gmerek2 May 21, 2015 Share May 21, 2015 I got a reef octopus NWB250 laying around if you want to test drive it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime May 21, 2015 Author Share May 21, 2015 And while it is true things can be overpriced in this hobby, have u ever known a $150 piece of equipment to work as well as a $1000 piece of equipment? Has that really ever been true for anything in your life? Yeah maybe a $300 skimmer works as well as a $400 skimmer, but not all skimmers are equal. I mean, why get an expensive Nikon camera when you can use a disposable camera, they both take pictures? YES! You're in it, Ben, a true testimant to the Skimmer Junkie! I appreciate the recomendation as well as the passion! With 4 fish, three being small, I would make sure the skimmer has a small neck. A light bioload is not going to work well with a big skimmer if it has a 5+" neck. I would think any skimmer would work well, just find one that uses parts that are easy to get and are very reliable. If your keeping a small bioload I wouldn't oversize much. Paying a lot doesn't always mean you are getting the best skimmer for your tank. i'm not against getting more fish, I'm just not interested in it, I want to keep this tank as easy as possible. That's good information about the neck also. I have the Avast Recirc pegleg at the moment, and while I am not unhappy with it, I wanted to see what was out there. This is the first time I have had to make serious modifications in order to equal the level or performance I have come to expect, perhaps a lemon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer_Madness May 21, 2015 Share May 21, 2015 Vertex 150. I have a 130 and love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime May 22, 2015 Author Share May 22, 2015 Vertex Omega 150 I have looked into those, they look nice, and have great reviews. http://premiumaquatics.com/products/bubble-magus-curve-7-protein-skimmer.html This is on my 75 and I have no complaints. It's over sized for me but pulls out nasty stuff Also a nice looking skimmer, great reviews across the board. I love my reef octopus regal 170int. Speeds on pump make it so easy to tune. Another skimmer with great reviews, looks good, and I'm sure performs well. I like the ease in tuning factor, that is something important. Eshopps snow cone skimmers work great and have a small footprint. I have never seen those until you mentioned it. They look nice. I got a reef octopus NWB250 laying around if you want to test drive it I appreciate that! Most of these skimmers are actually at the same price point $300-$400. This is maybe why I've always stuck with Avast, as the costs are great, and the job done always seems good. I had much more sucess with my C3 than I did with the CS1, perhaps it is worth tinkering with to get it dialed in instead of a restart and skimmer tests with other products? Vertex 150. I have a 130 and love it. Another vote for the Vertex 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 22, 2015 Share May 22, 2015 I had the bubble king mini 180 and it was a beast. Only reason I'm not using it now is it was a little undersized for my tank. I now have a atb medium cone skimmer and I'm very impressed. This thing is a beast of a skimmer. Couldn't be happier with both choices. I had 2 others before these 2 and they don't even remotely compare. This is definitely a get what you paid for kinda thing. But the good thing is you can find these 12 to 1500 dollar skimmers used all day long in the 400 to 600 range. Something to think about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 May 22, 2015 Share May 22, 2015 Bubble King are #1 because the pump they use. The Red Dragon pump is in a league of it's own. It's the skimmer pump of all skimmer pumps, and cost a premium. I would say if you don't want to go all out on that any skimmer that uses the coralvue bubble blaster pump series will perform very very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime May 22, 2015 Author Share May 22, 2015 I had the bubble king mini 180 and it was a beast. Only reason I'm not using it now is it was a little undersized for my tank. I now have a atb medium cone skimmer and I'm very impressed. This thing is a beast of a skimmer. Couldn't be happier with both choices. I had 2 others before these 2 and they don't even remotely compare. This is definitely a get what you paid for kinda thing. But the good thing is you can find these 12 to 1500 dollar skimmers used all day long in the 400 to 600 range. Something to think about Maybe it's time to start budgeting in this department. Bubble King are #1 because the pump they use. The Red Dragon pump is in a league of it's own. It's the skimmer pump of all skimmer pumps, and cost a premium. I would say if you don't want to go all out on that any skimmer that uses the coralvue bubble blaster pump series will perform very very well. I looked into this option when I ran the CS3. At the end of the day, the CS3 was performing so well, I didn't feel a need to make the switch. That is a great point about the pumps. I am going to spend this Saturday tuning some things up around the tank (at least the morning.) If I cant get my skimmer tuned just the way I'd like it, I'm going to put it up for sale and not look back. It's weird, because when I ran it in my 45 gallon sump, it performed like a champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 May 22, 2015 Share May 22, 2015 (edited) When I had my 120 for a very short amount of time I bought an old reef octopus NWB200 maybe 250 and then ordered a bubble blaster pump. It was a beast with that pump. I never really stocked it up, and it still pulled stuff out. skimmer by mteske1, on Flickr skimmate by mteske1, on Flickr Edited May 22, 2015 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals May 22, 2015 Share May 22, 2015 When I had my 120 for a very short amount of time I bought an old reef octopus NWB200 maybe 250 and then ordered a bubble blaster pump. It was a beast with that pump. I never really stocked it up, and it still pulled stuff out. skimmer by mteske1, on Flickr skimmate by mteske1, on Flickr I did this same thing with my old nwb 200, but used the new smaller pump because I couldn't get a bubble blaster. Still runs great. Its all about the pump and neck size really. Skimmer bodies don't matter except for the water volume, processing, and ability to keep microbubbles out. Shape makes no difference to me. Except cones make it easier to tune and make the less finiky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco May 22, 2015 Share May 22, 2015 Vertex 150. I have a 130 and love it. I have the 130 and love it to. Works great to pull out gunk, set it and forget it, easy to clean, and is very quiet. Ask Kim (smallreef) she comments every time she's over how silent my tank is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef May 24, 2015 Share May 24, 2015 I have the 130 and love it to. Works great to pull out gunk, set it and forget it, easy to clean, and is very quiet. Ask Kim (smallreef) she comments every time she's over how silent my tank is. Very very quiet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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