what is the best skimmer to step up to for a 110 gallon total volume system?

[BobinCovington]

What are some good choices for the "next step" skimmer for me? I have the G2 skimmer and Sedra 3500 modified with the mesh mod and the gate valve, but it is somewhat less of a skimmer than I thought and I feel like it should produce more foam than it does.
It would be mounted in my sump (see pic below). List your top skimmers in the $300-$600 range based on factors like how well they skim, how easy they are to maintain or clean, how reliable, whether they benefit from modding. list the price if you can too.

My list...

1 ?
2 ?
3 ?
4 ?
5 ?
6 ASM G2 skimmer $325
7 ?
...
...
...
32 Seaclone $70
33 Lee in tank Airstone skimmer $40

 

[chend2]

ATI BM 200 599 New... done.

 

[demandrid]

msx200 $386 shipped

 

[Skimmy]

ATB small cone...just out of your price range, but insane skimmer!!!
or bk mini 160, you can never go wrong with BK
what size was that custom tank again?

 

[BobinCovington]

my new tank is 20x36x22 tall and I was figuring in the volume from the 34x16x10" water level sump too (estimating).

 

[danno14]

Hey Skimmie- Who around here actually has an ATB cone? Just curious.

As for my "top 10", I would venture to include "the one that someone is trying to sell you"


You have picked a pretty ambitious price point. For that amount, you will open up the options to a number of pretty great skimmers. I would also suggest the rating include the total current draw (wattage). Since most people run theirs 24/7, that alone can add up. Good luck! D

(oh yeah.... I have had great success with my ETS, both on my original 150g and current system, but based upon cost/power draw/size cannot wholeheartedly recommend)

Just for chuckles:
http://www.customaquatic.com/JHFHDJUHFUHRUTFII3/itemdetail.asp?itemid=PS-RK1000-PE

 

[forsaken541]

Aqua-c EV120 or 180 with an upsized Mag drive pump. I am sold on Aqua C stuff ever since owning an urchin pro in sump model and now run the EV-120.
I find that their ability to skim the heck out of the water and not have to be constantly tweaked are major plus's.
Erik

 

[Skimmy]

i can only think of one or 2 people i know of who were smart enough to make the investment of an ATB, not too many...
but they are hands down the best design on the market right now, and they are less expensive than BK.
i dont actually sell any skimmers in a store at the moment, but if i did, i would be pushin' ATB for high end skimmers, and MSX octopus extreme for cheap...
ie; the msx 160 has 1200lph air injection, @23 watts, a great muffler, wedge outlet for easy adjustment, and a nice bubble plate for diffusion of turbulence, all that for $300, versus the $800 for the ATB small cone...but the cone design is absolutely insane...you must see it to really understand, but insane efficency, and nothing to mod on it, because they've done it already.

Hey Skimmie- Who around here actually has an ATB cone? Just curious.

As for my "top 10", I would venture to include "the one that someone is trying to sell you"


You have picked a pretty ambitious price point. For that amount, you will open up the options to a number of pretty great skimmers. I would also suggest the rating include the total current draw (wattage). Since most people run theirs 24/7, that alone can add up. Good luck! D

(oh yeah.... I have had great success with my ETS, both on my original 150g and current system, but based upon cost/power draw/size cannot wholeheartedly recommend)

Just for chuckles:
http://www.customaquatic.com/JHFHDJUHFUHRUTFII3/itemdetail.asp?itemid=PS-RK1000-PE

 

[Bricky]

I'd have to agree with Mark on the ATB. I've seen it in action, and if I hadn't bought a BK I would have gone with the ATB. Bob, we all know that the skimmer is most important tool in the tank, so don't skimp. Plus the ATB is only just out of your range and you'll get an all star performer for years to come.

 

[csababubbles]

I think you should wait before buying the ATB. The msx ( i have one) is a fantastic skimmer and incredible bang for the buck (at least in the protein skimmer industry). The ATB's conical design appears to be working very well for people but the price for the skimmer is insane. I would wait until more skimmer engineers incorporate the conical design so that the price becomes more competitive. Your basically paying for the idea at this point (both atb and kz) since their product has deviated from the norm, they need to recoup their costs before China rushes in with the clones. If you like the MSX, I would also consider the Tunze master skimmers. They are more expensive but include many great features that other similar style skimmers don't and you might find it worth the money. But MSX is the way to go if you don't mind meshwheels.

 

[Scooterman]

The problem with the cheaper skimmers isn't that they work well but rather how long, cheap plastics isn't worth skimping on, Cell cast all the way & If you never had one then you just plainly don't know what your missing! The design are easy to copy but the finer details left out is what makes the difference, everything is vital no matter how little difference you think it is.

Maybe one would think the better skimmers are way overpriced but really the cheap ones are just as overpriced In many ways.

 

[csababubbles]

they are all overpriced in terms of materials and R&D. I mean holy-moly I just bought a desktop computer with the latest and greatest hardware for less then a lot of those BK, Deltec, ATB's sell for. Imagine the R&D and materials that went into designing that! But skimmers have a much smaller market so they can and need to charge much more.

But scooterman please tell me what characteristics of 'cell cast' that you say your skimmer is made of, makes for better skimming capabilities? Or does it really make no difference? Maybe the advantage you see is durability? Do you think that only your 'cell cast' can stand up to the rigors of air bubbles in water? Or maybe the trip over to the sink to empty the cup? Gotta make sure you can play basketball with the collection cup right? I mean really, there must be at least a hundred different manufacturers of skimmers and I don't recall reading any threads where people were experiencing skimmer bodies blowing out. Or maybe your concerned about aesthetics and the cheap plastic might get scratched easier? Well I can see thats important in case I want to show off the skimmer to my reefing friends.

So your statement of not "how well" but "how long" the cheap skimmers will last being the main issue seems over-emphasized. I find the "cheaper" skimmers that perform well to be a much better value then the expensive skimmers that perform just as well. I don't think the more expensive materials (aside from a better pump) improve skimming action.

 

[burning2nd]

altho i dont have it yet

lol

im saying the aqua C ev-180, good people, good product, GReat service,

others will say other wise, but those are the same people who think the most exspensive are the best

Thats what im buying in a few weeks,

LOl eric.. "Sold on" well put

 

[Seadogs]

I have to go with the Aqua C EV-180, too. We've used a couple of different skimmers from Aqua C and we're quite happy with them. But, then again, I go for what I know works vs. holy crap that's really expensive so it must be better!
On the same note, I haven't tried the more expensive skimmers, so I couldn't tell you if they are better or not. But, why pay more if it works good! More money for the fun fishy stuff

 

[burning2nd]

On the same note, I haven't tried the more expensive skimmers, so I couldn't tell you if they are better or not. But, why pay more if it works good! More money for the fun fishy stuff

Nice!

 

[mfinn]

I'm very happy with my Bubble Master. But if your budget is getting tight, I'd go with the MSX line. Same design as the BM and same pump.
Get away from the ASM, you'll be glad you did.

 

[tike]

Aqua-c EV120 or 180 with an upsized Mag drive pump. I am sold on Aqua C stuff ever since owning an urchin pro in sump model and now run the EV-120.
I find that their ability to skim the heck out of the water and not have to be constantly tweaked are major plus's.
Erik

Eric I have an ev-120 also and I find I have to tweak it 2-3 timesa month for it to perform at it's optimum. I use a mag 5, do you also?