Which Skimmer

[moondog]

I am in the market for a new protien skimmer for my 150 gallon tank. I have been looking at the ASM G-3, The AquaC EV 180 or 240, and now I am seeing that some of you guys use the SWC. Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I have to measure the height of my stand to see if the 240 would even fit, but I am pretty sure that the other's would. Also, all of these skimmers are too big for my current sump configuration, so I will be converting a 30 gallon long into my sump/fuge so the skimmer compartment will be built around whatever skimmer I decide to go with.

 

[joncat24]

It's not on your list, but the best bang for the buck right now is the MSX 200. Perfect for a 150 gallon and it will fit in a 30 gallon sump.

 

[aquaguy24]

I have the AquaC ev-120. It was the easiest thing to setup and tune for a noob like me. Made of thick arcylic not like some cheaper brands that use thin plastic.

 

[moondog]

I ordered the MSX 200 yesterday, it will be here Friday, so this weekend, I will be building my 30 gallon sump, and hopefully installing it. Searching through this site, many people seem to recommend the msx series, so I went with it.

 

[aquaguy24]

cool post pics if u can.

 

[moondog]

Will do, I may have a few questions before I start cutting baffles & making my sump. I have read quite a few posts here that should be helpful with my new sump. First things first, I need to make sure I can fit the 30 gallon tank in the stand without dismantling the tank.

 

[moondog]

Hey Joncat & Aquaguy,
I have finally gotten things together for this MSX - 200 that I received on Saturday, you could fit my old skimmer inside of this thing. I have a couple of questions regarding the setup of the skimmer, this thing came with no directions whatsoever, only a diagram. Pretty self explanatory on the assembly, but the output pipe is loose, and I would assume it will leak, do I need to seal this? Or does it even matter? Also, I could not figure out how to get the impeller apart to install the mesh wheel. Any help on these issues would be greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately the 30 Gallon sump idea is out the door, there is no way I can get it inside my stand without breaking down the whole tank, so I bought a 20 Gallon tall instead. I have baffled the skimmer side to 10" deep, and then the pump side 6" deep using 100% silicone, I will have to do a seperate fuge soon.
Anyway, I will post pics later when I get home.
Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[moondog]

Anybody? Any Suggestions?

 

[bulldog123]

Im watching on the skimmer because I might buy the same. Why did you build the baffle only 6" on the return side? Why not build it the same (10") as the rest?

 

[moondog]

I was using my other sump as a guide, I have the water in the return side of my existing sump 6", so I figured keep it consistent. Most likely, I will be running a water depth of 8" in the return side, but this all depends on my overflow/back siphon when the power cuts off. Do you forsee any issues with this setup? Of course, this is my first stab at sump construction.

 

[bulldog123]

I just try to keep as much over the pump as possible so the pump dont go dry if I for get to add water. I have not setup an ATO yet.

 

[moondog]

I am in the same boat, I have no ATO yet, I have a 10 Gallon Fresh water tank next to the sump, and the good old Keg cup for replacement of the evaporated water.

 

[moondog]

Skimmer is in, and functioning. I cannot downsize the pics enough to post them. Does anybody here have experience with the sicce pumps? I put the mesh wheel in, and as stated by others, this pump would not start up, so I change the impeller back, and now this thing is way too loud, something has to be loose or misaligned, it will rattle like crazy, then stop, but I could hear this thing upstairs in my house.