New protein skimmer options,.. Opinions welcomed

[Dary421]

Well after hanging every imaginable piece of apparatus off of my tank(75 gal) And making it look like an octopus,I have decided that maybe I should set up my pro flex sump that I installed underneath my tank months ago but never activated, ( pretty tight fit) that way i can remove some of the hang on stuff ,...my last partition in the pro flex sump is the return section,..but it's rather tiny ,something like 9"x10"., I'd lie to put in a very nice scum sucking protein skimmer in there but because of it's small size and considering that the return pump also sits in there , I'm kinda hosed as to my choices,..I was looking into the Tunze 9011 protein skimmers because they have such a little footprint,..has anyone got any insight to these?? ... I'd rather go "overkill" than to be on the conservative side,...the reef octopus xp1000 might fit in there with the return pump but it'll be tight,.....red sea makes a monster c-skim 1200 which they claim can be used as a "stand alone" outside the sump skimmer,but it sounds like you may have to do some fancy plumbing to make the beast purr but that might be really overkill(?) but feaseable,..as always I'm open for
suggestions,...thanks, Dary

 

[177ichael]

I'd look at the Reef Octopus line. They have the sump saver designs where the pump is placed inside the body. These designs should fit your sump. I'd be more concerned with the pump type rather than the new and hot cone designs. The Super Reef Octos use the Water Blaster pumps which pull a lot of air with little water turbulence or flow. Another cheaper option in Reef Octopus skimmers are the Sump saver designs with Sicce pumps.

Cone skimmers typically sit in shallower water compared to traditional skimmer bodies. Keep that in mind when choosing skimmer and setting up sump as well.

Have you thought about running your return pump externally to allow more room in your sump?

 

[Dary421]

I'd look at the Reef Octopus line. They have the sump saver designs where the pump is placed inside the body. These designs should fit your sump. I'd be more concerned with the pump type rather than the new and hot cone designs. The Super Reef Octos use the Water Blaster pumps which pull a lot of air with little water turbulence or flow. Another cheaper option in Reef Octopus skimmers are the Sump saver designs with Sicce pumps.

Cone skimmers typically sit in shallower water compared to traditional skimmer bodies. Keep that in mind when choosing skimmer and setting up sump as well.

Have you thought about running your return pump externally to allow more room in your sump?

The octopus skimmer I referred to was their space saver variety,..and about the only one that'll fit into that section,....the only problem with that one ( besides the fit) is it's not rated very high, ( tank size wise ) the Tunze is rated much higher and carries a very tiny footprint ,...the red sea monster kinda intrigues me,..and would not be outdated if and when I get a bigger tank and sump,.....I'd have to add a small pump ( which I have already ) and a return hose back to the sump and " egor,..the monster lives...".... I've got some messy eaters ( triggerfish) and probably at the tank's limit for fishes so over skimming is really what I've got in mind.

 

[177ichael]

Ratings by manufacturer seem to vary greatly... I'd look more so at the pump air draw ratings and size of the neck or riser tube for more telling info. I'd think on a 75g the SRO skimmer line would suit you well. This is assuming you can make room for it.

 

[Dary421]

I am so limited by the pro flex chamber #3 compartment size..., I'm going crazy reading all the specs from a zillion different skimmers ,sizes ,foot prints etc etc,...I've spent hours reviewing all the " reviews" about the different skimmers,...for every review that says a certain skimmer is a piece of crap ,than there's another that says they're beautiful and work super! ,..In my case there's the " semi sure thing" ,the Tunze 9011 or there's the real shot in the dark the red sea c- skim 1200-1800,( it seemed lie there was no reef octopus that would fit the bill ),,, either the reviews say that they're totally awesome or why in the he'll did I ever buy that piece of sh#t???
So ,..I decided on the " what the he'll attitude " ( I kinda like trying something different anyway) and ordered the red sea
skimmer,.... so, even if it turns out to be a horrible purchase than it's not the end of the
world by no means,...maybe later on I can advise someone who wants one of these ,..but for now, that's what I've done, good or bad, ....we' ll see what happens,..... Wish me luck!!!
S

 

[177ichael]

They all work. Good luck.

 

[Dary421]

Well it's been a couple of few weeks since I've taken command of my red sea c skim 1800 protien skimmer so I thought I'd give a brief summary on this monster for anyone thinking about getting one,..first off it is a monster of a beast which can either be set in your sump ( ideal ) or Plumed outside your sump ( mine).,.. I decided to order a red sea pump that was designed to supply this skimmer , however, the pump arrived inoperative due to a faulty impeller and had to be sent back to the manufacturer . ( still awaiting replacement) so I decided to run a supply line off of my main pump to supply the monster.
In my case (, plumbing outside the sump) it is soooooooooo important to have the skimmers outflow line to be above the high water mark of your sump,...the greater the angle from the skimmer the better,you want it running DOWN HILL !!!.. you do not want that return water to backup upon itself at all. ,failure to do so will result in the skimmer overflowing big time,..and trust me,.it overflows like a fire hose.
Once I figured out that situation ( user error ) the skimmer works as intended and supplies a biblical amount of foaming action... Adjustments can be little touchy at first so once dialed in it's best to leave it alone to do it's thing,..after my first flood or two i was wondering if I'd made the right decision but now I'm quite content with the purchase.,if you got the room this is an awesome and complex machine to own.