Just bought a Tunze 9002

been plugged in for about an hour and already skimming! ;D

 

That is awesome!

 

Tank is doing soo much better after installing this and doing a water change. Getting tons of skim mate now. Way better then my reef octopus was. Water is also clearer now.

 

That is awesome!!!!

 

I think she was implying that you should get a skimmer rated for twice what your tank is. Not actually doubling your water volume for the skimmer. its actually a great rule of thumb to follow. It allows for more bio load on a system as well as the peace of mind knowing if you wanted to get a bigger tank, you wont shell out another hundreds of dollars for a new skimmer.

OP. make sure to post pics. I think i may look at the tunze if i ever wanted to upgrade from my mini 115.

 

http://www.3reef.com/forums/general...-hex-new-pics-skimmer-126601.html#post1253868

 

It's actually a poor rule of thumb. Filtration does not determine bio load, O2 levels do. Having a bigger skimmer does not change how much O2 SW can hold.

And if you don't go to a bigger tank, you spent more money, use more power, and take up more space for absolutely no return. A skimmer can only bridge a span of about 2x volume... but if you bought a skimmer rated for twice the tank it would not work so great on the small tank, and it would be maxed on the bigger one. Very few people actually double size and skimmer purchases based on some maybe future purchase is not very prudent.

The only good time to go 2x skimmer rating is if you KNOW you will be doubling your system in the NEAR future and you are willing to put up with a skimmer operating at it's very edge on the small end and the big end. It's best to make your purchasing decisions based on getting a skimmer that will do the best job for the system it will be working on.

 

Glad to hear your new skimmer is working out for you Sollie.

 

I have never heard it put like that lol. I've always been told to do twice your tank volume when buying a skimmer, but I didn't even follow that rule when I bought mine lol. Everything you said made complete since to me. ;D

 

I think the whole double your skimmer rule is based more on the assumption that most skimmer companies overrate their products, but I haven't seen one yet that did. Every skimmer I've run could pull everything out quick enough to stop skimming for awhile each day. Going to big can actually decrease skimming because your system might not have the bio load to hold the foam head stable. From what I've seen, the wider the skimmer neck, the less stable the foam head stays when nutrients get low. This means bigger skimmers leave a greater percentage of nutrient behind, but if they are properly matched to a system, that percentage will be just as clean as one properly matched to a smaller system. I'm not sure if I even follow my logic here, but it's late lol.

Michael Rice
Marine Engineers Aquarium Blog
Sent from Tapatalk so excuse my poor English