xeon September 11, 2003 Share September 11, 2003 After a year in the planning I've finally started my tank. I am really hurting in one area... protein skimmer. If anyone has something that actually works that they could part with reasonably, I would be interested and thankful. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg September 11, 2003 Share September 11, 2003 How big of a tank is it for? A year in the planning- that's great to hear as it means you have had time to really think things through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeon September 12, 2003 Author Share September 12, 2003 It's a 75 gallon... one of the first things I learned is bigger is better as opposed to the 55 I was thinking of initially. More margin for error. Total I have about 85 gallons I guess, counting my sump. Then somewhere I decided to put it in the wall. I'm glad I put it off for a while... I still feel like I have a long way to go, but time to get my feet wet... well not literally. LOL I obviously still don't get protein skimmers. There are so many different styles, designs, bla, bla, bla... I'm not sure which way is up. I've enjoyed researching and putting together my lighting, plumbing, drilling the tank, making a durso and so forth. As of now my tank is still slowly cycling, so I am doing a few things in the meantime, including putting together a refugium plan, made some LED moonlights. I bought the LED's off a reefer in Fairfax who also gave me a 2L bottle of goodies to put in my tank. A great guy who told me to pick up some frags sometime... but that is a bit off for me. I was going to make my own refugium, but I found AGA makes a 20 X-tra high that is cheaper than what I can buy the glass for. I'm kind of rambling now so I'll try and wrap this up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krish September 12, 2003 Share September 12, 2003 Actually, you don't need a skimmer right away. Well, if your rocks are already cured, you may not need it. But if it is uncured, yes you need a skimmer ASAP. The best compromise is the ASM G3 skimmer for a 125G capacity in case you upgrade. You might be ok with the G2. check out http://www.championlighting.com email them to find out any unpublished specials on their skimmers. -krish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg September 12, 2003 Share September 12, 2003 This link might help a little. http://www.thereefweb.com/skimmer_comparison.htm skimmers are one of the open ended things as to "what is best". The cost of purchase as well as operation can vary enormously as you have probably figured out. I don't think there is too much concern these days about skimmers stripping plankton from the water- largely due to the use of refugiums to give the system a boost, and better feeding habits by the aquarist. Find one within your budget, and hunt around the forums at reefs.org, and reefcentral.com for a used one. Avoid a RIO pump to drive it. Some skimmers can be run in sump, others need to be either above the water line or outside the sump. These need to be taken into consideration in the descision as well. bendalat on this board has an aquaC EV 180 for sale I believe that I don't think would be too oversized for your tank. In addition to the function of waste removal provided by the skimmer, there is the bonus of oxygenation, that there really is no more effecient way to provide. Read through the black out thread here, and follow the link over to Reefcentral in the coral forum to see what how critically important this can be. Finally, try to visit more reefers in your area and get little scoops of sand from them when you can. There is no source of commercial product that compares to the life in the sand from a well established reeftank. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeon September 12, 2003 Author Share September 12, 2003 Currently I am looking at three skimmers, one is a Turboflotor w/ Ocean Runner, a Top Fathom 110 and a Red Sea Berlin. I think I might try the Top Fathom given these choices. My next choice from my asking people and research would be the Turboflotor. I'm not so hot on the Berlin from several negative comments I have heard. My rock is pretty cured and as krish said, I don't have a great need for skimming right now. I do want something that will work though... which is basically something other than what I have now. My skimmer was an impulse buy before I learned enough. Even now I understand the different technologies of skimmers, but it's hard to tell what really works or doesn't work as well. I'll check out reefs.org, I have already been checking reefcentral religiously. I'll also have to find some more people in the area to go see their systems and get some sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendalat September 12, 2003 Share September 12, 2003 Hi Xeon, Do to the tank upgrade, I have an Aqua-C EV180 for sale. This is a brand new skimmer with an also brand new mag7 pump. I bought it $390 plus shipping. I'm asking for $370 and I will throw in a DIY Auto-Waste Container. You can go to this page to learn more about this skimmer. http://www.proteinskimmer.com/ If you need its picture, I can email it to you. Ben. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeon September 12, 2003 Author Share September 12, 2003 Bendalat, Thanks, but that's a bit too rich for my blood. I don't have to have a cream of the crop skimmer right now. I'm embaressed to mention what I have right now. I might need the mag7 though... I might get a TF200A. The guy was using a mag5 with it, which will give poor results due to not enough pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sph2sail September 12, 2003 Share September 12, 2003 When I started up, I picked up a used MR-1 skimmer by MyReefCreations from one of the WAMAS members. It's a downdraft beckett w/a Mag1200 on it. Excellent deal, excellent skimmer. Working on a 90G system w/20G sump. Check out the FS/Trade forms on ReefCentral.org. Frequently can pick stuff up there in the used category as well... Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquariaUSA September 13, 2003 Share September 13, 2003 Hi Xeon, I would avoid the TF. I sold off a bunch of them a few years ago in Charlotte for they just did not compare to the downdrafts/becketts/etc. The solid PVC is also a pain to clean and work with. The AquaCs are the best out there (IMO) for they are so simple to operate, easy to maintain, and require lower volume pumps while producing the same or more effluent than its competitors. If the budget is out of range, you might want to just stick with a Berlin Classic (it is not the best, but will work fine on a tank under 75 gallons) for it has been the same design for several years. The turboflotor was an aquamedic copy of the berlin years ago, and there have been issues with the "needle wheel" impeller being hard to find, etc. MRC skimmers are super nice, but require massive pumps to operate efficiently. Keep looking around on ebay, reef central, etc. We have an MR-2 (uses Mag18) on Ebay now, and will be putting a lesser priced generic (ETSS copy before the patent suits) Downdraft (uses Mag5 or 7) on Ebay next week. I would spend the extra cash on the AquaC though (we have about 7 of them running our own systems, and about 20-25 on client tanks) for you will more than likely not upgrade later, unless you build a larger tank. Be sure to pick up good books too! And stay patient, for this will make your system more enjoyable, less expensive, and more successful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimo September 13, 2003 Share September 13, 2003 I have a used Red Sea Berlin Classic, if you're interested. I don't have a pump though, so you'd need something like a mag 7 to run it. I'll let it go for cheap Send me a PM. Honestly, you're probably going to want to upgrade eventually. I bought an MR-2 and I've been happy with it (any problems were caused by user error). The beckett style skimmers are noisy and require a big pump. That's the big drawback to those. Most of the DIY skimmers available are of the beckett type. Let me know if you want the berlin. Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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