Skimmer...Needlewheel or Recirculating

[LoneStar]

Ok you skimmer gurus, what would be the best fit for a 115g (75g display 40g sump) bare bottom SPS system with a medium fish bioload. I am looking at needle wheels and also recirculating skimmers. Although beckets are nice and work very well, I do not want to use one on this system. I had one on my last tank but do not want that much of a power draw. I'd rather save the wattage for lighting :)

So far, and this is very preliminary, the ASM G3 is a front runner. Cheap, well built, and performs well.

Some others I am considering are Euroreef (both needle wheel and recirculating), H&S needlewheel, and those Octopus recirculating skimmers.

Would a recirculating skimmer perform better than a needlewheel skimmer? I have been reading ReefCentral for the past 5 days on all sorts of brands. Everyone has their own 'fan club' for their particular brand. Each boast how well theirs works, but sometimes the info gets diluted.

Being a barebottom system, I am going too need a kick ***** skimmer to keep up with the tank. My budget is $300 to $400 but can delay the project if needed to save for a nicer skimmer. This is probably going to be the last piece of equipment I will buy for this tank, since I will not need it until the tank is all put together and filling with water.

[Richard]

Well my pump went out for my ev240. It's worked well for me but I am going to go with a NW instead of getting a new pump. I'm down to either ASM or a Coralife Super Skimmer (the 220 gallon one).

ASM - because they are cheaper than the Euro Reef and everyone who uses them seem to like them alot

Coralife SS 220 gallon - because they are REALLY cheap and the few people I know using them say they are skimming really well and have been impressed by them considering how cheap they are. From what I have read, the smaller versions use rio pumps so I would avoid them just because of that. Not sure what brand of pump the bigger one comes with.

[caferacermike]

I'd shoot for a ER recirc as they come with needlewheels. But then again so do Deltec and H&S. ASM is only a one time through needle wheel. I've been all over the place as of late for skimmers as I need one for my 400g. H&S is the clear front runner, hands down. Then Deltec followed by ER. Of course there are models like the BubbleKing at $3,000 but are so expensive and elusive as to not really qualify.

BubbleKing, Unobtanium

H&S, Ferrari
Deltec, Mercedes
Euroreef, Cadillac
Ocotpus, Kia.

Bubble Master at $750? Kinda like a Lotus. Cute but not much information.

My self I want a ER RC500. I think it will do everything I want it to. Although I'm watching the bubble master to see how it pans out. For the best value I always seem to lean towards Euroreef. I'd question if you need a recirculating model or a larger needlewheel. For somethign liek a 75g tank I'd look into electrical savings, IE would a 300g rated needlewheel use less energy than a recirc model with 2 pumps rated for a 150g? I'd say go for the ones that have a trusted name in pump manufacturer, that would be Ehiem. Whatever model you get if you can get it with Eheim, do it. I have an older ESV5 Euroreef ratde for 80g on my 75 and it works great. If you have money to burn then definitely check out the Deltec lines and the H&S as they all use quality pumps. I'd stay away from the Ocotpus brand as they are new and Chinese knockoffs. The pumps look bulky. I've heard they are not energy efficient, as in they give off heat. Heat is an indicator that energy is being wasted as heat instead of as spinning energy. No point in spending money on a pump that uses more electricity and a smaller tank rating that is only adding heat to the tank. Don't we already spend enough trying to keep our tanks at 74-77F? I'd also be worried that you buy it and then 6 months to a year later hte pump or impeller craps out. then what?

I'm in no position to order you to buy any skimmer is it really comes down to what you want and what you can afford. If I can give any advice it would be to get the one with the highest quality pump. If the pump quits running you just have a very expensive piece of plastic.

[matt]

Recirculating skimmers are needlewheel. The main advantages with the recirculating skimmers are that you can use them externally, and they allow for a larger pump (or pumps) which means more air gets in the water and there's more contact time for a given pump size/tube size. If you have a single medium sized pump, like the sedra 5000, on a decent size tube, like 24" of 6" tube, I don't think the recirculating feature adds much. But, if recirculating allowed you to use a bigger pump on the same tube you'd probably notice a big improvement.

[LoneStar]

Recirculating skimmers are needlewheel.


Yeah they both are, but figured I would distinguish them a little differently for the discussion of each.

Thanks for the input! Keep it coming.

[kingfish]

BubbleKing, Unobtanium

H&S, Ferrari
Deltec, Mercedes
Euroreef, Cadillac
Ocotpus, Kia.


Have you used any of these skimmers other than Euroreef? Because the octopus is way better than a "kia" it uses the same exact pump bodies that Aquamedic uses, so is Aquamedic also comparable to a Kia.
And Deltec is on the same level if not higher than H&S, so its more like comparing a ferrari to a lamborgini, unless you are refering to the mercedes Mclaran slr.

[LoneStar]

Euroreef makes great skimmers in my opinion. Does anyone know how 'close' the ratings are for Euroreef, H&S, and Deltec? Some of their recirculating skimmers could work in my budget, but they are rated for around 100 gallons or so. I've always doubled the ratting on my skimmer compared to what my total volume actually is. But then again I have not ever used any 'top of the line' units before. So is it true to think that when these manufacturers say 'rated for 125g', they mean it?

I do know they all test their equipment differently and come up with different results but I always like hearing first hand results from the end users :)

[purplesprite]

Ive had the octopus rps-1000 its fragile,loud, and it will not restart itself after a power outage.You have to blow into the venturi to get it started agin.I have the euroreef rc80 now and its very sensitive.It doesnt have a drain valve on the skimmer cup, which is a very nice feature to have.Other than that it works great!IMO..
my 2cents
-jorge