Skimmer Questions

[Mackey256]

As you may have read in the “How to quiet a noisy filtration system?” thread I have been fighting with two Skilter 400 Power Filters for about a week now. My ears are bleeding from the noise they produce and after doing much research and experimentation I have found that these filters are completely useless.

I have decided to go ahead and pick up two Aqua C Remora HOB skimmers in the next few weeks ($$$ permitting). Due to my tanks size of 125 gallons, I plan on going with two of the lower end Remora filters that come with a Maxi-Jet 1200 Pump (rated at 75 gph each) as opposed to the pro models. I have read that the RIO pumps that these usually ship with aren’t nearly as good or quiet as the Maxi-Jet pumps so I plan on getting the Maxi-Jet pumps.

I have two questions for you guys…

Has anyone had any experience with these skimmers?

Do I still need a mechanical filtration system with a skimmer?

I have read a ton of conflicting information about weather or not to use mechanical filtration and I am now totally confused as to if I need it or not. So if you can only answer one question I hope it’s the second one…



Thanks in advance,
Brad

 

[Devilishturtles]

Sorry, don't own a Aqua C, although one is on my christmas list...if I don't buy it beforehand.

No, you don't need any other mechanical filtration. Two skimmers and some powerheads (for additional flow) would be very efficient. I forgot, are you doing a reef tank, or FOWLR? Actually, with a lot of people, myself included, mechanical filtration did no help to my tank, and instead created this breeding ground for nitrates. I removed the filter, and a lot of my nitrate problems went away.

HTH

 

[captivereefs]

You will not be disappointed with the remoras. I used to sell 5 a week and never had a complaint on them for over 2 years! They will sound fairly loud at first but give them some time and they will get very quiet. Break in time is about 2-3 weeks for noise reduction and about a week for good skimming to start. With the skimmers you need no mechanical filtration. Just remember to clean the skimmers every other month or performance will suffer as the pumps get dirty and produce less flow. Just ,make sure you have good enough flow to keep the detritus in suspension to get removed by the skimmer!

 

[RTV]

I have the exact setup- 2 aqua c remora's on a 125- I do run a cannister filter - fluval fx5.. to this point have had no trouble with nitrates-

I do have a question though- of the aqua c's- one is skimming a ton- I'm having to empty the collection cup every few days- the other hanging on the other end of the tank is barely skimming anything at all- I have checked and rechecked my setup and everything is exactly the same on both skimmers- what would cause one to be working perfectly and the other to not be collecting anything at all?

 

[austinsdad]

Might wanna check this thread/post out.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=89021

 

[Mackey256]

That is exactly what I expected to hear about this. Everywhere I go I find that some people love it and some people hate it. When I look at reviews for my current filtration setup all I hear is that EVERYONE HATES IT. So I guess a split group is better than what I got. I’ll have to do some more research on this one before I make a final decision. Thanks for the link austinsdad, I stumbled upon that during my earlier research but it’s nice to have in this thread for continuities sake.

I’m currently running a Fish only tank with live sand to answer an earlier question.

I’ll keep everyone posted on what happens with this whole skimmer search.

Thanks,
Brad