In Wall - going for it! - seeking your ideas/feedback/advice

[NC2WA]

Trido,

My H&S Skimmer that I got recently has a 10" diameter and is rated for 700 gallons. Talk about some serious skimmate.

Kirk

 

[class clown]

I put together a little comparison between the 4 skimmer options we've discussed so far. Comparing rated gallons to cost, it appears the AE Classic 400 will best meet my needs.

Any other options I should add to the list before solidifying this as the decision?

what's the best way to plumb two sump chambers together? I assume it's just a 1.5" piece of PVC connecting both together?

 

[Jan]

I have a 40 gallon breeder for sale for $70, 36" long.

 

[class clown]

I have a 40 gallon breeder for sale for $70, 36" long.

Now we're talkin! I'm not ready to jump on it yet, but it looks like I'll be coming you're way Jan.

 

[NC2WA]

Ben,

If cost is your only criteria for buying a skimmer, than yes this is the best option. However, IMHO, this should not be the only factor weighing your decision.

The questions that I used for buying my skimmer were, "what exactly do you want the skimmer to accomplish" AND "what type of tank are you going to have (FO, Reef, etc..) and will this skimmer support this type of tank."

Hopefully, these questions will give you a better perspective in your decision making. I was torn between the BM 250 and the H&S 250. I finally settled on H&S with the reason we talked about last week.

HTH,
Kirk

 

[Cwazy Clown]

hhah if you are looking for the 36x18 foot print, there are 3 tanks you can choose from...

30b. 14" tall ~75$ new
40b. 16" tall ~85$ new
50b. 18" tall ~95$ new.....but this one has a center brace on top

 

[class clown]

The questions that I used for buying my skimmer were, "what exactly do you want the skimmer to accomplish" AND "what type of tank are you going to have (FO, Reef, etc..) and will this skimmer support this type of tank."

Thanks kirk - it does help. So let me try to answer your questions.

• what to accomplish? - nice junk free quality tank water for a 240g predominately SPS
  
• type of reef? SPS

AE Classic 400, rated for 400 should get me there right? anything I'm overlooking?

 

[class clown]

hhah if you are looking for the 36x18 foot print, there are 3 tanks you can choose from...

30b. 14" tall ~75$ new
40b. 16" tall ~85$ new
50b. 18" tall ~95$ new.....but this one has a center brace on top

excellent - more options - thx Bolun!

 

[Cwazy Clown]

yup..but Jan's deal of the 40b is killer

the AE 400 classic seems perfect for your needs, and with that, you save $$ and if you had that, the euro could be sold so in the end, the AE would only cost 150ish....thats the price of a remora :lol:

 

[class clown]

yup..but Jan's deal of the 40b is killer

the AE 400 classic seems perfect for your needs, and with that, you save $$ and if you had that, the euro could be sold so in the end, the AE would only cost 150ish....thats the price of a remora :lol:

I was thinking it was a great price too. wonder about the quality, craftsmanship, and how well it works. Hoping Mark (skimmerwhisperer) would chime back in if he's seen one of these in action yet.

 

[trido]

I wasn't even thinking this route of adding another tank. How could they be connected together? or would they?

If your existing sump is acrylic we can do ANYTHING you want to it to make it work. If you want the fuge and sump tied together or separate I can come up with creative ways to make your system work for your needs. I spend alot of time surfing RDO and have come up with a few creative plumbing ideas in the last year or so.

 

[servo]

Check out Trigger Systems. www.triggersys.com

David owns/operates the company and is a personal friend. His quality is excellent and rivals/outcompetes any high end market skimmer. He'll put together anything custom. Send him a msg and tell him that you are a friend of mine!

 

[class clown]

Servo - I might do that. The AE 400 sounds great on the outside though and I doubt you can beat the price. Hoping someone can share some inside info on what it's all about..aaaahhh humm.. Mark (nudge)

Servo - I was also checking out your lighting rack build. That's exactly what I need to do. Help me put together an estimate...

• 3/4 inch angled iron -$25
• bike pully system - $25
• Rivit gun + rivits - $20

does $70 sound about right for something similar to yours? Also, you referenced being inspired by a person named "melev" - I'm not too familiar with "that other site" - could you help me find a link to the one he put together. I'm trying to get some build ideas scetched out.

 

[trido]

http://melevsreef.com/ Is this the one your talking about?

 

[NC2WA]

Ben,

I guess the question that needs to be answered (hopefully by Mark, ahem) is will the AE 400 produce enough skimmate for a SPS tank. If the answer is Yes, then you've narrowed down your choices. However, I would be interested in what the craftsmanship of this skimmer is before I would buy it. (but that is just me). Personally, I didnt mind spending a little extra $$$ on my skimmer as I knew my investment was giving me piece of mind.

HTH,
Kirk

 

[Skimmy]

well, i havent seen the aqua euro skimmer in action personally, but there is considerable amount of knowlegable people i know on reef central that use and love these skimmers, they are better/more powerful than the octopus skimmers, easier to mod, and cheaper...
here's a thread with more info on them from users:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1070192&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[class clown]

http://melevsreef.com/ Is this the one your talking about?

neat website. I searched for a while and only thing I could find was this pic.
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0704/tank_lit.jpg

I'm thinking angle iron, pop rivits, and DIY construction is the way to go. I'll be trying to draw up some plans later today or tomorrow.

 

[class clown]

AE400 - good enough for me. Been researching for the last hr or so and it's received good reviews on part's and craftsmanship. Sounds like a couple mods would help.

Good part's, good craftsmanship, good price = why not try it, right?

Plus I loved this picture:

Thanks Mark for turning me onto this option. Much appreciated my man.

 

[Skimmy]

yep, after mesh mod, that cup is gonna need a drain...

the only "restrictive" thing is the 4" neck in the cup, but you can still pack a crap ton of air through 4".
also, the other thing im dying to try is to see if the euroreef impellars drop right into these pumps like i suspect they do (as they do for the gen -x pumps) they are only $50 from euro reef.
and get a load of that price...amazing isnt it??

 

[dragoneggs]

My question is whether the depth of the tank can be appreciated if it's viewed from only one side in an in-wall. You might need to aquascape it so that the stuff in the back is still visible, you know?

I think either the 36" or the 48" would be great....

With acrylic, objects seem closer than they really are. I can easily see corals on the far sides of my tank in either direction (54in by 36in).