electric bill

Switch to needle wheel skimmers. You could run both tank skimmers for less than the Mag 9.5 is doing. Get rid of a 18. But ya, you just use a ton of electricity.

 

I have been looking all night at skimmers they are 1500 for a 100-400 skimmer unless they are beckety injected the becket like the pm model 3 is way less they just require a big pump. I am on the fence here.

 

$1500??? A vertex 220... a SWC 250A... or are you talking for the two.... perhaps.... however, Beckets are relatively cheap, but then you have to buy a powerful pump, then you have to pay for that powerful pump over it's life..... I mean you are not really saving anything.

 

I have a pm skimmer right now its great and out works the needlewheel on the 92 which is a euroreef and the pm redline that is in the sump on the red sea max 130d. The pm bullet out skims the others hands down. I paid 3something for my pm and then bought the pump. I have looked at the large bubble king and others that are larger skimmer that are a ton of money 1500 plus for ratings of 100-400 gallons? Seriously I cant find a better product at a resonable price. The skimmer market is pretty lame if you ask me. Pm has bee good to me price and quality wise. The customer service is also awesome at pm. I just cant find something that will carry a heavy bio load for the 220 in any other skimmer that is at any type of good price.

 

z

$1,500 is pretty high.

I will never do a beckett again. I still have bad dreams about the bullet. Needle wheels are much better IMO.

If you get the i-Tech model 400 it's $825 with the Laguna pump- a heck of a skimmer. I would say it's good for around 250 gallons, maybe more. The super beast would easily do 350+ gallons. I really, really like my i-Tech.

 

I see what your saying but its a 220 with an 60 gallon sump so its 280 gallons. these skimmers are reated for 250 but in reality they are rated for 175. The Pm skimmers the bullet 1 is rated for a 150 and can be overun for 200 easily and that is under heavy bio load? I have seen it first hand. I have a larger skimmer then this from pm and its effecient. I guess I cant find anything comparitive for a regular price. I can get the xl1 from pm for just over 1000 and that is a 750 gallon skimmer and it will kill 750 gallon? I just dont get how I need to spend 1000 to get maybe 200 gallons out of a needle wheel skimmer? I dont mind going needle wheel just show me one for a decent price that can handle a large tank like mine and also have a set of chestnuts.....

 

Don't forget the glass, substrate, and rocks displace a lot of water. How much rock and substrate do you have? Your 220 probably only holds 200 empty. the 60 about 50. That makes it hold 250gallons before any substrate or rock.

I have a 50 gallon tank that only holds 44 gallons when empty.

 

No, the 400 would easily do a 250 heavily stocked. If you look on their site, they aren't even given gallon ratings. Call John and talk to him and he can explain. I know a guy with an i-Tech 200 on a 180 with large sump heavily stocked and it handles it with ease. And No, a 220 with a 60 sump is not 280 gallons. Is your 60 gallon 100% full? Probably not, it's a sump. Then account for water displacement from rock and sand.

 

No your right I figure its probally about 180 gallons of water yes. I also have had a few skimmers on this tank and had bad luck until I went with becket injection. I am not opposed to a different skimmer but if you look at the pm for example of a xl 1 or even check out a pm bullet3 specs compared to these. I will listen to john but look at the specs and pics and see if they compare. I will check these out for sure just seems like im comparing apples and oranges.

 

I had bad luck until I went with one of the i-Tech's. They're like an ATB, only a bit different, skim better, and you pay less. That Laguna pump on the 400 is awesome. If you look at ReefCentral at all go to the i-Tech skimmer club thread. You'll see all sorts of different setups, how many gallons and what model, etc. - the customer service can't be beat (and I had good experience with PM support before too). Quite a few people in the local club are switching to these.

I highly recommend a needle wheel. You will save money in the long run. I had a mag 12 on my bullet 1 and the average temperature and tank fan run time dropped after removing it.