Opinions on which skimmer to get?

trippkid

Active Member
Hey everyone I think I am going to buy a new skimmer soon and want to know what you guys think of what I have picked out and what may be the best out of the choices. Here is what my list consists of SWC MSX200; AquaEuro RPS265 or PS250; Octopus DNW200, NW200, DDNW150, or something from the PRO series; Trigger Systems TS300; Prescision Marine Bullet 1 or 2 or a Redline Series 200; or the Aqua C EV240. I know the list is big, sorry, there are just so many to choose from, it is hard to decide. It is going on a pretty heavily stocked( SPS corals mostly, not fish) 120 gallon with sump and external(seperate) refugium. Also, will probably be adding ozone to the unit, so if anybody knows if any of my choices aren't suitable for this please let me know. Thanks everyone ahead of time for your opinions and help.
Matt
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
i have the aqua c ev-120 for my 90g and i love it..skimms out alot and i only have 5 small fishes and 3 corals so far..i rarely have to adjust..easy to install and setup..and its not as big as other skimmer with the same output..very well made..
 

trippkid

Active Member
Thanks for the reply, the Aqua C is one at the top of my list. How is the spray injector, is it easy to clean or does it need cleaned? Thanks for your input.
Matt
 

mjweber

Member
Hi,
I too have the Aqua C and love it. After a year the injector did get clogged, but I called the people at Aqua c and they sent out this whole cleaning kit + a new gasket that goes around the collection basket for free. Really nice company to deal with, and their product is top notch. It has my vote.
 

trippkid

Active Member
Thanks for your information, I think it may be between the MSX or the Aqua C, the problem I have is my LFS only has PM and ASM as their higher end skimmers(I don't like ASM, way overpriced IMO) and I can get 30% off the PM, this is my dilema. It will be a couple of weeks or so till I decide I guess. I hate making decisions like this, it is like buying a pair of sneakers for me, it can take a very long time to find exactly what you want or like.
Thanks again.
Matt
 

sly

Active Member
I have the MSX and it works extremely well. The pump is very quiet and it draws in around 50cfh of air. I run ozone on mine since everything is ozone safe.
The bubbler plate inside is what impresses me. The bubbles entering the skimmer enter a lower chamber where they swirl violently in a circle, increasing the dwell time of the bubbles within the water column. Then the bubbles rise up through the bubbler plate which eliminated the swirling and causes them to finish rising through the column toward the collection cup. I've noticed a very good down draft from this skimmer which means that it takes the bubbles a long time to finally rise up through the skimmer.
The longer the dwell time, the better. Like I said I run ozone and it usually takes a full 60 seconds from when the ozone turns on until I first notice the orp climbing on my orp meter. This means that it is taking a full minute before I get any noticeable ozone coming out of my skimmer. This is an indication of a good, long dwell time. If I turned on the ozone and immediately noticed a rise in orp then I would suspect that the ozone is coming out of the skimmer much sooner... which would be a bad thing.
I previously had a Kent TE venturi skimmer fed with this ozone setup and would notice a rise in orp 10 seconds after the ozone turned on. When the ozone turns itself off, the orp in the tank would rise to 360mv and then fall back down again. With the MSX skimmer the ozone rises to 430mv. This shows that it is far more effective at retaining ozone within the skimmer and maintains a much higher water quality. Simply put, the ozone within the MSX reacts with the water far better than did the ozone in the Kent skimmer.
I usually empty my collection cup weekly. It produces a very dark, almost black skimmate. My Kent was only able to do a light green... The MSX is pulling far more from the tank.
The pump is much quieter and uses less electricity than did my old Rio pump. It also pulls more water. It's better all around. It comes with a mesh wheel mod and some extra mesh. You can also use the included pinwheel impeller if you don't want to fool around with the mesh.
Adjusting the MSX is as easy as rotating the output shaft. Turn it clockwise to lower the water column, turn it counter-clockwise to increase it. Tune it until you get dark black skimmate. The venturi is self cleaning and so it avoids the salt buildup that affect most other venturies. In the end... If I had filled my skimmer up with milk I probably couldn't tell the difference. The bubble column is very white and dense. The "head" that develops at the collection cup breaths up and down as it pulls organics from the system...
Here's a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rMj0o0Aehs
In it you can see how well the bubbler plate swirls the mix and then smooths it out as it rises up through the column. Also, I have no microbubbles in the tank...
 

trippkid

Active Member
Awesome reply Sly, that is great, thank you very much for all the info. I guess my biggest issue with the MSX is the water level it is supposed to sit in 8-10", right? My sump level is just under 6", I guess I could raise my ATO float up 2 or 3" if I would need to. Thanks again for all you wrote, very helpful.
Matt
 

mjweber

Member
You'd be suprised what amazing deals you can find in the classified section of this forum. I got my Aqua C for $75 and it was in perfect condition. People on here generally have pretty descent equipment, and when they replace it, they sell it at reasonable prices. I can't count how many things i've gotten off here that were way better priced than on sleaze bay.
 

trippkid

Active Member
Thanks, I never think of that, it sure would save a bunch of money, I'll have to look around. Thanks again.
Matt
 

trippkid

Active Member
Anyone have any more suggestions? I think it is between the MSX and Aqua C, still possibly the Octo DNW200. I know I'm trying to compare apples and oranges between recirculating, spray injection, and a needle wheel or mesh mod. I'd really like some more info on the recirc types, if anyone knows. Just trying to get the biggest bang for the buck. Thanks everyone so far for the input.
Matt
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
with the aqua c, just as long as ur water lever is under 9" u'll be fine so u wouldn't have to worry to much about water level affecting the skimm quality..or u can raise the skimmer and ur water level can be even higher..i have mine externally installed with the auto waste collector and auto shut off so overflow is not an issues either...
 

trippkid

Active Member
Thanks Aquaguy, it is really a toss-up between the MSX and the Aqua C, I will be thinking hard on this for a couple days. How much of a pain is it to clean the unit and the spray injector? and how often? Thanks again for everyones help so far, I do really appreciate your opinions.

Matt
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
i've had the skimmer running for 4 months and the spray injector is still clean...the collection cup is easy to remove and reinstall..i just wash the cup in some warm water, scrubing it with my hands and its spottless..once a month i clean the neck part where all the bubbles form...im sure u'll be happy with which ever one u choose..just don't get a cheap one....
 

trippkid

Active Member
Yeah, I'm not going cheap, at least for me(can't see spending much over 450 max for a skimmer for my tank). It is either the Aqua C or the MSX 200. Thanks for all your input and help on this issue.

Matt
 

fishy7

Active Member
Hey Trippkid, I have 3 Aqua C's EV 180,
240
and the latest 1000
. All work GREAT! The best part, you do not have to keep adjusting and messing with it.
Good luck!
 

trippkid

Active Member
Thanks Fishy. It seems the vote over here is Aqua C, and the other forum is the MSX. I just got a Vortech today, so it will be about 2-4 weeks until I can order the skimmer. I know I sound like a broken record, but thanks again everybody for helping with my decision, narrowed down to two, that's better than 11. Have a good one guys.

Matt
 
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