Skimmers... (1 Viewer)

[Jamie9169]

After being out of the hobby for a few years so much has changed. That is why I have started this thread. I would like your opinions on a skimmer for a heavily stocked 200 deep dimension. I am going heavy SPS with a lot of fish, and a Zoa garden because she said we are having one. Right now i have a Bubble Magus BM200P running on it for cycling purposes but it will not be nearly enough when fully stocked. Thank you for your time.

 

[Mark L.]

Check out LifeReef skimmers. I'm talking to Jeff right now about one for my tank. Great skimmers.

 

[Wbattles]

I love my aquaa maxx protein skimmer. Cheaper then most but its a beast for my 300.

 

[tvu]

I 2nd aquamaxx skimmers being good. I have the co-1 running over 3yrs now. Set and forget while producing dark skimmate.


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[d2mini]

Check out LifeReef skimmers. I'm talking to Jeff right now about one for my tank. Great skimmers.

Listen to our club President!
Smart man.
LifeReef for life!

 

[tvu]

I agree LifeReef are excellent but there are trade offs such as requiring high energy pump that generates much more heat.
There are several energy efficient skimmers that also rock such as aquamaxx [emoji16]


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[d2mini]

They do need a bit more power but you can use a dc pump if you want.
Do that and the difference should be minimal. Negligible for most people.
I still run a Mag pump and it's no issue at all.

You get a product made in the USA with a 10 year warranty, consistent skimming with no fiddling, only one adjustment knob, much less prone to freak-outs, use any pump you want (great for for when your current one dies on you) and very little maintenance.
For a small tank you can use the 24" (I'm using the same one on my 125g) and if you get the flange version, you can get an extension if you upgrade tanks down the road. No need to buy a whole new skimmer.
For the OP's 200g the 30" would probably be enough.

For me, all that is worth a little bigger foot print and a little extra power to run it.

Plus i'm getting this every two days right now in my two month old tank.

 

[steveb]

well actually you can run them with DC powered pumps so heat gain is negligible but venturi driven does require higher pressure == larger watt pump to operate but in the DC class pumps the gap narrows significantly IRC.

dangit Dennis you took my thunder AGAIN lol...

and for disclosure no I don't own a LifeReef skimmer....yet...(or some venturi driven model)...

 

[gm357]

SRO XP3000int. Perfect fit w/ small footprint. I thought I seen one that didn't sell on here a month or so ago. No experience with LifeReef.

 

[Jamie9169]

Thank you all for the input. I am still in the set up and plan phase but it won't be long until it is off and running.

 

[tvu]

A few days of output.


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[Kingb4c0]

This is what a SRO 3000 pulled out in just a week.

And this is what a SWC230 pulled out.

Both are serious skimmers, cannot say anything about the lifereef performance, only think I can say is that they looks ugly... but that is just my opinion so who cares?

 

[d2mini]

Any decent skimmer can pull decent skim.
And what's the max any skimmer can pull again? 25% of DOC's? So what's a 1-2% difference here or there? Nothing.
The reason I love my lifereef is all the other reasons I mentioned and that's why I recommend them... to save people a lot of frustration.
I just never think about skimmers anymore except when I'm emptying the cup and responding to threads like these. lol
I couldn't care less what a skimmer looks like, it gets all covered in brown nasty gunk anyway.

IMHO, people spend wayyyy too much money on skimmers. They fall for all the gimmicks.
The only thing that has improved in skimmer technology in the last 25 years is smaller footprints/shorter bodies, and more efficient power consumption.
Or improvements in skimming to make up for poor designs like short cone bodies and wide necks.
It's all compromises.

If you want pretty, get a Vertex or Bubble King. If you want cheap, get an AquaMaxx, if you want the least amount of hassle and not have to buy another skimmer ever again, get a LifeReef.
The skimmer choices available are almost endless.

 

[FarmerTy]

Yeah, I never understood the big to do about skimmers. They are all essentially the same with a few tweaks here and there that might squeeze out a marginal amount more of efficiency. The oddest part to me is people tend to pick them out based on the skimmer body but the pump is the most important part as long as the skimmer body is not flawed.

I've never owned a lifereef but any piece of equipment that functions with zero issues is a great buy in my opinion. My only knock on it is the praising of the skimmer body being the last one you'll ever buy could apply to 90% of the skimmers out there. Its the pump that is the only wearable part so I don't really see how that differentiates a lifereef skimmer.

