Best Skimmer for a 140gallon tank?
- Thread starter overanalyzer
- Start date
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by beaslbob
best skimmer: none
money better spent on other things
Well according to other posts you have I don't need a DSB or LR so I already wasted money there .... hmmm I may waste money on a skimmer or spend the money on a tank full of mollies .....
eric4usa
Member
If you take a moment and really look at them, skimmers are basically a plastic tube with input and output hoses.
Only real difference is diameter and height of the tube.
Key to skimming is: Lots of bubbles + longest amount of time possible for protein to stick to the bubbles. Hense, a 6 foot tall skimmer has much more time for the bubbles to rise than a 1 foot skimmer.
I think those Euro skimmers work well mainly because the air is injected BEFORE the pump, creating real small bubbles and many of them.
MAKE YOUR OWN!
No reason to pay $100 + for plastic tubing.
1. Get a pump with an air input hooked to the water INLET, not outlet (makes tons of little bubbles).
2. Make you own plastic tube thing like mine and call it a skimmer
(Picture above)
Mine only took a couple days after work to make, and produces better than any other skimmer I've seen for sale.
Only real difference is diameter and height of the tube.
Key to skimming is: Lots of bubbles + longest amount of time possible for protein to stick to the bubbles. Hense, a 6 foot tall skimmer has much more time for the bubbles to rise than a 1 foot skimmer.
I think those Euro skimmers work well mainly because the air is injected BEFORE the pump, creating real small bubbles and many of them.
MAKE YOUR OWN!
No reason to pay $100 + for plastic tubing.
1. Get a pump with an air input hooked to the water INLET, not outlet (makes tons of little bubbles).
2. Make you own plastic tube thing like mine and call it a skimmer
(Picture above)
Mine only took a couple days after work to make, and produces better than any other skimmer I've seen for sale.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by overanalyzer
Well according to other posts you have I don't need a DSB or LR so I already wasted money there .... hmmm I may waste money on a skimmer or spend the money on a tank full of mollies .....
Gee I don't even want a tank full of mollies
. As far as the rest not a waste of money just not necessary to having a awesome tank full of whatever livestock you want.
zafirablanca
Member
Jeffs Exotic sells a EuroReef knock-off they call the Southbay skimmer. There is a local coral propagator that has one of these that he swears by. I've seen his set up and was impressed.
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by shep
so what did you ever do about it?
tanks still cycling
I need a crown on my tooth
Thinking my money will go to a MH setup and I will attempt a DIY skimmer .....
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by beaslbob
Gee I don't even want a tank full of mollies
. As far as the rest not a waste of money just not necessary to having a awesome tank full of whatever livestock you want. So what do you use for filtration?? Just curious - mostly because I think so far your advice amounts to:
You don't need a DSB
You don't need LR
You don't need a skimmer
You should cycle your tank with mollies
how do you run your tank and what do you use for filtration and such?
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by eric4usa
If you take a moment and really look at them, skimmers are basically a plastic tube with input and output hoses.
Only real difference is diameter and height of the tube.
Key to skimming is: Lots of bubbles + longest amount of time possible for protein to stick to the bubbles. Hense, a 6 foot tall skimmer has much more time for the bubbles to rise than a 1 foot skimmer.
I think those Euro skimmers work well mainly because the air is injected BEFORE the pump, creating real small bubbles and many of them.
MAKE YOUR OWN!
No reason to pay $100 + for plastic tubing.
1. Get a pump with an air input hooked to the water INLET, not outlet (makes tons of little bubbles).
2. Make you own plastic tube thing like mine and call it a skimmer
(Picture above)
Mine only took a couple days after work to make, and produces better than any other skimmer I've seen for sale.
Could you draw a simple picture of your set up in paint and post it or something - I'm not really "seeing" the whole set-up you use - though I understand the basics behind a DIY skimmer - I have not studied it enough!
javatech
Member
Originally posted by overanalyzer
So what do you use for filtration?? Just curious - mostly because I think so far your advice amounts to:
You don't need a DSB
You don't need LR
You don't need a skimmer
You should cycle your tank with mollies
how do you run your tank and what do you use for filtration and such?
And don't forget Just tap water RO/DI is not needed as beaslbob says LOL LOL
krunk
Member
ok dont flame me for this BUT wen i first bought my tank, i didnt have a skimmer, ro/di water, or a dsb.
i was able too keep, a huma huma, niger trigger, a foxface, and a powder brown tang, for two months with no problems, untill the triggers killed the tang and foxface.
anyways this is gettin off topic, this thread was for helping jerome (am i right?) about getting a skimmer.
i was able too keep, a huma huma, niger trigger, a foxface, and a powder brown tang, for two months with no problems, untill the triggers killed the tang and foxface.
anyways this is gettin off topic, this thread was for helping jerome (am i right?) about getting a skimmer.
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by javatech
ok justy had to give beaslbob a hard time on this
i wish i could do with out all this stuff but with the bad water here in kc i need to filter it i once toped off my cichlid tank with 2 qt's of tap water and lost half of them in a 29 gal tank i wont even drink it myself AMEN!!! everything gets filtered around here!!
Javatech - went down to reefhouse on sunday and they did not know much about the used equipment or the save me corals .... my advice would be go when the main guys are there!