troublemaker
Member
I am leaning towards the Octopus 220 Elite Internal. It seems to be the best bang for the buck. The Bubble King pump burned out on my Alpha 170 and replacement pumps are a complete nightmare to get to its junk for now.
Does anyone have skimmer advice for about 250g total volume?
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troublemaker
Member
That's the trouble, I'm getting lost in the name game of Coralvue's skimmers.
Saltwater77
Member
I've got an elite 200 internal on my 210 fowlr. And an elite 220 internal on my 210 sps bulid that is still cycling.View attachment 17993
View attachment 17995
First pick is the 200 second pic is the 220.
View attachment 17995
First pick is the 200 second pic is the 220.
Saltwater77
Member
The elite 200 kicks ***. I'm sure the 220 will be just as good after the tank gets stocked.
The sss has the pump in the body to allow a bigger skimmer to fit in the same space
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Mjl714
Well-known member
I went with Lifereef, one of the main reasons was because I could use virtually any pump. Not sure what size would work best for you, depends on space, etc, but Jeff will surely be able to help you.
troublemaker
Member
Thanks, after some exhaustive research I found out that was a space saver. My skimmer compartment is 28x28 so size isnt an issue.
superfish
Member
Thanks for the mention my friend.
But it's just sold today.
The reef octopus elite/prime ppl mentioned are good.
Personally I will go with the prime, I think only different is the elite has DC pump.
Paying extra for the DC pump, but most people always run it at full speed. Then why don't just use a regular AC pump. Lol
Typically with an AC pump driven skimmer, you only have a water level(submerged) option to control bubble size.
You are very quick to discount the ability to adjust input/flow vs air (ratio) with a DC pump. This bubble size is really what determines your wet/dry skimmate. Your gate valve only controls dwell time and artificially equates to skimmer depth. The only two options to control bubble size is water parameters and flow. So, considering the skimmer is used to remove lighter than water (oil) particulate, it's very difficult to control water parameters. The DC pump (control) give you the same control as a platform typically in your sump without having to have multiple size platforms to adapt to your feeding, pH, dKh, etc.
If you look at my prior post, I run about 10.50 dKh, heavily stocked tank and run 3 of 5 (say 65%) and get a fairly dry large daily effluent. Most people I know running a DC skimmer are NOT running full blast, only the ones who have not taken the time to learn how to get best performance. And I would have to say since it's a hobby, it won't be long before those who don't will want more and learn how to get more with their DC pump.
All of the above said, the RODC pump is a Chinese manufactured DC pump and is OK, I wish they had a better quality US or German manufactured DC pump.
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troublemaker
Member
I actually found your for sale thread earlier, but it was older and open ended which usually means it's sold. I am a big fan of DC pumps, even out of the hobby. If you really look into brushless motor dynamics, it's pretty efficient. I'm not saying AC pumps aren't good, but after having a Bubble King AC pump die on me and replacement costs sky high, I am willing to give DC a try this time. Being able to dial them back and really tweak the skimmer might turn out to have a nice, consistent outcome. I'm not ready to jump on any bandwagons or write anything off either.
That skimmer you sold really looked like a beast.
troublemaker
Member
Thanks for the advice. The 220 Elite was the final choice. Unfortunately about 1/4" to big for the skimmer compartment.
troublemaker
Member
I had a 12x28 and 28x28 compartment. It's actually the dimension of the bubble chamber itself that wouldn't fit. I just moved it to the larger chamber and moved the Chaeto to the smaller one.