Skimmer reviews

Cyclura · 09-06-2007, 10:44 PM

k, so my tank needs a skimmer and it needs one yesterday. The daily feeding and the massive amounts of waste my horses put out are doing just lovely things to my water quality. I do water changes religiously every week (5gals) my filtration is a Fluval FX5 used passively in my sump. I rinse all mysis before its fed to the horses... And...did i mention i do weekly water changes?

So, what do you guys think of this skimmer? I think a HOB would be best for me and i found an affordable venturi skimmer at petsmart for 99 bucks.
Petsmart.com - Fish: Saltwater: Seaclone Protein Skimmer from Aquarium Systems

good choice?...get back to me.

**Phurst** · 09-06-2007, 10:52 PM

I've heard nothing but terrible things about the Seaclones, though I've never run one. If you're looking for a HOB, how about a Remora?

NaClFinatic · 09-07-2007, 12:00 PM

I like my AquaC Remora also. I got it because of lots of good reviews. I have also heard good things about the CPR BakPak if you look into that. I don't know anythign about the Seaclone. On my main tank I have a Euroreef CS100 that works fantastic.

Cyclura · 09-07-2007, 08:26 PM

well heres the thing i really dont want to spend all that much on a skimmer (yea i know...stupid adolescent fantasy of not spending much in the reef hobby). So i just happen to see this venturi skimmer at petsmart while browsing. So im going to try it out, and the return policy is good for 30 days just in case.

-Adam

john0087 · 09-07-2007, 08:29 PM

I used a Seaclone in my old 37g for about a month. It skimmed, barely, was noisey and added a lot of micro-bubbles to the tank.

I replaced it with a remora aquac. So much better in terms of skimming, noise and no bubbles. If you can wait, save the money and go for the remora.

If you are in a pinch for cash and absolutlety need a skimmer righ this minute, the seaclone will work and will improve your water quality, just know that there are better options out there .

*EDIT*

I just re-read your post. Do you have seahorses. If so, I would not recomend the seaclone as from what I understand, mircobubbles can hurt/kill horses.

Good Luck.

Cyclura · 09-08-2007, 07:27 PM

yes, apparently there is much debate as to whether skimmer are harmful to horses or not. However, the seahorse podcast that david, rob, and greg put together went over this topic.

David says he believes in "skimming and skimming heavily" and that he has not witnessed any problems with the microbubbles accumulating within the male seahorse's pouch. But, that doesnt mean that it doesnt happen.

I will be watchful. I think that right now the water quality from feeding every day is crappy enough to where it would pose a much more immediate danger than the risks of having a skimmer.

You live, you learn. Whatever becomes of this i will let yall know.

Oh and by the way, about how long does it take for this thing to break in? i have never owned a skimmer before so im kinda new at this particular piece of equipment.

Russel P · 09-08-2007, 08:14 PM

Seaclones and Skilters are garbage, in my opinion. Besides the bubbles and noise, they just don't work! Sorry to be so blunt about it, but I was very disappointed in those products and in good concience have to steer anyone away from them.

***Rob*** · 09-09-2007, 02:15 AM

i too have heard nothing good about them... i agree with the recommendation for the AquaC.. they are good skimmers.
as noted watch the micro bubbles and you should be ok, the best thing would be to use it in or on a sump.. this way the micro bubbles would b contained there

rroselavy · 09-11-2007, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

i too have heard nothing good about them... i agree with the recommendation for the AquaC.. they are good skimmers.
as noted watch the micro bubbles and you should be ok, the best thing would be to use it in or on a sump.. this way the micro bubbles would b contained there

I have been using a Aqua C Remora over the past 10 months, after many recommendations. I think it is well built, but I have a few niggles:

1) I have only been able to skim wet, despite adjustments of the skimmer cup's "O" ring. My skimmate is the color of green tea, with some nasty solids adhered to the riser tube. This may just reflect the light bioload of my nano.

2) The microbubbles are pretty bad for a skimmer designed for HOB. I bought the skimmer prefilter attachment to help stifle the bubbles, but the pre-filter box is a bit temperamental - held on by 1 or 2 plastic set screws pressed against the pump inside. I was worried that the prefilter would get knocked somehow and the pump would run dry, so I stopped using it.

3) NOISE. I think the Remora is pretty noisy. Again, noise is less of an issue if the skimmer is in your stand, but as a HOB skimmer - I think it should be a bit quieter. Perhaps it is the nature of the beast, but I get the impression that the Tunze skimmers are quieter.

4) Minor: The collection cup is rectangular and has some tight spaces between the riser and the inside of the cup. This is undoubtedly part of the design, to reduce the footprint of the skimmer. However, I would imagine that skimmers with cylindrical collection cups would be faster to clean since you do not have as many nooks and crannies to hold the melted skimmate.

***Rob*** · 09-13-2007, 01:11 AM

rroselavy, thats some great information, thanks for your details accounting of this unit..

NaClFinatic · 09-13-2007, 12:50 PM

I can second everything that rroselavy about the Remora.

However, I used mine on a 10 gallon when I first got some rock to cycle and it did produce some nice thick skimmate then. Once it was cured and no real load on the tank it didn't produce much of anything, but at that point I probably didnt really need it anyway. I just ran it to keep good gas exhange in the tank. It also released much fewer bubbles then. I am not sure if that is because of less skimming or because it was thorugh the initial break in period. I kept my cup set about mid level.

rroselavy · 09-14-2007, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rroselavy

2) The microbubbles are pretty bad for a skimmer designed for HOB.

Please note: I clean my Remora's skimmer cup twice a week. Is it possible that microbubble production could be minimized if I cleaned the cup every day? I have read that skimmate production is generally more consistent if you clean skimmer cups more frequently. Perhaps less microbubbles escape when the tower is actively pushing effluent up the tube more often...

Perhaps I will clean daily to find out.

-S

Pescaiolo · 09-14-2007, 01:48 PM

I had a Coralife Super Skimmer rated to 65 gallons on my 55g. It took a while to dial in but it started skimming decently. The thing is with skimmers is they say they are rated to a certain size but in reality they are not. This particular skimmer would possible be best on a 30g tank at max. I decided that since I was emptying my cup everyday(and it still overflowed foam out the breather hole in the cup top!), I needed to upgrade to something bigger. My tank is not drilled and I am moving across the country in the next few months so doing a sump wouldn't be practical for me at this time. I really like the Super Skimmers and decided to upgrade to the biggest one they offered. It is rated for up to 220 gallons! This seemed to the one best suited for my tank. i don't have any personal experience with the AquaCs or the CPRs but I know they work well from using them when I worked at a