Should i buy this HOB skimmer?

[krowleey]

Octopus HB 800S Hang on Back
Protein Skimmer with Sicce

i am in the market for a good quality HOB skimmer in the next two weeks. i have been researching a few, and this skimmer seems to be the best. i have also looked into the wanrer marine h2 but was told it doesn't fit most tank rims and you have to saw the rim off. does anyone have any input on this skimmer? will it cause floods? micro bubble problems? or just kick serious a$$? any input much appreciated!!! oh, i love these forums, it seems a tad better than RC imo.

 

[mfinn]

Welcome .
Now hopefully some of the people who know about skimmers will jump in.

 

[krowleey]

Welcome .
Now hopefully some of the people who know about skimmers will jump in.

thanks for turning me on to this site, its seems really nice.

 

[luke33]

The 800i is the same body as the 500i made by swc. It was designed to handle 500lph air. And that is max air it can take. If you add a sicce into that body, which coralvue did it will be way to powerful. Even with a pinwheel the pump is just to much for the skimmer to handle. Especially with a 2" neck. even a 3" neck is to small for a sicce, even if cv mods them janky. The only good sicce hot was the cnc and it had a pw pulling 32scfh and it was a 3x5" oval so 4" cylinder for comparison, which a skimmer takes to handle a sicce. So 800i = complete waste of cash. I did hear of a guy who cut holes in his brand new skimmer to stop it from overflowing........lol

 

[luke33]

And welcome : ) Hope that didn't come across harsh, just wanted to give my opinion. Nothing anoy's me more than someone spending cash on a pos.

 

[krowleey]

so what is the best HOB skimmer in your opinion?? and i really appreciate your feedback.

 

[mfinn]

luke, this was said in a thread on RC.
care to comment?

There is a very simple cure to solve the "too much air" problem on the 800S. Add a valve to adjust the air going into the skimmer. I did this mod to mine before I added the recirculation holes. Same idea the Deltec 600 uses

 

[luke33]

Its a tough question to answer right now. The cnc was hands down the best around, but now that there gone its gotta be the WM H2, bermuda rogue(but they need a wider neck), the mce600(which is to expensive) and the turbofloater blue series(which are to expensive as well. If i were to buy one i'd get the H2.

I'm sure the atb hot will be great, but its been postponed for what, 5-6mths at this point? What size a tank are you looking to skim?

 

[luke33]

luke, this was said in a thread on RC.
care to comment?

There is a very simple cure to solve the "too much air" problem on the 800S. Add a valve to adjust the air going into the skimmer. I did this mod to mine before I added the recirculation holes. Same idea the Deltec 600 uses

Sure that makes sense, lets hinder the performance because it wasn't built correctly

I'll say it here. Don't make skimmers that need modding as they can be made correctly at this point. Modding is a thing of the past that shouldn't be needed anymore.

 

[krowleey]

Its a tough question to answer right now. The cnc was hands down the best around, but now that there gone its gotta be the WM H2, bermuda rogue(but they need a wider neck), the mce600(which is to expensive) and the turbofloater blue series(which are to expensive as well. If i were to buy one i'd get the H2.

I'm sure the atb hot will be great, but its been postponed for what, 5-6mths at this point? What size a tank are you looking to skim?

56 gallon tank. i swear i read the WM h2 does not fit the rim of tanks and you have to mod your rim to get it fit, any truth to this?

 

[mfinn]

Sure that makes sense, lets hinder the performance because it wasn't built correctly

I'll say it here. Don't make skimmers that need modding as they can be made correctly at this point. Modding is a thing of the past that shouldn't be needed anymore.

I agree completely, after owning a ASM skimmer

 

[luke33]

Marc knows more about the H2 than me. He should jump in shortly i'm sure. I don't think it'll have a problem fitting though. And thats the hot i'd get.

Finn, lord knows i've modded anything and everything and I'm done. Actually in the process of turning in my garage to half a shop : ) Gonna make my own skimmers. Done with the inconsistencies and nonsense.

 

[krowleey]

i like the look of the WM skimmer, i don't know why they would make it fit only a rimless tank, i mean how many of us have that? i don't mind spending 300 on a good skimmer, but 300 is about my max.

 

[luke33]

Well, i know the H2 is getting a redesign at the moment in there's a bubble plate and wider neck coming in the second round. Post on the WM sponsor forum as Jon should reply about it fitting and all that good stuff.

 

[krowleey]

thanks Luke, i put up a thread. sure wish there was a clear choice for a HOB skimmer without giving in to deltec for 550, that is just nuts for what you get.

 

[Skimmy]

sorry, just saw this....

so yes, i have the WM h1 and it doesnt fit all the way over my aquarium edge, at first i was going to cut it so that there was a little 1/4" lip on it, just enough to hold it on the tank, but then i decided to not bother. it does lock on so it cant fall off, so that was all i cared about. it is a nominal issue imo, and shouldnt discourage you from purchasing.
the WM hob skimmers are quiet, extremely productive, release no micro's after break it, and there's room for your heater and a bag of carbon in the skimmer body. the sedra pumps are great, and the h2 will be plenty of skimmer for your 56g. my h1 is on my 30g oceanic, and doing a great job.
i'd say it's like 2 backpaks or 3 remoras

 

[luke33]

3x nothing is still nothing marc....lol


And yea, i wouldn't give 550 for a deltec, no freakin way!

 

[krowleey]

sorry, just saw this....

so yes, i have the WM h1 and it doesnt fit all the way over my aquarium edge, at first i was going to cut it so that there was a little 1/4" lip on it, just enough to hold it on the tank, but then i decided to not bother. it does lock on so it cant fall off, so that was all i cared about. it is a nominal issue imo, and shouldnt discourage you from purchasing.
the WM hob skimmers are quiet, extremely productive, release no micro's after break it, and there's room for your heater and a bag of carbon in the skimmer body. the sedra pumps are great, and the h2 will be plenty of skimmer for your 56g. my h1 is on my 30g oceanic, and doing a great job.
i'd say it's like 2 backpaks or 3 remoras

well i am almost sold on this skimmer, but i just can't believe they dont fit over .75 rim tanks. my rim is under .75 but with the little brace that would support say the glass tops makes it over .75. i guess i could file it away for a good fit, but that sucks. thanks for your info, the skimmer dfoes look hot. i used the sedra pump in my ER and it worked very well. i ssume you can mesh mod these as well? how hard is it to clean this pump?

 

[Skimmy]

yes, you could dremel the skimmer hanger lip down so that it fits fine on the tank if it really bugs you, but it's nothing that you can notice and is nothing that effects performance.
the sedra pump pops right out easily for cleaning, and it's easy to prime the skimmer and get it going. one of the biggest thing i like about the sedra pumps is that they are quiet, and WM gets more power out of them with their needle wheel and venturi design than ER.
also, you could dremer the lip of the tank where the glass rests for a few inches to accomodate the skimmer too.

 

[luke33]

I wouldn't mesh mod it as sedra's aren't much better with mesh than they are with the pw's. And i'd pry wait for version 2 myself : ) The small changes like larger diameter neck and bp will do wonders for this skimmer.