Reefmaster1996 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hey guys, I am planning to upgrade from my 20 gallon long to a custom 30 inch by 30 inch by 14 inch tank. It will have a 29 gallon sump/refugium and a total volume of about 65 allows when filled and operating. I was looking at some skimmers on eBay and came across to good deals, which of these skimmers would work best? This http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bubble-Magus-BM-22...19c2abee5f#shId Or this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bubble-Magus-BM-18...=item19c2abed23 Considering they use the same pump, and they have different dimensions, what would be better and more efficient? Thanks for the help, and as always happy REEFING! Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Hey guys, I am planning to upgrade from my 20 gallon long to a custom 30 inch by 30 inch by 14 inch tank. It will have a 29 gallon sump/refugium and a total volume of about 65 gallons when filled and operating. I was looking at some skimmers on eBay and came across to good deals, which of these skimmers would work best? This http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bubble-Magus-BM-22...19c2abee5f#shId Or this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bubble-Magus-BM-18...=item19c2abed23 Considering they use the same pump, and they have different dimensions, what would be better and more efficient? Thanks for the help, and as always happy REEFING! any body? Link to comment
seabass Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 The links list them as having the same capacity (significantly higher than your total water volume). Without reading reviews to compare the two, I'd pick the cheaper (as either should be sufficient). One is wider, while one is taller. Does one fit your stand or sump better than the other? Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 neither both are way way way to big. look at the bubble magus NAC 3.5 or maybe 5.5 the skimmers you are looking are rated to 400 gallons...if you pick a skimmer that is too big for your system it will not work properly. you will not have enough organics to actually push foam into the cup. you usually only match your display volume (with a light bio load) or go 2x your display volume max (heavy bio load). Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 neither both are way way way to big. look at the bubble magus NAC 3.5 or maybe 5.5 the skimmer you are looking at is rated to 400 gallons... Thanks for the opinions so far, keep them coming. But as most seasoned reefers, no offense to anybody, would say , the bigger the and better the protein skimmer the better because they only remove a small percentage of waste before it turns into nitrates and phosphates so the bigger the more waste it can remove quickly before it decomposes. The real question is that some say the taller the chamber the better because there is more contact time between the bubbles and the water, is this true.? Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 too big? I've read multiple post on people down grading skimmers and getting better skim. I guarantee you will get better skim with a skimmer sized appropriately for your system. the skimmer neck is too wide and tall for the amount of "dirty" water in your little system... a big skimmer with a big neck will only push foam into the cup when the concentration of DO is high enough...so it wont be pulling gunk all the time...you system would have to get dirtier before it gets cleaner...with a smaller neck it doesn't need as high of a concentration of DO to push foam up the neck so it will pull gunk 24/7 and keep the system overall cleaner. there is a reason these things have size ratings. you cannot over skim but you have have a skimmer that is too big.......... Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 too big? I've read multiple post on people down grading skimmers and getting better skim. I guarantee you will get better skim with a skimmer sized appropriately for your system. the skimmer neck is too wide and tall for the amount of "dirty" water in your little system... a big skimmer with a big neck will only push foam into the cup when the concentration of DO is high enough...so it wont be pulling gunk all the time...you system would have to get dirtier before it gets cleaner...with a smaller neck it doesn't need as high of a concentration of DO to push foam up the neck so it will pull gunk 24/7 and keep the system overall cleaner. there is a reason these things have size ratings. you cannot over skim but you have have a skimmer that is too big.......... Okay then, how about this http://www.reefshops.com/bubble-magus-curv...mmer.html?sl=EN Considering that I will have as heavy a bioload as possible and that this will be a full blown reef tank dominated by Sps, clams etc , the one size up rule. I think this or maybe a bit smaller might be a bit more reasonable. Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 my pick would be this. if BM way over rates your pick would be good too. Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 you will get more consistent skimming out a smaller skimmer. with a over sized skimmer you will get nothing one day then a cup over flowing with light light tea the next. smaller will be easier to dial in. Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 you will get more consistent skimming out a smaller skimmer. with a over sized skimmer you will get nothing one day then a cup over flowing with light light tea the next. smaller will be easier to dial in. That's also a good point about the rating,I was considering a curve 5, by the way thanks for the help, but If bm overrates or not makes the decision hard. I like the design of these two models and thier price point. I work at the top LFS in my area and we have a bm skimmer on one of our systems. I have a coworker who knows everything about equipment. And I am going to ask him his opinion on this when I work tommorrow but if any one else wants to chime in, all opinions are welcome. And again thanks for all the opinions so far, one head is not as good as the voice and opinion of others combined. Link to comment
