what protein skimmers should i avoid

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by Guyerson
http:///forum/post/2634738
My suggestion would be the AquaC Remora. It is completely plug and play, great results with zero adjustments..

By far, the best and easiest HOB skimmer I've ever used. I love their in-sump skimmers also. Aqua-C has great tech support too; a great resource for hobbiests that is often over-looked. Regardless, skimmers have to be the most expensive pieces of acrylic on the planet; but worth their weight in dead-damsels.
PS: Hey guys at Aqua-C; this is about the 100th time I've posted this. How about a freebie?

 

[mr_x]

hmm...i think the remora is way too small for a 55.
i also think it was a loud piece of junk that skimmed very poorly, and spewed tons of microbubbles into the tank, even after the purchase of the prefilter box(suggested by the "great guys at aqua-c").
what skimmers have you remora owners had to compare it to?
i've had about 10 different brands, and i think the remora was the worst.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2634771
hmm...i think the remora is way too small for a 55.
i also think it was a loud piece of junk that skimmed very poorly, and spewed tons of microbubbles into the tank, even after the purchase of the prefilter box(suggested by the "great guys at aqua-c").
what skimmers have you remora owners had to compare it to?
i've had about 10 different brands, and i think the remora was the worst.
Mine is totally silent, releases no bubbles and produces a great deal of crud. I've used most of the HOB skimmer that have come & gone and have returned several. If mine did what yours did, I would return it and expect a refund or replacement from the folks I buy from. I've used both the remora pro and the remora on a 55 and think the smaller one is adequate. A couple other brands I remember using Prizm, Bak Pak (both, IMO, very poor), Red Sea X2 ( a bit better), and a Deltec (can't remember the model #, it was a sample that is now commonly sold, and a Octopus (good one).I really think you got a "lemon"; I've heard almost nothing but praise for Aqua-C products. The "pre-filter" box is really a "post-filter" box. It hides the pump and uses a sponge and sponge to eliminate bubbles from returning water. Again, mine releases no bubbles whatever.

 

[tizzo]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2634771
hmm...i think the remora is way too small for a 55.
i also think it was a loud piece of junk that skimmed very poorly, and spewed tons of microbubbles into the tank, even after the purchase of the prefilter box(suggested by the "great guys at aqua-c").
what skimmers have you remora owners had to compare it to?
i've had about 10 different brands, and i think the remora was the worst.
WHAT!!?? Really? I loved my remora and I had a 90. I ran it side by side with the bakpak to compare and it way out skimmed and outperformed that thing! Bakpak was OK, but I had to tweak the airline every day!
Now I have a euroreef and it blows them all outa the water.

 

[drtito]

Originally Posted by earlybird
http:///forum/post/2632867
Not sure if there's been a design upgrade but stay away from using the coralife super skimmer as a hang on. Works great in sump but has the tendency to malfunction/overflow it seems more often than others.
My coralife super skimmer works fine.

It works the way its intended to, if I add anything to the tank I adjust the intake lower, after its done I open it up again. Allways foaming and collecting. I will find out if it was bad after I have to buy a NEW one. I could be wrong.

 

[mr_x]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/2634963
I really think you got a "lemon"; I've heard almost nothing but praise for Aqua-C products. The "pre-filter" box is really a "post-filter" box. It hides the pump and uses a sponge and sponge to eliminate bubbles from returning water. Again, mine releases no bubbles whatever.

yeah..maybe it was a lemon. meanwhile, i've heard the same complaints about the same symptoms more than a couple times.
i don't have an opinion about the EV series skimmers. they seem to be a much different design.
i had my remora(with mj1200) on a 30 gallon cube. i hated every minute of it, and was in contact with aqua-c on more than one occasion.
the first time they told me to put some screening over the exhaust port. i asked them what kind. they said they would send me some free of charge.
i waited for weeks and then reported publically, that aqua-c said what they said, and then never sent me anything....3 days later i got a piece of plastic window screen in the mail about 3" x 3".
this was supposed to stop bubbles?

i tried it, it was worthless.
then they talked me into the prefilter box, which i reluctantly purchased, and squeezed into my 30 cube. it was massive compared to my tank.
needless to say, it didn't work at all.
it was very noisy, because of the pantented "spray injection" thing. it sounded like that suction thing at the dentists office-and we had it in the bedroom.

if they saw me complain publically about the screen never showing up, they saw the rest of my experience. never once did i get an email or pm with some resolution.
the 160 bucks they got from me bought them bad publicity for life

 

[srfisher17]

It almost sounds like you and I bought 2 different skimmers from 2 different companies. It reminds me of the favorite cell-phone provider in my neck of the woods; everyone I know loves them, but my experience with them has been a disaster. I've even gotten to the point where I'm taking them to court; even the Court Clerk was surprised when I filed the paperwork. Not serious money, but its gotten to the principle of right and wrong......oh well.
For what its worth: although I think the surface skimmer/pump hiding/ bubble eliminating optional box does a great job; I wouldn't use it in a 30 cube, or anything smaller than a 55. Its just too big.

 

[stanlalee]

I try to rely more on water changes, proper stocking and natural (live rock) filtration than being too overly reliant on skimmers therefore I've never really had a "good" one.
too many people have too many difference experiences with skimmers to take oppinions seriously. perfect example, 90% of people will tell you the seaclone is junk. I used a 100 on my 30g. once dialed in (took me a few months to know it inside out) it worked great for me (all the time). never had any water qulity issues with it: pics: http://dubfidub.homestead.com/files/seacloneinside4.jpg, http://dubfidub.homestead.com/files/seacloneinside1.jpg, http://dubfidub.homestead.com/files/...tsidetank2.jpg
alot of people can barely get it to work. I also ran a coralife 125 on a 100g reef. same story: marginal performance, too small by many accounts. Fine for me (had high stock and difficult stock pics:http://dubfidub.homestead.com/julyfi...hfullview1.jpg
Okay there are some brands I like: turboflotor, octopus (euroreef, deltec, ASM ect. Octopus is just the cheaper and widely available clone of those types), tunze (on small tanks), aquaC EV series
and some I dont: seaclone (only air adjustment, no water control

), bakbak, red sea prizm, skilter, remora/urchins (work fine but expensive cost/capacity ratio).
basically entry level skimmers mostly lack in design, size or quality (something)but by the same token I have never been able to justify a good top tier skimmer neither as I've never found them neccessary for good water quality if your doing water changes and proper stocking (and not rushing). Get the best you can but make your tank work with whatever you have in other ways.

 

[mojo46825]

What SCSInet said. I totally agree. You might think your skimmer is the best thing since sliced bread until you geta good one. I have had several top named ones a nd a dew cheap one.I guess I prefer setting it and not playing with it every other day. I dont mind cleaning it. But again save yor money. Like anything in this hobby you get what you pay for.

 

[srfisher17]

I sure agree with Stanlalee; there are so many variables in this hobby that there just isn't a one-size-fits-all to the skimmer question. Just a lot of very valid opinions and experiences---like most things on this forum. I've sure found these opinions more valuable than company advice and hype several times.