best type of skimmer?

[sign guy]

well I know that there are alot of skimmer brands and most of us use needle wheel, but what is the best type of skimmer. I only know of a few typs but know there are more out there.
1 neddle wheel
2 down draft
3 air injected
4 I know of atleast 2 more typs but dont know of there names
what dose each skimmer do over the other and what are we looking for inpaticular that srts a brand apart from the rest

 

[jtwilson]

I like the coralife superskimmers. They are relatively inexpensive and do a great job.

 

[acrylic51]

Beckett style skimmer for raw skimming power, and Sequence is even working the meshwheel for the beckett skimmers as well.....I can't wait!!!!!!

 

[sign guy]

what separates skimmers i meen what are we looking for in the construction of one that sets it apart from another

 

[larryndana]

Bump

 

[acrylic51]

Most of your better skimmers are made of quality acrylic.....what sets them apart are the pumps used to drive them IMO.......Like comparing the pumps on a Euro to that on a Deltec, etc......BubbleKing vs. ASM pumps......on and on..........
These big guns have spent tons of time and money on research whereas alot of the others are just copying a design and probably really couldn't give you actually figures on what their pumps pull air wise.....

 

[sign guy]

so the pump is more important than the actual design of the skimmer itself?
pluss I dont want to compare brands I want to compare styles, after I figure out what style performs what better than the other styles I can nail down a good brand. sorry I hope Im not reitarating myself

 

[sign guy]

witch skimmer would you use on a 220 aga reef
A ................ 2 super skimmer 220's
B................. e.t.s.s. down draft
C................. euroreef resuculating

 

[dawman]

I`ve used the Sea Clone skimmers for years in my 75 and two 55 gal tanks . Always worked great for me .
The Coralife skimmer will be my next skimmer when I set up another tank . Always wanted to try it to compare .

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by sign guy
so the pump is more important than the actual design of the skimmer itself?
pluss I dont want to compare brands I want to compare styles, after I figure out what style performs what better than the other styles I can nail down a good brand. sorry I hope Im not reitarating myself
No Patrick I'm not saying the pump is the most important thing.....You could use the best pump, but just have a poorly designed skimmer and it would be worthless.....If you take a look at the design differences between persay a beckett skimmer and a needlewhee skimmer the neck or wet necks persay are designed differently on the 2 skimmers......This due to the power to force or push the skimmate up and over.......There are other differences as well......
It really depends on what your looking for an ease of use and learning curve IMO.....Needlewheel if you want to just plug and go......Beckett IMO is a learning curve and patience is key to find the sweet spot, and I believe a beckett ounce for ounce is raw skimming power......There are pros and cons to both style skimmers.....A beckett is going to produce more noise for several reasons.......1 is the pump that is pushing it, but waiting to get some info and feedback on the Dart needlewheel pumps that just hit the market.........

These should really rock!!!!!!

2 the amount of air these babies suck and you can hear it without a doubt might be another draw back........
Needlewheels are very good as well......Low power consumption on the smaller modules, but when you start getting into the bigger units for bigger setups the multiple pumps and cost equate IMO to about even with the cost of setting up a beckett skimmer......

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by sign guy
witch skimmer would you use on a 220 aga reef
A ................ 2 super skimmer 220's
B................. e.t.s.s. down draft
C................. euroreef resuculating
Honestly IMHO you can't honestly put these skimmers in the same class for ranking or decision........Coralife has really no engineering or development in their skimmers IMO....they are knock offs of the guys who have done the real work and they would get beat silly on a head to head "pull off" with the other 2.........
Honestly your best skimmer you've listed would be the EuroReef Recirc ounce for ounce.......

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by sign guy
witch skimmer would you use on a 220 aga reef
A ................ 2 super skimmer 220's
B................. e.t.s.s. down draft
C................. euroreef resuculating
Looked at your question again and my answer to it would be none of them.......EuroReef is to high priced....If I'm going to spend that kind of cash on a needlewheel, I'm going to go with the original needlewheel designers and that would be a Deltec or a little cheaper cost would be H&S........Again even EuroReefs are knockoffs of these guys........

