Need new skimmer for 72 gallon reef

sly

Active Member
Well my Kent TE skimmer is finally dying. I've had it almost 7 years but the ozone has broken it down to where I can't glue it back together any more. I need a new skimmer. In sump, ozone safe.
Suggestions?
I'm looking for low maintenance, self cleaning venturi, small profile, very efficient downdraft technology. I have a RIO 2100 powering it but would be willing to upgrade if needed (never liked that pump anyway).
Thanks.
 

sly

Active Member
Well I've been looking at them and they look impressive... but everyone is sold out. :S
I was also considering the ETSS Reef Devil Deluxe but they don't seem to be worth the money.
 

joncat24

Active Member
Originally Posted by mojo46825
http:///forum/post/2675929
well You can get a msx 260 by the end of the week.
that is true and it is a much better skimmer than a reef devil deluxe. I have owned both and there is no comparison.
It is actually a 160 though.
 

sly

Active Member
Well I just bit the bullet and bought the MSX 160. I think this will work very well on my 72 reef. I'm still deciding if I want to build an ozone reactor or try to feed the skimmer some ozone instead.
 

joncat24

Active Member
You will be very happy with your purchase. If you have any set up questions, feel free to pm me about it.
Did you get the pinwheel impellar also, or just the meshhed impellar??
 

sly

Active Member
Originally Posted by joncat24
http:///forum/post/2676540
You will be very happy with your purchase. If you have any set up questions, feel free to pm me about it.
Did you get the pinwheel impellar also, or just the meshhed impellar??
I just ordered the standard MSX 160 off M.S. website for $269.99. I'm not sure what impeller it comes with. I never saw an option for it. I just clicked the order button and that's it...
Which do you recommend?
 

joncat24

Active Member
I am pretty sure that both impellars come with any new purchase. The pinwheel is for the folks that dont want to have to re-do the mesh mod every year or so.
The pinwheel is supposed to pul 42scfh at 21 watts, if that is the case, I will switch mine to pinwheel also. A few people have tried a different pinwheel on em so far, and the results arent as good, 32scfh. So wel will have to wait for the pinwheels from MS to see what they rate.
 

sly

Active Member
How much air does the mesh mod pull? Is the power usage the same? 42scfh is pretty good...
 

joncat24

Active Member
The mesh mod pulls between 40-50 depending on how large the diameter of the mesh is. The problem is, if you get the mesh too big around or too high, the pump will not start on its own. This is the main reason for the pinwheels, a constant start up with no tinkering required.
Like I said, if the pinwheels pull 42scfh, I will switch mine out. I am meshed right now and pulling 47scfh at 22 watts with three layers of the flatback mesh with small zipties holding it on. The mesh is trimmed almost even with the impellar disk. It is hanging over the edges just a bit.
I was just on the MS webiste and it says that all the new ones come with both. So you can try each. I have a new pinwheel being held back at MS when they come in, so I will try mine out and post some numbers for you.
 

sly

Active Member
Thanks for the responses. I will probably use the mesh impeller. I have the system hooked up to a UPS power backup supply and so restarting is not a problem. The pumps run continuously even when the power is off.
 

joncat24

Active Member
Last I heard, they were due in tomorrow(12th)
There was some kind of delay with Canadian customs.
If that is true, they will probably start shipping them out on Monday
I am going up there tomorrow for some frags and stuff. I will ask and let ya know what they say.
 

sly

Active Member
Sorry for the long time with no updates...
I received the skimmer last week and my first impressions are that this skimmer is completely amazing. It produces the darkest, densest foam I have ever seen. The foam kind of breathes at the top of the column like it's alive.

It wasn't too hard to set up but I agree with some other posts. The directions are very lacking. All it comes with are some basic diagrams and that's it. If you already know some about skimmers then it shouldn't take too much to figure out. But if you barely know what a skimmer is then this could result in a real problem.
The pump already came with the mesh mod impeller and so I just left it in. They gave me some extra mesh and wire ties to rebuild it if I need to. They also gave me a regular needle wheel impeller if I decide to use it instead.
The pump is virtually silent. It makes my old Rio pump sound like a trashing machine. It pulls in A LOT of air. You can really feel the suction on the intake. The "muffler" that it comes with also works well. It almost completely silences the air flow.
I am using ozone with this skimmer and it already maintains a much higher orp than my old one. I still have the same 350mv setpoint but the swing is much wider. Where my old skimmer would drift the orp up to around 380mv before it started to fall, this skimmer causes it to drift up to 420mv... then the orp stays there much longer before it falls back down again. This makes my ozone unit work much less and yet maintain a higher orp in the tank. As a result the water is the clearest it has ever been.
One drawback though... The skimmate is so dark and nasty that you can sort of smell it from a distance. My old skimmer produced such watery skimmate that I never could smell it. This stuff STINKS! (but that's not really a bad thing). Now I just need to find out how to ventilate the room to get rid of the smell.
 
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