Aqua Med Turbo Flot 1000/Coral Life 125

[BigLarry]

I am looking to upgrade my skimmer and have come down to the Turbo Floter 1000 or the Coral Life Needlewheel 125.
Both are around the same price. Foster & Smith has a great deal on them. The Coral Life comes with the pump, while the Turbo Flot does not.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Barnacle_Blenny]

get the modded css from spykes

 

[BigLarry]

Barnacle Blenny,
Which brand/model is that?
I'm not familiar with it.

 

[BigLarry]

Terminator II skimmer

Anyone use this skimmer or here of any reviews?
Foster&Smith lists it.

 

[House of Laughter]

BL,
generally speaking, I would not order a skimmer from them. The best they have (aside from the one announced above) is the Berlin - and Berlin is old school compared to what's in the market today.

Take a look at the ASM skimmers, they are awesome for thier pricing and there is a recirculation modification that just about doubles thier efficiency.

Good luck and welcome aboard.

House

 

[BigLarry]

thanks House
Who sells the ASM?

 

[jackson6745]

Premiumaquatics.com

 

[BigLarry]

ASM is more than my budget allows. Any other suggestions? How is the Kent Nautilus?
Looking to stay within $150.

 

[jackson6745]

Larry look for a used euroreef or ASM. The turbo floter absolutely sucks and an unmodified Coralife skimmer isn't so great either.

btw what size tank is this for?

 

[BigLarry]

55 gallon. I would like to get something that I can use when I upgrade to a 90 gallon tank down the road.

Since the turbo or Coral life aren't good, how is the Terminator II or Kent Nautilus TE?

 

[Deanos]

55 gallon. I would like to get something that I can use when I upgrade to a 90 gallon tank down the road.

It's going to be tough to find a skimmer capable of handling 90g for under $150.00. I would continue with your current skimmer until you save enough to get a capable one. You don't want to have to buy another skimmer down the line.

 

[alsonotlefthanded]

55 gallon. I would like to get something that I can use when I upgrade to a 90 gallon tank down the road.

Since the turbo or Coral life aren't good, how is the Terminator II or Kent Nautilus TE?

I think i'd get the Coralife over either.

1) You may have to adjust the pumps height in the water to tweak the right bubble mix (1-2" below the surface is best).

2) You may have to extend, widen, or otherwise drill out one air intake hole.

3) You'll probably want to add one of the very easy drain tube mods as seen on this page:
http://www.tylermerrick.com/index.php?page=css_notes

With those three done I think you'll have a very solid skimmer.

Having said all that the earlier poster was right on, ASM make very good skimmers that I think work well if in a sump even without the mods, especially for your 55G.

$150 + mods for the Coralife 125
$180 + mods for the Coralife 220
$215 for the ASM G2
$244 for the ASM G3 (* great skimmer used on tanks up to 120G w/mods)

 

[BigLarry]

What type of mods are typically done?
Are you referring to what was mentioned above?

 

[pmui]

I second Dean's opinion, don't skimp on the skimmer. The Skimmer is one of the most important pieces of a REEF setup.

Peter