o2manyfish - Skimmer Comparison

[Maxx]

Hi Aaron,

Welcome to the board!

To echo Haole, I'd suggest checking out some of the european manufactured skimmers.
You live in Europe so tech support is infinately easier to get with "local" manufacturers. Also, if I understand correctly, the cost of electricity is substantially higher in Europe than here in the US. With that in mind, using a beckett driven skimmer which needs a huge power hungry pump to feed may not be your best choice. If the cost is more reasonable than what we pay over here, I would suggest looking into either Deltec or H&S skimmers....

Nick

 

[rsdino]

is that the same skimmer as in the tests

Gday Rob,
Im slowly working my way into the hobby.
I mean iv had the ol freshy a few times but its always been the salties that get me goin.
I have checked out the skimmer on that website but it says its only for an aquarium up to 100gallons, and im right on that one.
In the tests i thought it was one for up to around 3 or 4 hundred gallons, thats why i was asking if i could overskim an aquarium, cos the price is right
attached is a photo of an aquarium that gave me the idea, im in the process now of gathering all my resources together.
i have a plumber living next door that says he will give me a hand
a good friend of mine is in the advertising business and works alot with plexiglass and plastics and has a good delivery man plus he had the fandangled cutting machine at his work so i can cut out the shapes all computer controlled, im thinking of putting the base on another layer of glass just to stable it all out.
i have another good friend who is a carpenter whom i have talked to about building the base and lid.
i have just had a baby daughter so i will be closing the lid on the aquarium.
the sump i am contemplating setting up as the full shape of the bottom of the base.
ok too much talk
photos
except i like the idea of adding another back wall so that the overflow is the whole wall at the back - if that makes sence.
these are only ideas, i have just found photos from someone else and are using them as a base.
the base of the aquarium i would like similar except the extra wide should go all the way to the ground

 

[rsdino]

appreciate it

Gday Nick
Thats funny that, I have had a look at Deltec, I recon they are spot on with their work, I just liked the price of the Via Aqua Skimmer.
With respect to electricity you are probably right.
I just have the view that if im paying my electricity bill anyway why not just add to it. Na not really, if it its really that much difference.
Im all ears.
ps here is a dodgy drawing trying to explain the overflow with holes for the two drains and 3 returns

 

[Maxx]

Aaron,

I'd suggest starting thread in the members show case forum. That looks like an awesome set up!

You'll probably get alot more attention over on that forum regarding other questions you may have about your new set up.

As far as skimmers go....you generally get what you pay for...to a point. After awhile, the cost for better skimmers can increase significantly for what has been described as an insignificant increase in performance...

Nick

 

[Haole]

Nick,
Aaron does have another thread going here.
I will continue my replies on that thread Aaron, rather than derail this informative thread.

 

[luke33]

rsdino, i've been using the via aqua sk200 for about 2 mths now....it is producing some serious nog daily. I'll try and post a pic just for you. Anyhow, i have a 125g semi reef going with a very small bioload in it 4 fish 3" a piece. I think the via aqua is a very good skimmer, it takes about 2 weeks to a month to really get consistent and you get very frustrated the first two weeks trying to get to know it, but overall for under a hundred bux, i think it can keep up with most 300-500 dollar skimmers. Here's some pics of 3 different days of skimmate. Its producing between 2-3cups per 24hrs of very dark skimmate. the blue cup is 26oz. The skimmate cup is huge on this thing!

<img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u88/lukewoehler/Skim43-8-07.jpg">

<img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u88/lukewoehler/Skim13-10-07.jpg">

<img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u88/lukewoehler/Skim33-14-07.jpg">

I have done the meshmod and i may end up replacing the pump with a NW pump to add finer bubbles, but at this point, i'm pretty darn happy. Its running circles around my old aqua c and it was 1/3 the price.

 

[luke33]

Great the pics don't work.......let me try this.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u88/lukewoehler/Skim33-14-07.jpg

 

[luke33]

 

[rsdino]

seems to work really well

that thing seems to be working really well
i really have no idea as to how they are supposed to look to tell you the truth
i am really keen to get myself into salt water
im an australian living in germany - i dont get to see much of the ocean anymore, im missing it being in my back yard
what i am looking at is a half cylinder so a flat back on the wall between my two single seater couches, so a little lower i guess than the 'normal' a table of around 24" high with a tank around the same
the radius so half the cylinder i would like to be around 24" too so a 48" back wall if that makes sense
i have been searching far and wide for places to bend the glass
at first i searched only plexiglass or acrylic or polycarbonate but after hearing about trying to scratch of salt and alge growth of acrylic i decided it be better to try with glass, i have found someone with an oven for galss 2meters by 1 except at only a depth of 30cm so i would only get out half the shape
ok enough about the tank
well except to say that im thinkin of a flat back wall as a coast to coast overflow so i get a noce even back wall, no teco jumbo to be seen except for maybe a tunze or 3 hidden in rocks
ok the occupants
i really like the yellow tang though i read he goes funny alone picks on the smallest one in a pair and is best suited to a number or 5, now thats fine with me, i recon they look cool, but is my tank big enough to accomodate them
i would like to replicate a reef crest or section hopefully including a section for a clam or two the blue ones like i saw in soloman islands when i was there snorkelling, now im not to sure the yellow tang and the blue clams come from the same area, i think a 6 line wrasse should be included because of the clam or to help the clam stay critter free
i would like to have a nice deep sand bed, how deep, no idea
and i would like to include some little cleaners, like snails crabs prawns
lighting - absolutely no idea
i like full t5 but i dont think it would be powerfull enough
pluss with the cylinder or half cylinder shape its hard to fit straight lights
i saw a reflector for a metalide halide 50 by 50 by 20 thats centimeters so 20 by 20 by 4 inches approx and im thinking this would give a rather large footprint and then on each side double t5s
help im drowning
its too late
ps i appreciate the reply

corals

 

[Skimmy]

sorry, but IMO,
after going over this thread again(i dont know why...lol)
this had to be one of the most unprofessional, silliest, wannabe skimmer comparison tests ever in the history of this hobby...
how they ever got reputable companies to give these people their skimmers for testing is beyond me, and the logging of the "results" is just humorous, i know without a doubt my 13y daughter could have done a better job...

sorry for the rant, but i love skimmers to much to just sit here and say nothing...

 

[Scooterman]

sorry, but IMO,
after going over this thread again(i dont know why...lol)
this had to be one of the most unprofessional, silliest, wannabe skimmer comparison tests ever in the history of this hobby...
how they ever got reputable companies to give these people their skimmers for testing is beyond me, and the logging of the "results" is just humorous, i know without a doubt my 13y daughter could have done a better job...

sorry for the rant, but i love skimmers to much to just sit here and say nothing...

Three years makes a big difference sometimes in this hobby, you can't compare to what we have now but you can bet it helped get us to where we are now.