In Sump Skimmer

[alexwolf]

Can anyone recommend a good in sump protein skimmer besides Matt's and the Aqua C EV series?

[alexwolf]

hey those look nice and are reasonable! Calcium reactors also.

[RobertG]

I like my Dutch Skimmer. Seems to do good job. It was on my 115.

[MikeP]

Euroreefs are excellent in my experience. I have an 8-3 and besides being extremely efficient they are easy to adjust via the riser tube. The only downside is if the pump ever goes it's not real common but reasonable to replace cost wise - they are very durable however. Myself I have a CS 8-3 , you can use the ES line which I believe just uses a lower grade of acrylic and might not be safe to use ozone with, other than that identical to the CS line.

Aquatek sells Euroreef skimmers and Roger price matched Marine Depot's price on the skimmer (actually I think the prices are set the same regardless). Highly reccomended!

[Tim Marvin]

Bump........

[Tim Marvin]

Alex, you have to be very careful with the my reef creations. They are pretty good looking, do a good job, but they are made with the thinnest materials possible and you have to be gentle with them or you will break it. Matt's are expensive, but made to last. Maybe you could work something out with him like a partial trade or something..?
Roger is a great guy to deal with also and usually has top quality equipment as well as excellent customer service.

[alexwolf]

I purchased a Aqua C EV-150 from reefcentral, and when it came in it was another 90!!! The guy told me to send it back then refused my shipment. Now im stuck with a 90 that is too small for the $180. I only have $200 to spend, which is the $150 I can sell the 90 for and $50 other that i have, I founf a myreefcreations with a mag 18 for $250. I have no problem being gentle lol. I know Matts skimmers are good, but they are just out of my ballpark.

[Tim Marvin]

Did you pay with a credit card? You can have the charges reversed to that guy on RC. Probably paid up front to an individual though right....? I know how that goes, BELEIVE me.

[alexwolf]

i paid via paypal, and they wont do anything. If i charge back, payal will get hit and its not their problem. I just had them charged back for $450 for a purse that i bought for my wife, it was her xmas present and it was fake :| THey said next time they are taking away my paypal account.

[COBRA201]

hey, have you seen the skimmers from Lifereef Filter Systems. They look good but i have not done any reserch on them.

[matt]

Have you contacted the moderators on reefcentral about this? If this guy is selling fraudulently on their site, they need to know. Alex, looking at the myreefcreations site, the cheapest thing I see is $245 for the small skimmer (4 1/2" tube) w/out any pump. I don't think that skimmer would be any better than your aquaC, and probably not as durable. Maybe you're talking about a used skimmer?
Good luck in finding something.

[alexwolf]

Its a new in box, the second bigger one, with a used mag 18 for $250. Its not from their website, but a reseller.

[alexwolf]

Its the MR-2

[matt]

I use 1/4" wall tube and 3/8" sheet for flanges, BUT, and this is the important part, I only use Spartech polycast. This stuff is almost twice as expensive as imported cast. It has MUCH better cementing properties than the imported stuff because the molecular weight is more consistent. So, it melts evenly with the solvent used for cementing. The cheap stuff can machine fine, polish fine, but due to quality issues in the manufacturing, can result in inconsistent joints. I would seriously doubt that MRC is using Spartech. (I could be wrong, but at $250/sheet and $35/ft for 6" tube...) Plus, I think MRC skimmers are flame polished. This is a process that saves all sorts of time in polishing, but is a real no-no in terms of pro-quality fabrication. Flame polishing stresses acrylic, and leaves it far more susceptible to cracking and crazing, especially when subjected to any sort of solvent.

You know, when I look at this stuff, I feel like my stuff is underpriced. My small skimmer, which is roughly equal in size to the MR-3, is about $50 more than the price on his website. Considering the higher quality materials, and some design issues that are IMO very important, I wouldn't call mine expensive.

[Tim Marvin]

I have a My Reef Creation Reactor and it flexes a lot when I move it. I try not to touch it much for fear it might crack.

[alexwolf]

sounds like you need to sell that reactor :-D

[dan]

for the extra 50.00 i would definetly buy the matt skimmer. not only that but the man is here in town to answer all your questions.

[alexwolf]

but its not $50, its at least $250 with the pump

[dan]

don't you have to buy a pump anyway?

[alexwolf]

no, i found the MR-2 with a mag 18 for $250, brand new skimmer but slightly used pump. If i could touch a Matts for that I would.

[dan]

well i can see your point. matt should start a layaway.

[alexwolf]

LOL thats a good idea.

[StephenA]

I like my Tunze (http://www.tunze.com/usa/index.html?lang=en-gb) Sump Skimmer. Never acts up and does a good job at filling the scum cup with just trash.

[matt]

Yes, I've made one dual injector skimmer. IMO, they must be very large to work correctly. And, the injectors should be mounted at the top of the water column, next to the collection cup. Blake (wkopplin) has the dual beckett skimmer that I made. If you have less than 5 gallons or so of capacity in the tube and box, 2 injectors is probably not an advantage; in fact, it might interfere with the skimmer's performance. This is because you need to push a lot of water through each injector, and in a small skimmer, doing this lowers contact time. Plus, the injectors work best when they're mounted so that gravity helps pull water through them and accelerate through the injector tube. Then, you need a nice big foam tube which allows the water to slow down, disperses turbulence, and builds a nice stable foam head. This is why I don't like the smaller "second riser"; all it does compensate for the fact that there's too much turbulence in the main riser, and it lowers the overall volume of the skimmer.

Tim, your reactor might be an old one out of extruded; I think Jim Norris used to have one. Reactors are really pretty simple devices, but I've found they work better when you can put a little pressure in them by restricting the effluent flow a bit at the end. This, in theory anyway, increases the solubility of CO2 in the water. I don't really know if it's true. It's possible that really good circulation in the reactor (pressure pump!) does more for that than anything, and, of course, a large capacity.

[beareef19]

By the time you get what you want, you probably would have saved money by going with Matt,s skimmer and had alot less hassel and a very well made piece of equipment.

[dan]

i would buy one of matts if mine did'nt work so well. alex just save up the money and buy matts. i know thats what you want!

[StephenA]

Stephen, how do you get that Tunze to skim dry? I currently have a Tunze and it makes tea for me. :lol: I want some black coffee! (with sugar is fine)

If it's older than 6 mo, clean it in 5Gal of water with one cup of Muratic Acid. If you don't have acid let it sit in vinager. I let mine sit like this for a hour about every 3 months. Then open the valve 3 full turns. If I go to 4 I get tea. The water level seems to be very important on these things. If I keep mine on the lower side of the marks it runs better.

Does Matt make one suitable for a 120Gal? I don't think my Tunze will do a good job on my new tank. I bought it for a 72Gal.

[Gator]

mat can make them for any size tank, he can even make a 9 foot skimmer that would be cool you would probally have to hook it up to the closest fire hydrant for flow/pressure :-D

[StephenA]

mat can make them for any size tank, he can even make a 9 foot skimmer that would be cool you would probally have to hook it up to the closest fire hydrant for flow/pressure :-D

My wife would kick me out! But I'd like it. Are the prices good?

[Gator]

i think they are underpriced compared to other like skimmers, mabey you can convince your wife to put a 6 foot skimmer on each side of the tabk, kinda like colums

[StephenA]

That would balance it out!

[dan]

ya you would have that nice ocean smell. you could put a fan next to it and think you were on the beach, with the wind in your hair. he he he