What is the BEST IN SUMP skimmer?

[Sponge_Bob]

I unfortunately bought a (censored) super skimmer from Coralife. The unit is driving me up the wall as it goes haywire for no reason. I would set it up to a certain level, it would keep that level of skimming for a couple of hours and then go crazy for no reason, overskimming to the max at a rate of about 1gal an hour! Of course, I have an overflow bucket that receives all this overskimming water. The problem is so bad that I had to drill a hole in my bucket, near the top, and fix a ½" flexible tube that goes back to the sump, in case the freakin thing goes haywire during the night. More often, I simply shut down the unit before going to bed because I'm scared of running my Mag-5 dry if the skimmer goes ballistic and that my water level in the sump is not at it's maximum.

So here are some criteria that I would like in my next skimmer. I LOVE my Mag Drive pump. It's quiet and effective. So I'd love to have that brand of pump driving my skimmer. I do not want a skimmer that uses an air stone or wood block to generate the bubbles as I hear that they then to clog up and need maintenance. A venturi model would be nice with a reverse flow. The cup has to be equiped with an outlet to plug a small overflow line to empty in a bucket. Furthermore, it has to be easy to remove and clean. I will NOT use Ozone, so that option is not required.

In your opinion, which skimmer would meet all the above requirements and be at a reasonnable price? The capacity of the unit MUST be at least 120gal.

 

[Anonymous]

EUROREEF
_________________
Honda MR50

 

[Anonymous]

well that sounds like an aqua c ev120 is right up your alley. the recomend a mag 5 to run it and its supposed to be a great skimmer. i was looking at alot of skimmers in this range and it seems to pull out a good amount of gunk cost about the same as the other skimmers in its class "pm bullet-1/and the smallest from mrc" and uses the least amount of power. this is an issue for me because it continues to cost after initial perchace. also the pumps to run the other skimmers cost more as well. just one reefers opinion.

 

[Len]

ASM, Euroreef, AquaC .... those three should fit your criteria.

 

[Anonymous]

I unfortunately bought a (censored) super skimmer from Coralife. The unit is driving me up the wall as it goes haywire for no reason. I would set it up to a certain level, it would keep that level of skimming for a couple of hours and then go crazy for no reason, overskimming to the max at a rate of about 1gal an hour!

Is it still breaking in? Did you break it in properly? This could take up to 3-4 days sometimes.

All skimmers will need a bit of adjusting from time to time based on bio load (night/morning especially when fish are active/less active) and during feeding, or right after etc....especially if you are doing more of a "wet skim" vs. dry skimming.

I have never heard bad things about the new coralife ss...except during break in, it is a pain. But once you have it broken in, works great.

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Is it still breaking in? Did you break it in properly? This could take up to 3-4 days sometimes.
All skimmers will need a bit of adjusting from time to time based on bio load (night/morning especially when fish are active/less active) and during feeding, or right after etc....especially if you are doing more of a "wet skim" vs. dry skimming.
I have never heard bad things about the new coralife ss...except during break in, it is a pain. But once you have it broken in, works great.

The skimmer has been in operation for at least a month now, so I would say that it went through it's breaking in period and more. :wink: Right now, it is still in the a different "breaking" period... breaking my gonades!!!

I have checked all the suggestions carefully and first, I want to thank you guys for your help. The ASM I will forget about because I can't purchase it anywhere nearby. The Euroreef is simply too expensive and I have a problem with the design of this unit. There is a little voice in my head that keeps whispering "caution" when I examine and read about them. So, the Aqua C is left and I think I will go with a EV-180 package that comes with a Mag-7 pump. Taking a larger unit will allow me to expand if (as if it will not happen...yeah right) I want to in the future.

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Just to give you another example, last night at about 7pm, the skimmer was washed, fish were not fed, and as setup to skim semi-wet...if not dry. Went to bed at 9:30pm, checked the skimmer and nothing changed and the skimmer was operating normally.

This morning, my pump section is almost empty, my overflow skimmer bucket is almost full of water. Didn't touch a darn thing. The only thing that changed during that period is that the lights were turned off.

Anyone wants a great deal on a used skimmer? $99.99 CAN!!! Call NOW!

 

[Anonymous]

glad to have been able to help.