Skimmer question

mkcsil18

Member
I have a 70 gallon tank and I was woundering does it pay to get a skimmer for a 75+ size tank or is it just a waste of money? should I just get one that says for 75 gallons or smaller? thanks again for ALL your help.
 
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essop3

Guest
I think you should always get a little bigger than you need. Companies tend to overstate how good their stuff is.
 

nacl-man

Member

Originally posted by essop3
I think you should always get a little bigger than you need. Companies tend to overstate how good their stuff is.

hear hear.
What skimmer are you looking at?
 

nacl-man

Member
That is a good one from what I hear, great pump as well. HOB or in-Sump? If you have a sump you may want to look into Euro-Reef or ASM (is that what it is called now?) if you are willing to drop the bucks on the AC Pro. The Euro's use a better impeller system and are extremely efficient, mine is Awesome (yes with a capital 'A')
Cheers!
NaCl
 

mkcsil18

Member
I am getting the HOB, I know NOTHING about sumps or how to set them up... or anything, what they do ... :( so I am just going to go with the HOB.
 

nacl-man

Member
Before you jump into HOB if you have the money for that skimmer setting up a sump isn't that far out of the question.
Overflow box = $70
Return Pump = $50-100 depending
PVC & Supplies = $20
20g fish tank to serve as sump = $40?
Never having to see heaters, hob filters or skimmers again = priceless
A sump will allow you future growing room and serves as kind of a 'wet works' (please no comments you government types) area for you to do testing, drip chemicals, whatever you want to do to your water without you needing to disturb your tank, i can even do my water changes through mine.
Something to think about :)
 

mkcsil18

Member
yes this sounds great, is there a place to learn more about this? or can someone point me in the right direction, pictures? anything, thanks...... :D
 

nacl-man

Member
This is mine... kinda messy and the pic is not level because I just took it like 30 seconds ago and wasn't being careful lol :
do a search on the board for sump or overflow designs and you will get tons of info.
Basically the overflow from the tank is on the right, the return pump is on the left. An overflow box also allows you to keep a constant water level in the display tank, which is crucial when you have high powered lights and the accompanying water evaporation rates.
 

mkcsil18

Member
so I need to get a 20 gallon fish tank, 1 return pump correct? I need to add some dividers to the tank too right? ok looks great I will cancel my skimmer and look to do something like this. sounds great.
 

nacl-man

Member
the sump doesn't replace the skimmer... it does allow you a wider range of options when deciding what skimmer to buy however.
good luck!
NaCl
 

mkcsil18

Member
I just ordered a EuroReef ES5-3 Protein Skimmer, and I am going to look to build my own sump, is there any certain height I have to glue in the baffles?
 

nacl-man

Member
not really.. i think the Euro-Reef operates best with 8-9 inches of water (the manual will tell you i think).. so if you make sure you have at least one - the recommended height then you will be ok.
My sump originally was designed to have three baffles, but I have since removed the others. i just have the one so the Euro-Reef sits - a constant water height, everything else seemed to get in the way.
Cheers!
 

mkcsil18

Member
where does the filter come in? where do I hook that up to? in the sump as well? :( sorry man for not knowing any of this.
 

nacl-man

Member
I'm not sure i understand your question. If you mean where the water comes from it comes from an overflow box on your tank, if you mean the Euro-Reef, it comes w/ everything you need, just plunk it in the sump and plug it in (follow the directions though so you don't break it).
Sump basically works like this:
Overflow box, pvc pipe into the sump, return pump, pvc pipe back up into the tank.
Make sure your return pump is rated LOWER than your overflow box, otherwise it will cause more water to be pumped up than can be returned to the sump.
 

mkcsil18

Member
ok so this is the filter then? basically the sump is the filter? that is what I was asking, I thought maybe I had to get another filter and have the lines in the sump somehow... :D
 
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