skimmers

[dwint]

i have been hearing about skimmers lately is there any reason for these in a comm tank?i dont have anything floating in my tank so i dont see a reason to have one

 

[ccCapt]

This may help answer your question.
Feature Article: Elemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water? — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

 

[Dary421]

i have been hearing about skimmers lately is there any reason for these in a comm tank?i dont have anything floating in my tank so i dont see a reason to have one

Ah ,you DON'T think you have anything floating in your tank,..... You'll be amazed as to how much smuck your skimmer will pull outa your clear water ...truly a wonderful device

 

[melosu58]

Ah ,you DON'T think you have anything floating in your tank,..... You'll be amazed as to how much smuck your skimmer will pull outa your clear water ...truly a wonderful device

I agree. I have crystal clear water and you should see the crap that my skimmer pulls out. For the bigger tanks I think they are great.

 

[mr_X]

Skimmers remove a lot of dissolved organic compounds. These are the ones you can't see.

 

[dwint]

i have a 75 gal.is there one out there that isnt too pricey

 

[mr_X]

in sump or hang on the back?

 

[dwint]

which is cheaper,i'm going through a divorce lol

 

[mr_X]

Do you have a sump? i would prefer an in sump skimmer if so. If you do, how much space do you have in it to fit a skimmer?
If you do not, what size tank is this?

 

[dwint]

i dont have a sump and its a 75 gal

 

[mr_X]

Something like this should work-
Reef Octopus BH 300 Dual Hang on Back Protein Skimmer - AquaCave

 

[dwint]

thanks mr x that price isnt to bad.i'll buy one when i can

 

[tonedogz]

you could look at the eshopps 100h bought one about two months ago working great and not to expensive

 

[mr_X]

That's way underpowered for a 75 gallon tank.

 

[tonedogz]

Well its rated for 75 to 100 gals and I have it on my 90 and its working great

 

[mr_X]

Right, but take those ratings with a grain of salt. The Eshoppes rep let me borrow one of them for my display tank at MACNA when it was in Atlantic City. I wouldn't use that on anything larger than maybe 40 gallons. It's comparable to the Coralife Super Skimmer 65, another skimmer that's loosely rated.
Generally, you want something rated for 1.5 to 2 x your total system volume.