hurricane. It's rated for 130 gallon tank, and since mine is 65, I figure this might actually be an adequate skimmer for my tank, plus it fits in my sump. However, I know the current popular skimmer is the needle wheel ones. So are venturis any good? What do I need to know about it? Should I forget it and just buy a needle wheel skimmer and hope it fits in my small sump space? I'm looking at the Tunze skimmers but its hard to justify to hubby that I NEED a $350 skimmer when I can get a $250 skimmer that will work IF it fits in the space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 that skimmer may be fine for your application. the major issue with venturi based skimmers is how over rated they are in terms of waste removal IE: ithe red sea berlin is rated for up to a 250 gallon tank, not that it will not skim that large a tank, but will it do it as well as other skimmers, no. its overrated. if you can work it in and can test drive the skimmer for a week to 2 weeks so it can break in then i say go for it, give it a thorough cleaning first to remove any gunk or mung. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 12, 2007 Author Share April 12, 2007 That does help. I currently have an Aqua C Urchin and its just not working for the tank anymore. Did great at first but I really think its too small for the tank. Do you think the skimmer I mentioned above would be better than the Urchin or worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 That does help. I currently have an Aqua C Urchin and its just not working for the tank anymore. Did great at first but I really think its too small for the tank. Do you think the skimmer I mentioned above would be better than the Urchin or worse? IME: about the same. Not sure I understand the "did great at first but not now." Does it still pull out gunk? If not, why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 12, 2007 Author Share April 12, 2007 Higher bio load now. It still pulls out gunk. Just can't keep up I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 Higher bio load now. It still pulls out gunk. Just can't keep up I think. Then a unit with more air, more water, and greater "contact space" is going to be required. I don't recall the Hurricane being that much more powerful.....of course I am getting old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 12, 2007 Author Share April 12, 2007 Well, I figure its worth a try. It is bigger, and it will use a bigger pump, just a different style to inject air into the water. Probably a waste of my time but hey, you can never have too many powerheads, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 Well, I figure its worth a try. It is bigger, and it will use a bigger pump, just a different style to inject air into the water. Probably a waste of my time but hey, you can never have too many powerheads, right? You could always buy a pump in the class you really want and use a bypass line to reduce flow if the pump is too big Maybe even mod it in a recirculating fashion, or... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 12, 2007 Author Share April 12, 2007 I'm also looking at an ETSS Skimmer on RC for $100 with pump... going to measure the sump tonight and see if it'll fit. Its super dirty but I have no problem soaking the think in vinegar for a day. I'm crossing my fingers that it will fit in the sump... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 April 12, 2007 Share April 12, 2007 I'm also looking at an ETSS Skimmer on RC for $100 with pump... going to measure the sump tonight and see if it'll fit. Its super dirty but I have no problem soaking the think in vinegar for a day. I'm crossing my fingers that it will fit in the sump... Running an ETSS here, it sure skims, but on my dirty overfed fish filled extravaganza....it needs to be cleaned once a week or more; and it is a pita to clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 13, 2007 Author Share April 13, 2007 Well I'm glad I didn't get it then. It was a little too big for the sump anyway. Would have had to take baffles out and I'd rather just spend the money on a tunze skimmer that will fit in there no problem. I got the venturi skimmer from my mom last night and have it and the pump (mag 5) soaking in vinegar today. Will try it out this weekend, hopefully it won't take a long time to get adjusted. My mom said it worked well on her tank, it just wasn't big enough for her system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 19, 2007 Author Share April 19, 2007 (edited) Yeah, so that skimmer didn't work. The venturi was shot. That's ok, it was free and came with a spare pump. So now I'm looking at new skimmers. I'm looking at the EuroReef RS80. Someone told me they were able to squeeze it into a 7" x 9" area, which is about the size I have (7" x 11"). Do you think this skimmer will be good for a 65 gallon with a 15 gallon sump/fuge? Or the real question, will it be better than the Urchin I currently have? Only have two fish but lots of live rock and corals, will eventually get a few more fish. I'd like to go for the cheaper and larger Octopus NW150 but I have serious doubts that it will fit in my space. If I take one baffle out I'll have 8.5" x 11", but I don't think it'll fit in that space either. Edited April 19, 2007 by rooroo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JasonD April 19, 2007 Share April 19, 2007 I'm having the same issues as you...not much space in the stand or sump. The Tunze 9010 is the way to go -- a footprint of only 5x5 and one heck of a skimmer from what my research has shown me. It's sad but true that the best usually cost you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooroo April 19, 2007 Author Share April 19, 2007 Arg, don't tell me that! Yeah, I know about the tunze, I'm trying to avoid the $327 price tag. That's the main truth. No one sells them used either, which is good testament that its a great skimmer. The EuroReef I can get for under $200, maybe less if I can find a used one. I was hoping this will be actually more than enough for my tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf April 30, 2007 Share April 30, 2007 How can this be? A tunze that is good enough for a 250 gallon tank that is only $330. So what is the catch? It looks like it has a small collection cup. So maybe having to empty the cup more often is why its so much cheaper than all the other Tunzes? I hadn't even considered a Tunze because of the cost. I wonder why these are so much cheaper than their other skimmer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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