Ok I have a AquaC Urchin that I ran on my 135. I kept my bio load in check so I bairly had to empty the cup every 3 days. I'd hear storys of people having to change their skimmer cups several times a day which i couldn't understand. I fed the fish once a day, and i'd feed corals twice a week. The tank was healthy as can be. So now that I'm getting the 220 I'm wondering IF i really need to go out and buy ANOTHER high dollar skimmer when my first was only working a precentage of what I was able. I don't plan on having more than 5 or so small fish. Lots of rock and corals. I know testing my water will be the key so i'd keep a eye on them. The thing I notice is many people overskim their tanks, stripping the water of the good and bad stuff. I think b/c I cut mine back and didn't focus on getting a cup a day my tank did good. I focused on the quality of the skimmate verses a full cup. When it got stinky or thick I'd turn it up or down. Tank was a 135g w/ 50gsump. Skimmer was rated at 120g. Moving to 220g w/ 75g sump.(The 75 is already drilled with 2- 1 & 1/2" bulkheads so adding equipment won't be a problem.) So with that being said, I don't see my bio-load being any greater, just more water. I know most people size their skimmer based on water volume but is that really needed? Does the pump/skimmer work any harder/less if it is undersized/oversized or is the owner just making more trips to empty the cup. This is for your insight. It's not a question of yes or no I should get a bigger skimmer b/c I already have the money to do so. The question is, do i really need to. Is your skimmer oversized, undersized, right sized? If over or under, do you see any difference?
I have a Remora (nonPro) on a 20, and I made my own prefilter box. I get about a 1/4 cup a week of pea soup wet skimmate. But the fool thing is all but empty of live rock and life. I think it's Calfo that made a huge deal about getting a cup of thick coffee colored stuff a day on softie propagation tanks. I know most people don't take coral into the bioload equation, but growing tissue is still growing tissue. My mantra is quickly becoming "what is it you think you may want to keep someday?" If groupers, tangs, and the messy eaters are never going to happen then you probably don't need a whale-kidney for a skimmer. But if you're not sure about it, why buy two skimmers?
Tiger i just replaced my Urchin with a used Euro-Reef and yes id do it again in a hart beat. Not that i get that much more but its a lot different skim much darker and thicker. You can get along with your Urchin with watching your lode. But i just got tared of wondering if i was over feeding and being limited on fish i wont. And i do feed my LPS coral a lot so that can make a difference in skimmer need
Hey Marcus! I would not worry about a new skimmer right now. I'm planning on over-skimming my new tanks, but I'm taking the bare-bottom approach)no sand-bed), thus I need a mega skimmer. I would wait and see if you have a Major algae outbreak, Yul have a small to medium one when you start up the new tank anyway.
You just made a point that I left out. I'll have a 4-5 inch sand bed with probably 300lbs of rock in the display. and in the sump/fuge I'll have rubble,grunge,and macro. It'll probably be 2007 before I get my first corals/fish anyway so i have time.
Marcus, My experimentation with not running a protein skimmer has not really turned out very satisfactorily. If you remember, I started using Miracle Mud and stopped using my protein skimmers to see how it went. After about 8 months of no skimming I went back to skimming on my main LPS tank and have not restarted the clam tank yet, but I am not very satisfied with how it is doing. I have ordered another skimmer from My Reef Creations to add to the tank. I can't wait to see some pictures from your new setup.
Which skimmer did you order? I was looking at their MR-2 I can use my mag18 on it externally which is a plus for heat and vibration. Do we get a price break from them or is it list from the website? I've been reading up and think I will invest in a skimmer the right size for my setup. The additional cleaning and water changes are not worth holding out. I'll use the Urchin on my QT tanks.
Tiger and Schiller, did you ever get your new skimmers? How are they? I've decided to get a new one for my new 120g since my old tank will stay up for several months. I have two tangs which are massive poop producers and will probably end up with a heavy bio-load. What skimmer should I get? Needs to be easy to maintain with no mods needed. I have 28" of clearance.
