Which Protein Skimmer Brand?

Hello everyone,

I am planning on building a new stand for my tank to house a large sump/fuge (about 75-90 G) and want to get all my ducks in a row before building.

I want to get a large skimmer (rated at or above 250 G) and was wondering what brand everyone would recommend and why?

I am currently debating between ASM, Reef Octopus, and Vertex. Let me know the pros/cons of each if you can, and if you could specifically recommend a model that would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

You can't decide just by brand. They all have differnet products for different price points and capacities. I know lots of folks like their ASMs, but I also hear plenty hate them. Vertex IN is a very good skimmer, and 280 is the biggest they make. Reef Octopus makes good skimmers.... Their cone skimmer with the Bubble Blaster 5000 pump would be good, but a bit more exspensive that the list you have.

What I would suggest that you don't have ais a SWC 250A. The "A" is for Askoll and is a very good pump. Reef octo has some cylinder skimmers with two Sicce pumps as does SWC, but the Askoll is very nice. Reef Octo has a Super Reef cone 5000 that would be nice too, but SWC has a cone as well with the Askoll pump. The cone is going to perform better, but cost you more.

So with what you want, I would suggest a SWC 250A ($550) or the cone 250A ($750) or even the 300A ($600), then a Super Reef 5000($500), or the super Reef cone 5000 at $625. The Bubble Blaster pump is showing a lot of promise, but is too new to comment on reliability right now. Askoll is proven. Very good pump. Try not to get sticker shock, a 250g system is not a budget tank. It will cost a bit to run. Vertex is about the best bang for the buck, and again, a really good skimmer, but it won't hang with the ones mentioned.

 

Wow. Thanks for the in depth response, I very much appreciate it. I was looking to spend around $600 for a skimmer, so all of what you have mentioned are quite viable. With that being said, from the list above what would be the best for me?

Right now I have a 125 G tank, and am going to add a large sump/fuge (75-90 G). I want to be able to take the skimmer from the set up I have now and be able to move it to a new tank once I get to that point.

I would like my future tank to be at least 250 G and I would like the skimmer to be able to perform on my tank now, and as well as the new tank without having to sell it for pennies on the dollar and then buy another, larger skimmer.

 

So you have a 125 now, and you will be adding a 75-90g sump fuge. You then want to leave room for going bigger in the future? How big do you want to go?

 

Yes that is correct. I would like to go bigger, and when I upgrade I was looking at around the 250-350 G range. I would not go larger than 350 G, and more realistically would go with a 300 G but would want a skimmer that could handle that size if I were to go that large.

Also, that would more than likely just be the size of the DT, I would then like to add a sump/fuge to that tank as well, thus increasing the water volume the skimmer would have to efficiently clean. But this would not be for at least another year or so for the new tank.

What do you think?

 

So with a 125 and a 90 sump, you probably only have 150g or so. Now if you go to a 300 with a 90g sump your like 350g. If it works out that way, going from a 150 to a 350 is sort of a big stretch. Sort of hard to ask a skimmer to cover that.

With the 150-180 you are on the edge of a Sicce....A Askoll is twice the pump, so you most certainly want to go with a Askoll of BB 5000 based skimmer. Some folks are getting 70-80 scfh out of the box, and others are pushing them to 105-110 scfh. I expect others will be doing the same with the BB soon. So you will be covered.

So the only thing is what size body? Small or big will not run optimally on either end, but it will be OK. You just need to be realistic about if you are going bigger, and how big you are going. But you do want the bigger skimmer and a pump doing in the 100 scfh will handle a pretty large tank. So you could get a 250 and plug it in, or a 300 and push it. For the time being, it will be overkill on the 125, but not terribly so.

 

XTREME 250A Protein Skimmer

XTREME 300A Protein Skimmer

I agree, the Askoll pumps are monsters. We are offering free shipping on all skimmer orders placed by this Friday.

 

Thanks for the response. Very intuitive and technical. Not sure I understood everything, but will make sure to look it up and verify everything.

I was told that even if I get a skimmer that would be considered overkill on my tank now, I could turn the skimmer off for a few days and it would be okay. Is this correct?

 

That is an awesome deal! But unfortunately, being a full time college student has drained my money reserves and I do not have the cash to purchase one right this moment. I hate being poor and in college!

 

I feel you there. I'm full a full time student right now too. It will be well worth it when we get done though