R-3 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Okay so now that my remodel is getting the finishing touches on it Im starting to piece together the new tank. Its Dennis's 125. I have the lights, sump, return and flow devices figured out. What I really am deciding on is what skimmer to buy. Ive had most success with Euro-Reefs. I have a ASM G-3 and a PM w/GENX 2400NW that are sitting in the garage. I dont think I wanna use either skimmer. Im thinking of something that is just gonna kill this tank. Something like a ATB Cone skimmer, new Octopus EXT line, BM....... Help me decide, or at least give me some links to info. Money is somewhat of a issue but I will spend the money if I think its worth it. So lets hear it! Tell me about your ultimate skimmer!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The ATB cone skimmer is the toast of the town. Not cheap by any means, but seems to kick assets. EDIT: DIY Version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 ATB Cone with the eheim 1260 will pull anything and everything out of your tank. You can feed 4-5x's a day and still have to feed more for your corals. I'm running the smaller model on my setup (approx 65g total water volume) and it is just ridiculous. Before that I had a BK mini 160 and before that a DAS EX1. All very nice skimmers but if you're willing to spend the loot go with the ATB and you won't regret it. oh yeah customer service is really, really good. that may change a bit as the company grows but Victor actually calls me like every few weeks just to see how the skimmer is doing. Also it only takes a couple days to receive stuff from him since he's in the northern CA area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Wow, regular phone calls..? that's good customer service. It'd drive me nuts, but that's a short haul under any circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hey Mike i think I need to arrange a visit to come see that bad-boy! Later Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I'm also experimenting with building my own cone skimmers. I so far have been heat-forming acrylic and using WO 42 for the seam, and while it definately works (holds water), it doesn't look great. I'll look into PETG like they did, but I'm curious on their "hot-air welding" rig. But long story short, if you're looking into buying one of these and can wait a few weeks while I play around, I should be able to get you a clone of these skimmer for MUCH cheaper. -Sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Yeah you will not regret the purchase of an ATB skimmer, I love the medium that I have it just continues to improve as time goes on. As for customer service it is great; Victor emailed me yesterday to see how it was doing. Its nice to have that level of support from the vendor, I thought the Tunze support rocked but this is even better. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ryan no problem come on by! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Get the small Orca!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Hey Joel, Have you seen the ORCA 200? They say on the premiumaquatics site that the pump is a "restricted dart-needlewheel", but I'm not sure quite what they mean by "restricted". Reason being, I've been asked by a customer to make a skimmer out of some 10" tube they gave me. I'm worried a full on dart needlewheel would be too much air, but obviously they have SOME way to get this on an 8" tube, and I wonder how they do it... -Sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I have not seen the Orca, but I do know it uses only about 100w as apposed to the normal Dart using 160w (peak). I really dont know a ton about the Orca, but I have considered purchasing one for my show tank here. Everything I hear is been excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I think all they do is they use a modified impeller for the smaller model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1312882 Heres a cone skimmer. Has a bigger Eheim on it. Hmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Didn't Randy just buy an Orca skimmer? Maybe he can answer some of your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy-S Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Yes i have the 250 model and like it a lot. It a very good skimmer for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamatSLS Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Get the ATB Ryan. I've never smelled nastier skimmate in my life. I picked up an ATB small after seeing one in use on a 120 with a medium bioload. I'm going to break it in on my roommates 90 until my new project gets finished. I'll let you know how it works for him. He currently has a mid size (not sure model number) Euro-Reef which does a good job. I'm curious to see if it will do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 ATB Small on 65g total volume setup - GAME OVER!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 niiice. What's the total bioload on that 65g? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I believe what helps make my skimmate so nasty on such a small volume is that I use Zeovit system (high bacteria load in water), relatively high fish load, and most detritus stays in suspension until it reaches skimmer (bare bottom + 100x's turnover): 1 Banggai Cardinal 1 Six line 1 Mystery Wrasse 1 Longnose 2 Flame Hawk 1 African Flameback 3 Anthias I feed fish 5x's a day, corals 2x's per night and I am struggling to keep colors on my corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 That's a busy tank, I can see why you'd want the most effective skimmer available. How much of an improvement is the ATB over the BK you had before? Pretty hard to quantify I guess.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhuru Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 It is not a fair comparison. The Eheim on the ATB pulls more air, the reaction chamber is larger, and all other variables being equal I think the cone design produces a better foam head than a cylindrical design just by the physics of the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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