Upgrading Skimmer ?'s

[rodinwilmington]

Hey guys, I'm going to upgrade my prizm for another HOB and I'm having a hard time choosing between a Reef Octopus or Aqua C Remora. I need something that provides surface skimming, is quiet, and doesn't produce a ton of microbubbles. I have a 45 Gallon FOWLR that actually has about 33 Gallons of water. Any help would be appreciated.

[blue71]

I have heard great things about the Aqua-C Remora, (P.S Don't throw your skimmer in the trash, If thats what your planning on I would pay for shipping if you'd send it to me )

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by rodinwilmington

Hey guys, I'm going to upgrade my prizm for another HOB and I'm having a hard time choosing between a Reef Octopus or Aqua C Remora. I need something that provides surface skimming, is quiet, and doesn't produce a ton of microbubbles. I have a 45 Gallon FOWLR that actually has about 33 Gallons of water. Any help would be appreciated.

I've got a Aqua C Remora Pro (mag3 pump) and will make a few comments...

Overall, I like the skimmer. I've had it for over 3 years and my tank is thriving. Not sure if any of it is due to the skimmer, but it sure didn't hurt anything.

It's quiet, and is even more quiet if you do a little tweak to it, as described here...

Aqua-C Remora or Remora Pro - How to make it quieter!

You can buy the surface skimmer box add-on for it, but just be warned: it makes an already large package in your tank even larger. Unlike some other HOB skimmers, the Remora puts the pump in your tank versus putting the pump in the skimmer. Granted, it makes for a simple setup, but it takes up a LOT of room in smaller tanks. And when you put the skimmer box on it, it becomes a monster taking up a LOT of real estate in your tank. I bought one and after I dry fit the thing, I realized "this ain't gonna happen" and never put it in my tank. Instead, I rigged up a DIY surface skimmer, described here...

Surface Skimmer for Remora Pro

While I like my Remora Pro, I've always wondered if I'm pulling out as much crud as I could. I've also never been happy with the footprint of the pump in the tank. In a few weeks, I'm finally going to be getting a Warner Marine H2X to replace it. We'll see how that goes. I may either realize that the Remora was a total piece of junk, or it was way better than I realized!

If you're looking for a dead-simple skimmer to setup... go with the Remora. There's no air intake to fiddle with... just plug it in and adjust the height of the collection cup. No muss, no fuss. But I haven't heard much bad about the Reef Octopus either - but you do have to fiddle with air intake.

[rodinwilmington]

Thanks alot for the detailed response, I actually have already ordered the Warner Hx2 and it should be here soon, I made up my mind because of the fact that the Remora pump goes inside the tank and I just can't give up that much room. Your post realy solidified my decision. I hope we both have good things to say about the Hx2. Again thanks alot for the info.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by rodinwilmington

Thanks alot for the detailed response, I actually have already ordered the Warner Hx2 and it should be here soon,...

Don't hold your breath on that, or at least realize that "soon" is a relative term. I ordered mine in Nov 2008 and have been hearing all the excuses since early spring of this year. But at least they're supposedly in the States now, but are now being held up because the cargo container is undergoing another round of inspections by US Customs. We shall see...

[rodinwilmington]

That's pretty crappy, where did you order it from?

[Kurt_Nelson]

It's not the shop's fault (I'm dealing with Salty Critter - nothing but praise for them)... it's been delayed that long from the manufacturer (Warner Marine).

All I'm saying is that if you ordered one, realize that no matter who you bought it from, they don't have it yet from Warner Marine. There might still be a few H2 out there, but the H2X (latest generation) are still held up in Customs.

[rodinwilmington]

Well I guess I'll just have to get by with the prizm till it arives. At least they're in the country though, guess the new intel is that terrorists are trying to start jihad with protein skimmers