Good proteim skimmer for 55G

[dlwn88]

Why exactly do skimmers take time to "break in" ?

 

[tjm80]

I have an Eshopps protein skimmer. It is made out of very thick acrylic and is a lot sturdier than I anticipated. It's also quiet with very very minimal microbubbles, and pulls out a ton of nasty, foul smelling junk out of the water.

 

[Dary421]

I have an Eshopps protein skimmer. It is made out of very thick acrylic and is a lot sturdier than I anticipated. It's also quiet with very very minimal microbubbles, and pulls out a ton of nasty, foul smelling junk out of the water.

I'll agree with you on the eshopps,..great bang for the buck ,...extremely easy to set up and adjust and they sure pull a ton of skimate outa the tank,...

 

[tjm80]

Why exactly do skimmers take time to "break in" ?

Something to do with the slime coating on the inside. If you clean the inside of the skimmer it'll take it a few days to get back acting right again from what I hear. Only had mine about a month or so and just the collection cup has been cleaned.

 

[Gti_Leo]

I found a Boyu protein skimmer for 70$ anybody have experience with that brand?

i asked the same thing all i saw was a video on youtube, it looked pretty good for 70 bucks

 

[mr_X]

a skimmer is as good as it's pump. the more efficient skimmers list their pumps capabilities. the cheaper ones use quotes like "lost of foam" or "large amounts of air". don't be fooled by cheap copies. there is a difference. i'm not saying to go out and buy a 2 thousand dollar bubble king, but this is definitely not something you should skimp on.

 

[Gti_Leo]

true enough, let me ask you something, how do you feel abotu the airstone skimmers? they are cheap but pump alot of bubbles into the reaction chambers

 

[carey]

I'd be interested in the answer as well, ws windering if the bio cube skimmer is any good. It runs on an airstone

 

[Gti_Leo]

i have a biocube skimmer, its not bad but i don't think mine is setup properly

 

[carey]

Does it fit under the hood or do I have to run it with hood off?

thanks!!

 

[Gti_Leo]

well i don't have a biocube so i have it suction cupped to the back of my aquarium. thing i don't know is where the water level should be in it. the bubbles eventually make it to the cup but not alot

 

[mr_X]

at one time, air stone skimmers were the only choice. they did work well, but the stones would clog and become less efficient very quickly. you would buy air stones in multi packs, like these-
Protein Skimmer Wood Airstone
and change them out on a pretty regular basis. you still need to feed the skimmer with water, so the new pumps and new designs (venturi, needle wheel...) made the stones obsolete.

my personal opinion of them is just that- obsolete.

 

[carey]

if its anything like my skimmer you have to adjust the cup up and down to get more or less skimmate.

 

[carey]

Mr. X, would you recommend the bio cube skimmer then? or is it a waste of money?
I think I can keep parameters stable with pwc's but just as overkill...

 

[mr_X]

you said it. you don't need it. it will just take up valuable real estate.

 

[Gti_Leo]

the reason i asked was simply because i want to design a skimmer and pump it with a venturi and maybe throw a wood airston in there to help make extra bubbles

 

[mr_X]

you can do that. you can toss a whole bunch of air stones in there and make it a killer skimmer, but a killer skimmer with a bit of maintenance.

 

[Gti_Leo]

hey if it does the job and it does the job well then why not do the maintenance. you've got to give a little to get a little.

i've also thought about puttign an air pump to the venturi line although i don't know how that would work out, might give of to large of bubbles

 

[mr_X]

you could even go a step further....google "ozone generators for protein skimmers"

 

[Gti_Leo]

do alot of people use them