So many questions.. (about skimmers)

Hi everyone, Well I will be picking up some equipment from my brother today to begin my 75g build. He has a 300g set up and has lots of goody's for me to use until I purchase my own stuff.
I do have a question on Protein skimmers.....
When I set my system up with what would be a good Skimmer for a 75g. I don't need top of the line, maybe somewhere in between. I don't know a thing about skimmers to make my decision on a good unit.
Also do you have to empty the cup everyday or does a larger unit let you do it less often. No I'm not lazy, It's just a question.
Also is a skimmer required immediately or can it be installed some time down the line... For now my set up is going to be a FOWLR but will be adding soft corals eventually.
Thanks for the advise and I look forward to getting some pictures up over the next few weeks

 

will you have a sump or do you need a hang on the back model?

 

Sorry, I forgot that bit of information. Yes I will be using a sump or wet/dry, will also be considering a refugium but not sure yet or if I need one.

 

Most skimmers that don't have a drain can be modded to add a drain to the skimmer cup for less than $5.

The important thing to know (at least IMO) is that for a 75g tank, buy a skimmer rated for a 120. For a 100g tank, buy a skimmer rated for a 180. For a 120g skimmer, buy one rated for a 200. yada, yada, yada.

Tanks can be run skimmerless but if you're new to the hobby, I wouldn't advise it. It will let you do less waterchanges, keep pH more steady, compensate for a newer persons tendency to overfeed, etc.

 

Good advice. I have about 25g of h2o in my system and my skimmer is rated for 75g. The water clarity is so much superior when you are skimming. I got to compare a few weeks ago when the skimmer pump broke and the whole thing was down for 2 weeks til I could fix it. I wanted to shoot myself everytime I saw that yellow tint in the water. Water changes did nothing to remove that hue. But the skimmer sure did when it came back on!

 

When buying a skimmer pay the extra money to get a good one, the better ones make such a difference, and from my experience I don't empty the skim mate every day, probably once every 10 days. I like my Euro Reef and have not had any probs with it and it has been running strong for almost 3 years.

 

Yes! I bought a cheap one and have had to do so many modifications to make it work that I constantly regret the choice. That being said, I now know how make a cheap skimmer run. I've finally got mine completely dialed. However, it would be so nice to have one that just plugs in and skims--no fuss, no mess, no cursing.

 

How is the Aqua C model EV-180, My brother gave me it along with a Danner Mag Drive #7 pump, but I need to put a new pigtail on it, he cut it off for some reason.
Will this skimmer along with the pump be adequate for a 75 gallon set up?

 

Thats the skimmer I am using on my 75 gallon tank or was till the impeller broke on the Mag drive pump I was using. Just ordered replacement parts.

When you replace the plug on that pump I would suggest that you first solider the wires together then tape them. Then I would use one of those heat shrink wire covers, but with a little extra added protection, silicone under it before shrinking it but don't let the silicone dry. This makes an almost perfect water tight connection.