I set my reef octopus skimmer and walk away. I don't even wipe the skimmer neck, I use an auto neck skimmer. I empty my extra skimmate reservoir every couple of months and twice a year, I give my skimmer pump and auto neck cleaner a good wash down.

To the OP, any reputable skimmer brand will do, research more about pump longevity than anything else. Sorry if I offended any who own a lifereef. I don't realy see the big deal with them but I've never owned one so my opinion carries little weight on the matter. I thought Beckett style injection skimmers went the way of the dodo myself but Lifereef still seems to be going strong with them.

 

[d2mini]

My only knock on it is the praising of the skimmer body being the last one you'll ever buy could apply to 90% of the skimmers out there. Its the pump that is the only wearable part so I don't really see how that differentiates a lifereef skimmer.

It's in regards to being able to add extensions if you upgrade tank sizes. Add an extension, buy any bigger pump. Done.
And you don't need to worry about the pump because you can use any pump you want.
Mine died one friday so Saturday morning I ran to the LFS and picked up another and was back in business.

No offense taken, though.
You can read the testimonials on his site to see why people that have been frustrated by more modern skimmers fall in love with his self cleaning Venturi (not Beckett) skimmers.
The MTC MVX is another venturi skimmer that people seem to like. They have a nicer cup/neck connection design but they are missing the self cleaning venturi feature, which u could probably mod yourself.
I just haven't seen anyone do it yet.

 

[FarmerTy]

Thanks for the clarification d2mini!

 

[Mark L.]

Yeah, I never understood the big to do about skimmers. They are all essentially the same with a few tweaks here and there that might squeeze out a marginal amount more of efficiency. The oddest part to me is people tend to pick them out based on the skimmer body but the pump is the most important part as long as the skimmer body is not flawed.

I've never owned a lifereef but any piece of equipment that functions with zero issues is a great buy in my opinion. My only knock on it is the praising of the skimmer body being the last one you'll ever buy could apply to 90% of the skimmers out there. Its the pump that is the only wearable part so I don't really see how that differentiates a lifereef skimmer.

I set my reef octopus skimmer and walk away. I don't even wipe the skimmer neck, I use an auto neck skimmer. I empty my extra skimmate reservoir every couple of months and twice a year, I give my skimmer pump and auto neck cleaner a good wash down.

To the OP, any reputable skimmer brand will do, research more about pump longevity than anything else. Sorry if I offended any who own a lifereef. I don't realy see the big deal with them but I've never owned one so my opinion carries little weight on the matter. I thought Beckett style injection skimmers went the way of the dodo myself but Lifereef still seems to be going strong with them.

One of the main reasons I picked LifeReef was because my Vertex Alpha body design wore out. I would get a lot of detritus build up inside the skimmer body and bubble plate. The screw threads that hold the bubble plate in place and the skimmer body to the base stripped out from taking it apart to clean. With the design of the LifeReef there is no bubble plate and virtually no buildup of detritus in the body. If I do have to clean the body I opted for the flange design so taking it apart is simple. In all my years of skimming I've never had a skimmer pump go out on me (thankfully). Like Dennis said, if it does happen at some point it's easy to replace.

Lastly what is great about LifeReef is that Jeff works with every customer to make sure they are getting exactly what they want. Me? I thought they looked kinda ugly myself. I hate plain ol' white cheap looking PVC. I asked him to use all grey pipe and fittings to match my plumbing in my stand (all sch. 80). He had no problem with that and is custom making my skimmer exactly how I want it! Now that is service!

LifeReef for life!

 

[Reefahholic]

I'm running an aquamaxx right now. It's definitely pulling more gunk than other skimmers I've owned and I believe it's due to the bubble plate technology. However, there are some things I don't like. I list them below:

The next skimmer I try will be a LifeReef.


Pros:
Price
Bubble plate technology (Q-Series)
Sicce pump / Quiet / Decent quality
Small size
Q3 skims up to 420/G for about $400


Cons:
Build quality is on cheaper side
Collection cup is hard to empty
Angle of collection cup prevents swabbie installation



Quick video of the bubble plate technology on my Q3:


https://youtu.be/Qjxs0_ZelmA

 

[Clownfish Chris]

I have a Precision Marine Bullet XL1. I have had zero issues with it. Other than my own idiot self. It is a high quality build and looks great. I was replacing the plumbing on it and cracked the body. I sent PM an email last night and received a response before there office hours this morning with reasonable repair pricing and instructions on how to do it my self. Quality ease of use, and coustomer service wins in my book every time. It sounds like life Reef is a great example.