Best Skimmer at any Price

what yall know about the OMEGA?

vx-om150 Premium Aquatics - vx-om150 Aquarium Supplies

 

Nothing first hand...they haven't started shipping. Should be a performer based upon specs and Vertex quality.

 

ASM (All Seas Marine) G3

You'll be good from 60-120g. I like these because they operate well at multiple water levels. The only problem is that the sedra pumps kinda suck over time. I've had more problems with the Sedra3500 pumps from the G2. The Sedra5000 seem to work a lot better over time.

 

I agree

Skimmers are only about 20-30% efficient at removing waste and it has been proven there is not much difference between types of skimmers, including price

 

That is a little misleading, from the article I listed, they only removed about 20-30% of testable TOC. However, there were also some organics that they removed almost all of. We have no idea how much bioavailable and labile waste skimming removes versus refractory waste for example.

 

I don't think that is the correct conslusion to draw from the study. Along with m2434's note, there are a whole range of factors affecting the value of skimmers.

I took a look at their experimental design, and while their experiment is hugely useful, there is much left to consider. Labile means readily capable of change. These are the chemically relevant organics. Their method was to skim a system where the majority of the TOC was in solution. A good skimmer alos removes a lot of particulate matter.

As a matter of fact, if you have a system for converting organics into particulate matter, like biopellets or really any other thing growing plankton, bacteria, or algae that will enter the water column, then you can, in fact, convert some portion of the remaining 65% into skimable matter and significantly increase the efficiency.

Even at 30 or 35%, there are a whole host of reasons why this is huge. With some of the modern modifications and additions, it becomes essential (if you don't think a skimmer does much, run biopellets or zeovit without one for a while).

 

skimmers are only 20-30% efficient at removing waste, that does not mean they necessarily remove 20-30% of existing waste, it may be more or less depending on many factors including how it's set up, hours run, with or without ozone, etc.



http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

 

I like my Warner Marine MF161 for the price. its near silent, works great and only draws about 15 watts. However Warner Marine isnt currently making skimmeres. They are modified version of the skimz brand.

 

I thought that the old Warner skimmers were being made by AquaMaxx now. I'm not sure about the one you mentioned though, also, I am not sure if AquaMaxx is using the same pumps... They do get great reviews though, so, one more to look into, especially if you liked the Warner skimmers.

 

I believe that is correct, I went and looked at the aquamaxx skimmers and they do resemble the older versions of Warner Marine skimmers.