To answer the question I'd still run an MRC recirc Beckett........

 

[dawman]

Acrylic51 , I just changed my filtration for my 75 to a Tidepool sump system . I thought I could put my skimmer in the sump but read somewhere on here that it`s better to have it hang on the back then in the sump after my filtration . Any input on this ? I like the idea of in the sump just to clean up the look of my tank , but if it will work better not in the sump then I`ll put it back on my tank .

 

[acrylic51]

There isn't any proof or theory that hanging a skimmer (HOB) off the tank is more efficient than having it in the sump......What the concept is; is that the skimmer will perform better when it is fed raw or dirtiest water possible.....With the skimmer last in line after your other filtration it isn't being fed the dirtiest water, so alot really depends on the type of setup you have for a sump. If you check out melevsreef dot com it will explain the advantages of having a sump and such set up that way....HTH....

 

[larryndana]

and if your on a budget....what would you suggest?
the skimmers you suggested are out of my budget range, well at least for now. 75 gal....what would you recommend?

 

[gsxr1100]

I like my aqua-c since it looks normal and does not have 1000 pieces like a euroreef; aka clean and simple design.
I also have a 75 g and it runs mint and have a Eheim 1260 pump on it. I think they, AquaC get bad rap since the pumps they like, well, suck.
Mine will keep up with a Deltec, H&S etc. There is no best..I had a needle wheel and it drove me nuts. Some people like bubble king etc. These are not needed here. MRC is nice, but as clean as aquac.

 

[larryndana]

I'm thinking good, cheap, reliable.... :thinking: oh it must work too. :hilarious

 

[mfp1016]

It sounds like you're pretty new to the skimmer game. So, I think you shouldnt be asking yourself what the best skimmer is and then just plugging it in, if I were you, I would ask yourself what you want to learn from your first skimmer.
I agree with Acrylic, in that Coralife is nice because you can pretty much plug it in, adjust the dial and you're skimming. But if you want to understand more about the physics/chemistry of skimming, I'd get some of the more tedious skimmers. Its fairly analogous to computers, the easy to use skimmers are easy to use but less powerful (like Apple Comps), whereas Deltecs, Euroreefs, etc are harder to use and less stable, but can be a lot more poweful (IBM based PCs).

 

[larryndana]

Originally Posted by mfp1016
It sounds like you're pretty new to the skimmer game. So, I think you shouldnt be asking yourself what the best skimmer is and then just plugging it in, if I were you, I would ask yourself what you want to learn from your first skimmer.
:notsure: What do skimmers teach?
Originally Posted by mfp1016
I agree with Acrylic, in that Coralife is nice because you can pretty much plug it in, adjust the dial and you're skimming. But if you want to understand more about the physics/chemistry of skimming, I'd get some of the more tedious skimmers.
I understand what a skimmer does. Looking for opinions and facts to what people have used....but not looking to spend 500 dollars on a skimmer. I believe my wife would shoot me, tredding on thin ice by buying a new tank now.
Originally Posted by mfp1016
Its fairly analogous to computers, the easy to use skimmers are easy to use but less powerful (like Apple Comps), whereas Deltecs, Euroreefs, etc are harder to use and less stable, but can be a lot more poweful (IBM based PCs).
Some would say you have that backwards

 

[catawaba]

There's nothing wrong with a SeaClone 150. Once it is set up properly and then 'broken in', it works fine. I have one on a 72g that has been going strong for over 4 years. You can find them for less than $100.
Honestly, I think ANY skimmer is better than NO skimmer.
Just have to give them a few days to 'break in' and build their initial 'slime layer' (That's what I call it)

ProClear aquatics makes a good one IMO. They are well known for their wet/dry filters and it is available here. One nice 'bonus' is that they include a pump!
The Coralife is OK too. And the Aqua-C Remoras are good but more $$$
HTH