recommend me a skimmer

[charliethetuna88]

i have a 120 gal reef ,i have an mtc skimmer and im just not happy with it ,i fell its not pulling as much as i would like it to ,i was thinking of getting a new skimmer ,but i really wouldnt even know how to decide on the size and the brand im not looking to spend to much just someing thats a little better and worth its money any ideas are greatly appricated thanks everyone

 

[150reef]

i have a 120 gal reef ,i have an mtc skimmer and im just not happy with it ,i fell its not pulling as much as i would like it to ,i was thinking of getting a new skimmer ,but i really wouldnt even know how to decide on the size and the brand im not looking to spend to much just someing thats a little better and worth its money any ideas are greatly appricated thanks everyone

I have the BM 250, the newer version with the gate valve and so far I love it. Producers a tremendous amount of tiny micro bubbles. I have not seen much skimmate as of yet (currently watery), because my rock was cured and currently my fish\bio load is very small. The skimmer is being used in a 30 gallon sump on a 150 gallon tank, with 200 lbs live rock. So far, so good!! But if you not looking to spend lots on a skimmer, this may not be for you. Its going for $750-$770, plus shipping. For me this was a pretty high premium to pay, but in the long run I didnt want to buy another, and another etc... wanted to try and do it right the first time.

 

[BHDMC]

I have a ETSS 700 protein skimmer that I am not happy with. I am also looking for a new skimmer for my 125 gal SPS reef tank. I heard that Euro-Reef, Reefflo($1300.00), Deltec, Octopus, Bubble King & ASM are excellent skimmers.

 

[Bob 1000]

I use a Mrc 2 beckett on 280 total water volume....Works fine for me about a year now...and my bioload has always been serious...

 

[charliethetuna88]

i was looking at the bubble master or king not sure my buddy has it and he loves it

 

[strendo]

I've got 2 H&S's that are amazing. I've owned 2 different Aqua C's that were garbage compared to these things. There similar quality to Deltecs but about 30% cheaper.

 

[thirty5]

IMO MTC are the best out there. What are you not happy with? If you dont have dirty water then it will not pull anything out. As long as you are getting your micro bubbles in it then it is working.

 

[charliethetuna88]

im not dure it just doesnt pull and doesnt produce much bubbles i have cleaned it and adjusted it a millon times and still pulls real slow i have high nitrate and i think it has to do with the skimmer not working good

 

[thirty5]

What is the load on your tank? I have a 175 Bow with only a few fish and LR. And my skimmer does not skim much. If there is nothing to SKIM then nothing will come out!

 

[charliethetuna88]

yeh i know,i have a heavy load maybe ur right maybe there is notting to pull but the only thing is i have high nitrate and i keep thinking its has to do will lousy skimming

 

[thirty5]

Are you doing water changes? What kind of water are you using? If you are using tap water it may be in the tap water.... Out side that i would say to build a fuge to put some macro algae in.That will eat up the trates

 

[charliethetuna88]

i just bought a brand new r/o water system the on i had was old and replacement filters were expensive.i just did a 20 gal water change i have a refugium with micro and a few mangroves i also have a sand bed ,all my corals are doing fine but i have high nitrate i wil check it in a few days and see if the water change helped

 

[thirty5]

what is your water change schedule? Weird that you have a fuge with algae, dsb, and other stuff. and still high trates. Is the skimmer producing enough bubbles? When is the last time that you cleaned it? If it is producing enough bubbles then it will skim. There has to be something else.

 

[DevIouS]

Sorry for the off topic, but I saw your other thread.

I would really look into these skimmers & get some more opinions, before getting one.
There was soooo much hype before they got on the market & it seemed to die out real quick.
Although I almost bought into one, I waited it out so I can hear some feedback.
Mostly everyone I know that got one were not that happy & got rid of them for one reason or the other.

 

[fritz]

The above is not true and is based on mostly out of context observation. A few people (against manufacturers instruction) bought WAY oversized BM skimmers. These people found what everyone finds who runs to big a skimmer. For the first few weeks it pulls out tar and then it has pulled all that it can. From that point on it will only pull out what you put in (feed). To these people they saw it as no longer skimming and decided to bash the product and sell it.

Yes many of the early adopters have sold their BM skimmers. These people also sold their becketts, Deltecs and H&S skimmers after running them. It isn't true that those skimmers suck just because everyone who has owned one sold it. Some people just like to switch up skimmers. The facts on BM skimmers are that the air draw is insane and the bubble size is tiny. If you follow the manufacturers instructions you'll be VERY happy.

If you search other forums than the 5 or 6 people on MR that have owned these you'll find that by and large these skimmers are hailed as being fantastic. The only complaints are really on the design of the 160 series intake and output. They had a rough start with the first few generations but the product works very well now.

Also if you're a person that takes your skimmer mountain climbing this may not be for you. These skimmers were not meant for extreme sports. They were meant to stay in your sump, being removed for cleaning every few months. If you need a skimmer built like a tank because you like to drop them down stairs then I'd look at a Bubble King. If you are looking for a Bubble King like skimmer at a fraction of the price than this is the skimmer for you.

 

[Craig]

Phil....running a BM200 on my 120. It's been a month and I'm really happy with it. It's a bit sensitive at feeding time so I've hooked it up to the standby button on my Reefkeeper2. When I feed its kept off for 45 minutes. It's a great skimmers that ompetes with skimmers that cost 2x as much. I definately reccomend it.

 

[DevIouS]

The above is not true and is based on mostly out of context observation.

The above was what was told to me by the people that had them, not "context of observation.":sigh:
You were the only one that was limited on his answers until now.

All I said was to check them out & get more opinions first. Where did I say "suck"?
RIF & get off DN.
No need for the speech.


If you really think I'm not a member of other forums, you're very delusional.
I do trust what members here (that I know), tell me.
Now if the odds on MR members that used them are 6 - 1, for the price.....I'll look into something else.

Peace, love & happiness.

 

[DevIouS]

Craig:

I don't really want to turn this to a skimmer debate, so I'll let this rest.

Not sure how many skimmers or what brands you ran before to make a fair comparison....but you're happy with it & that's all that matters.

 

[cali_reef]

They suck!!

I have a BM250 for sale, look in the for sale forum..

 

[jhale]

they are awesome if all you feed is flake food :tired: :irked: