Sealife Systems Venturi Skimmers... any good?

[GatorDrew]

My LFS recommended my the NV150 by Sealife. He said that there are better skimmers out there, but this one gives me the "biggest bang for my buck." He sold it as a really good skimmer.

However, I have a predator tank. There will be roughly 4-5 fishes (groupers, eels, etc). It's 90G w/ 110 of live rock. Would this system work well with my tank?

Thoughts?

Sincerely,
Andrew Tatum

[tecwzrd]

Let me guess, the lfs sells this for $250+. I’m always extremely leery of lfs pushing a particular product which they always say is “The Best� whatever which also usually happens to be the most expensive.

I’ve heard of Sealife Systems skimmers but don’t have firsthand knowledge of how well they perform. I assume since it’s a sump skimmer you have a sump. The main page is down but this site lists it for $159.00

IMO the following would be a better match for your sized tank and fish load.

ASM - G2 Protein Skimmer (sump)
Kent Marine Nautilus EX Skimmer (sump)
Reef Devil Deluxe (sump)
AquaC EV skimmer (sump)
AquaC Remora Pro (HOB)

[GatorDrew]

He'll actually sell it to me for that price... $159.

Looking at those other pumps... I would be looking at something that's almost double the cost. What is the main advantage/difference between the Sealife Skimmer and the, let's say, AquaC or Kent skimmer... which is $50-$75 more?

Thanks for your response! I appreciate it!

[tecwzrd]

The Aqua EV series and Kent skimmers are designed for tanks 200-400 gal and will better handle the bio-load for your 90 gal tank. That and they have a well proven record in this industry. The Kent TE skimmer is actually cheaper at drsfostersmith.com for $140.00

I’m glad your lfs is being honest. Most of the ones around here and elsewhere mark them up 100+%

I’m not sure what the NV150 is rated for since I haven’t used it or even seen reviews on it.

[GatorDrew]

The Kent is cheaper... but the NV150 was $159 with the pump. When should I invest in this? Is it necessary right now or could it be done after 6 weeks of the aquarium running?

Reason being is that right now I have a pretty small size wet/dry. I would probably be investing in a 20G long sump or something with live rock. That should be fine, correct?

[tecwzrd]

The skimmer can be added at any time. I assume it’s a regular 48� long 90 and with the 18� wide you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a 20 long or even a 29 gal (30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 ¾) in the bottom. I’d get the biggest you can fit since you will only be able to fill it up 2/3 in case of backflow from the tank if the power goes out. Either should give you plenty of room for whatever skimmer you choose.