Tbone675 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 post up his opinion I'm interested, because i am currently in a similar situation. i just got a 60cube with a 20 sump and 5-10 frag tank. i picked up a swc160 cone on craigslist real cheap. and now i look at it the swc160 almost the same exact size as the curve 7 but is only rated to 150gal where the 7 is rated to 240gal. so bm might be overrating. (or swc is under rated.....unlikely lol) Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 post up his opinion I'm interested, because i am currently in a similar situation. i just got a 60cube with a 20 sump and 5-10 frag tank. i picked up a swc160 cone on craigslist real cheap. Okay man will do I'll post it tommorrow, I'll also try to talk to my boss and see what he thinks, (but that won't be till next Friday). About the swc skimmer, nice find, they make really nece quality products, last month I bought the mini hang on tank skimmer for my 20 gallon long for 80 bucks on here. So far it is a quality product with great performance. how much did you get yours for? The only downside to my skimmer is that I have to clean it out about once every 4 days which is a bit annoying, but I did try making my own drain so that it fills a container and we'll see how that goes. I was thinking of running this on my new system that I'm planning but, first it's a hot and it would have to hang and second is the skimmer cup issue I described earlier. post up his opinion I'm interested, because i am currently in a similar situation. i just got a 60cube with a 20 sump and 5-10 frag tank. i picked up a swc160 cone on craigslist real cheap. Okay man will do I'll post it tommorrow, I'll also try to talk to my boss and see what he thinks, (but that won't be till next Friday). About the swc skimmer, nice find, they make really nece quality products, last month I bought the mini hang on tank skimmer for my 20 gallon long for 80 bucks on here. So far it is a quality product with great performance. how much did you get yours for? The only downside to my skimmer is that I have to clean it out about once every 4 days which is a bit annoying, but I did try making my own drain so that it fills a container and we'll see how that goes. I was thinking of running this on my new system that I'm planning but, first it's a hot and it would have to hang and second is the skimmer cup issue I described earlier. Also how did you make that link where you searched google for me that's pretty neat? Link to comment
kmaintl Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Thanks for the opinions so far, keep them coming. But as most seasoned reefers, no offense to anybody, would say , the bigger the and better the protein skimmer the better because they only remove a small percentage of waste before it turns into nitrates and phosphates so the bigger the more waste it can remove quickly before it decomposes. The real question is that some say the taller the chamber the better because there is more contact time between the bubbles and the water, is this true.? bigger is definitely not better, that's a myth. the best skimmer will always be the one that is best matched to your size tank, bioload and feeding habits. also, whatever the manufacture's rate their skimmers, throw it out the door as most of them are optimistic guidelines. LoL Even the skimmer that T-bone recommended may be too big, but it's a better match than the rest. Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 bigger is definitely not better, that's a myth. the best skimmer will always be the one that is best matched to your size tank, bioload and feeding habits. also, whatever the manufacture's rate their skimmers, throw it out the door as most of them are optimistic guidelines. LoL Even the skimmer that T-bone recommended may be too big, but it's a better match than the rest. Okay, thanks for your opinion, I have been reading some other threads on other sites and they RECCOMEND no more than double your total water volume, or around that, the question in my case when choosing the curve 5 or 7 is that, are bm's ratings realistic or to high or vice versa? That's why I am going to ask a few people about there expierence personally with the products they make tommorrow. Hopefully this will help. Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 Okay, thanks for your opinion, I have been reading some other threads on other sites and they RECCOMEND no more than double your total water volume, or around that, the question in my case when choosing the curve 5 or 7 is that, are bm's ratings realistic or to high or vice versa? That's why I am going to ask a few people about there expierence personally with the products they make tommorrow. Hopefully this will help. Okay guys sorry for the late update, I've been busy with school lately, any ways after talking with my co worker and boss, I got the same answer. In their honest opinion they think that the bubble magus skimmers are on the cheaper side, and by cheaper they mean quality wise, and that they prefer swc skimmers or reef octopus, especially the new diablo skimmers that come with the Italian pumps. Any other opinions. Also I am currently debating between the swc 120 extreme cone or the swc 160 extreme cone skimmer. Any suggestions? Link to comment
kmaintl Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 swc 160 looks like a good choice and fit for you new setup... i didn't like their pumps in the past (tends to run hot), but maybe they've improved. Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 swc 160 looks like a good choice and fit for you new setup... i didn't like their pumps in the past (tends to run hot), but maybe they've improved. Okay thanks. Link to comment
topjimmy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Okay thanks. Look into the Seaside aquatics CS 5.5 Similar to a BM skimmer, but with a better pump and a little different design for the neck. I just ordered one for my 65g with a 18g sump. It gets high marks for performance\value. Link to comment
Reefmaster1996 Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 Look into the Seaside aquatics CS 5.5 Similar to a BM skimmer, but with a better pump and a little different design for the neck. I just ordered one for my 65g with a 18g sump. It gets high marks for performance\value. I like the features the swc 160 extreme cone has more than the seaside aquatics cs5.5. Link to comment
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