Too much skimmer?

I am not sure about air numbers for the new pumps but the 600 that is on the 160 moves 661 gpm compared to the 2500 which moves 660 and the 1000 used on the 200 is 880 gpm.
I don't know how that converts to air draw and am sure it depends on the wheel used, just what I read on glassbox.

Thanks for the info powerman it makes perfect sense.

 

Powerman what skimmer are you running on your 90 now and are you happy with it?

 

SRO XP2000..... works well on my 90.... but if your gonna buy that.... go for powermans K2... which is a little but more higher on the totem pole.

 

I thought about the k2 but I read one side is 15.5 and my skimmer section is 14.5x14.5 so I don't think it will fit. I read your review on the 2000 and am considering that skimmer as well. Or possibly the atb 840 is another skimmer I was thinking about. I need to read powers thread to see what skimmer he is running now and if he is happy with it.

 

Yelp ive heard that they base skimmer size on FOWLR. And to double the size for a reef.

 

most people go double or some even triple, but it's definitely possible to overskim once you go many times the recommendation.

 

Never heard that in my life. Not that I have been in the hobby for ever, but skimmers are sort of a side hobby for me. I have not ever seen any of the more popular reputable skimmer manufacturers out today go by such claim.

 

Over skimming is a myth. There is no such data that supports any claim that a skimmer can pull too much nutrients out of a system. If that was the case, we would all have huge skimmers and carbon dosing and fuges would have never been bothered with. Further more there is no data that supports the claim that skimmers pull out anything but hydropholic dissolved organics... trace elements and all that stuff. The only thing that is removed is those trace elements bound in the waste.... filter floss accomplishes the same thing.

Grossly oversized skimmers on small systems pull out less organics than properly sized ones. The neck is too large to support the formation of a proper foam head with so little organics and will only intermittently spit out bits. So the amount of DOC in the tank has to rise to a point to allow the skimmer to operate to get rid of them.

Now in years gone past.... makers claimed a puny little skimmer by todays standards could run a 800g system. So they would put it on a small system and yada yada. But it was no where near oversized.... just overrated. Most reputable makers today go by some general rules or ratings with regards to air draw, reaction chamber size, neck size, water though put.... so they are all in the same ball park by those numbers.

 

The out put piping can be turned to change the foot print a bit. Plus depending on how you orientate it in the sump. With yours being square you can put the pump in the corner and angle it.

The 840 is an awesome skimmer. Nothing wrong with it. Cones are designed to reduce turbulence, the K2 holds the title for that. The bubbles are mesmerizing.... they just get in line and rise up. There is no discernible bubble line between water and bubble. Been called the bubble elevator. But both have pros and cons and are pretty neck and neck depending on what you are looking for.

They did a lot of things right with the XP-2000. Not as nice as a WM or ATB, but performs darn well. It was a home run with the new bubble blaster line of pumps.

 

you say what you want, all I know is my experience. When I put a coralife 125 on a 10 gallon nano, the corals(frogspawn, zoas, mushrooms) started to look horrible. Then when I go tired of having such a rediculously sized skimmer for the tank I took it off, and the corals looked better.

btw I did get adjusted so it was pulling some stuff out.

I'm sure you can say thats only anecdotal, which it is, but I know I will never run anything greater then 4x the recommend tank size. What's the most overrated skimmer you have ever seen? keep in mind the 10g was at 12.5x