Mando77 March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 I'm still a while away from getting my new aquarium up and running. I plan on getting somewhere between a 120 and 150 gallon aquarium and have it as a mixed reef. Also I will have a large sump "75 Gallon?" with a 40 gallon frag tank. I was thinking a 300 gallon protein skimmer would fit the bill? I want to have this in sump. I have a pretty good idea of what is needed, but my main concern is what type of skimmer to go with. So many options. What is the best option in terms of price and performance? Any help would be appreciated. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amay121 March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 Talk to ebman74. He may have one available soon. He's trying to decide between his reeflo orca 200 and the MSX300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 Well the best is always a difficult thing to quantify. Many threads have been on the subject and at times they have gotten heated. So if you want to know the correct answer just listen to me In my opinion the GSA skimmers have been the best. I have used many skimmers over the years but I bought a GSA about 4 years ago and have never looked at anything else. People will argue about Deltec and many other brands. They are good as well but for the following reasons I will always stand behind GSA 1) All of the products I have bought from GSA I am still using. To me this says alot. I had over 300 gallons and all types of corals. I constantly upgraded equipment until I happily settled with a GSA skimmer, media reactor and Kalk reactor. 2) You get local service. Dan has been the best when it comes to helping with knowledge and or any broken parts. I drop anything off and for very reasonable price he will repair it. That being said I have had minimal issues. 3) The equipment is very well designed. Yes you can pay an arm and a leg for some of the other equipment, and many of the other companies make good products but the local service accompanied with an excellent product and very knowledgable owner means I stick with Grey seas. Years ago cant remember the skimmers name Then to this skimmer cant remeber the name anymore Then to this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 I would also recommend GSA. The scientific research that has been done recently on skimmers shows that the $2k skimmer performs about as well as the $300 skimmer. There are differences, of course, but you basically want very fine bubbles that expand into larger bubbles as they move up toward the collection cup. The skimmer can only take out about 30% of the total organic carbon (TOC), no matter how good it is. GSA is an excellent value skimmer and Dan is great to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 How about 2) ASM G3's? You'll get redundancy and readily available, inexpensive parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mando77 March 17, 2010 Author Share March 17, 2010 Wow..great info and pictures. I'm an easy Sell. Looks like GSA. I was leaning towards a Deltec. I have received alot of help while joining WAMAS. Just got the Typhoon extreme through Air Water and Ice and I never would had done so if it hadn't of been through WAMAS. What a great product! Very glad I joined a marine/reef club. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 Wow..great info and pictures. I'm an easy Sell. Looks like GSA. I was leaning towards a Deltec. I have received alot of help while joining WAMAS. Just got the Typhoon extreme through Air Water and Ice and I never would had done so if it hadn't of been through WAMAS. What a great product! Very glad I joined a marine/reef club. Thanks Deltec makes excellent products and many people swear by them. But they are overpriced IMO. Glad you're finding the club useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 I'm still a while away from getting my new aquarium up and running. I plan on getting somewhere between a 120 and 150 gallon aquarium and have it as a mixed reef. Also I will have a large sump "75 Gallon?" with a 40 gallon frag tank. I was thinking a 300 gallon protein skimmer would fit the bill? I want to have this in sump. I have a pretty good idea of what is needed, but my main concern is what type of skimmer to go with. So many options. What is the best option in terms of price and performance? Any help would be appreciated. . You'll also want to consider how much space you have to fit a skimmer into, especially if you're putting the sump inside the stand. If the skimmer goes under the stand, you'll need a relatively short skimmer to be able to comfortably remove the collection cup. Larger skimmers will also have a larger footprint, competing for space with your sump, return and closed loop pumps, calcium reactor, kalk reactor, etc....you'd be surprised how fast a stand fills up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octopus March 17, 2010 Share March 17, 2010 I have a Kent marine Nautilus te skimmer for sale. It works great and is for tanks up to 300 gallons. Here is a link........ http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Marine_Nautilus_TE_Turbo_Eductor_Protein_Skimmer_In_Sump_Venturi_Protein_Skimmers_For_Tanks_Over_250_Gallons-Kent_Marine-KM2811-FIPSISVSOT-vi.html I can send you a pic it you want. I just cleaned it and it's all shiny and stuff. I'm asking 75$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson_barrett March 19, 2010 Share March 19, 2010 GS2 is a great skimmer, i love mine. I have also been very pleased with euro-reefs and you can prob find a very nice one without much trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmaster5 March 19, 2010 Share March 19, 2010 I have a Kent marine Nautilus te skimmer for sale. It works great and is for tanks up to 300 gallons. Here is a link........ http://www.marinedep...SISVSOT-vi.html I can send you a pic it you want. I just cleaned it and it's all shiny and stuff. I'm asking 75$ I'm interested in this protein skimmer. Please send me a pic at reefmaster5@gmail.com Thanks David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 (edited) Lol ok I know this thread is ancient history by now but I came across it trying to find a skimmer recommendation for about 300 gallons and I want to know where to find or buy these skimmers? GS2 UPDATE ok I figured out there was a name change to avast, so thats cool..however are they all DIY? Cuz I don't wanna do do it myself lol....I want a skimmer that I just plug in and not assemble......everyone still happy with these? What is the best one for 300 + gallons? Edited July 14, 2011 by sachabballi reef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 I love my AVAST cone. I'm actually looking at skimmers for a 400 gallon system now. There are a ton of options and it really helps if you post what you're planning on keeping and what your budget is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 You could always run twin skimmers, there are a few theories out there that twin skimmers would be more efficent than 1 larger skimmer, in addation if you have an equipment failure you have redundancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 I am in the process of buying a 180 g and have a 75 g that I am combining together I have a 92 that I am not sure if it will be part of it like a refugim/frag tank or if it will remain stand alone plus I want to add in a sump. As far as budget I just want something that actually works and isn't going to break the bank...I was watching the video avast has on site for how to put their skimmer together and it's not rocket science so with patience I suppose I could accomplish it for that price! I'm just not usually a DIY person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 I am in the process of buying a 180 g and have a 75 g that I am combining together I have a 92 that I am not sure if it will be part of it like a refugim/frag tank or if it will remain stand alone plus I want to add in a sump. As far as budget I just want something that actually works and isn't going to break the bank...I was watching the video avast has on site for how to put their skimmer together and it's not rocket science so with patience I suppose I could accomplish it for that price! I'm just not usually a DIY person. Break the bank is relative For my upcoming build (300+75), I looked at the ATB 10.5 Deluxe, SRO 5000, Orca 250, Vertex (BK) Alpha cone 250, and Deltec 702. I'm still considering the orca 250 versus the SRO 5000. All of those skimmer are comparable and vary from $500 up to $1400 new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 Break the bank is relative For my upcoming build (300+75), I looked at the ATB 10.5 Deluxe, SRO 5000, Orca 250, Vertex (BK) Alpha cone 250, and Deltec 702. I'm still considering the orca 250 versus the SRO 5000. All of those skimmer are comparable and vary from $500 up to $1400 new. I would say that range is about right for me as well...".. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni July 14, 2011 Share July 14, 2011 Any of those should work well. The ATB is the priciest but probably the closest to set and forget (from what I've read, I don't have one). The SRO 5000 is the least expensive, ranging from 500-750 depending on whether you go internal versus external and cone versus not cone. Fishworld, which has the nicest display of any pet store I've ever been in, swears by the sro 5000 and think that it outperforms the $1300 ATB. From talking to some people that seen both in action, most find that having the cone and being external doesn't really add much to performance. I'm leaning towards the SRO 5000 INT for my system. That has the bubbleblaster NW, which puts out an incredible 2200 lpm of air...and only costs $200 to replace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw July 15, 2011 Share July 15, 2011 If I were you I would look at ETSS and using a downdraft skimmer. They are inexpensive and have been proven to work just as well if not better than the pricey models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish July 15, 2011 Share July 15, 2011 (edited) I have a Kent marine Nautilus te skimmer for sale. It works great and is for tanks up to 300 gallons. Here is a link........ http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Marine_Nautilus_TE_Turbo_Eductor_Protein_Skimmer_In_Sump_Venturi_Protein_Skimmers_For_Tanks_Over_250_Gallons-Kent_Marine-KM2811-FIPSISVSOT-vi.html I can send you a pic it you want. I just cleaned it and it's all shiny and stuff. I'm asking 75$ I own and currently use a kent marine Nautilus te skimmer and I don't recommend it on anything above a 90 gallon. It doesn't skimmer enough for a 300 in my opinion and experience. Edited July 15, 2011 by kingfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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