Reef Discussion
I have a fish street coral box. I think its a D500. The D700 would not have fit in my sump. The coral box skimmers are pretty big so just be careful to make sure whatever you buy will fit where you want to put it. I am very happy with mine and i am sure it was the turning point for me in beating my algae problem. There are a couple of things that annoy me. The skimmer cup fits very tight and is a bit difficult to remove particularly in the cramped space in my sump. Generally the skimmer is more difficult to clean than my old skimmer. Also my old skimmer was much less affected by changes in water height in the sump. If you have an ATO that shouldn't be an issue. I don't have an ATO so i either have to adjust the skimmer or the top up the water a lot to keep it skimming the way i want. My old skimmer had a stanpipe outlet that meant it was not affected much by water height changes. Anyway i still love the coral box. It skims like mad and i would recommend it.
I use a Marine Sources Skimmer with the Red Devil Pump. Bang for Your Buck, I can't fault it.
http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.c...rs-red-devil/sdp-900-internal-ms-skimmer.html
http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.c...rs-red-devil/sdp-900-internal-ms-skimmer.html
From advanced Aquarist, its a very long article.
Conclusions
Many factors contribute to the "value" of a skimmer to an aquarist, including quality of construction, size, footprint, noise level, ease of cleaning, energy efficiency of the pump, and of course, the ability to remove organic waste from aquarium water. Our data show that there are not compelling or remarkably large differences in measurable skimmer TOC removal metrics among the seven skimmers tested, although the Reef Octopus 150 consistently underperformed compared to the other skimmers. However, in the larger picture, it is equally apparent that if an aquarist runs a skimmer continuously (24/7), then any of the skimmers tested would perform adequately in terms of rate of TOC removal; the only practical differences might involve the frequency of skimmer cup cleaning. A perhaps more interesting observation to emerge from these skimmer studies involves not the rate of TOC removal, but rather the amount of TOC removed. None of the skimmers tested removed more than 35% of the extant TOC, leading to the conclusion that bubbles are really not a very effective medium for organic nutrient removal.
I really cannot defend my statement below however based on what I read :
If a skimmer only removes up to 20~35% of TOC from your aquarium getting a better skimmer only marginally improves the overall result which in fact may not have a measurable change, even if you end up changing the skimmer cup more frequently..... Could there be better places to spend our money.. ?
Conclusions
Many factors contribute to the "value" of a skimmer to an aquarist, including quality of construction, size, footprint, noise level, ease of cleaning, energy efficiency of the pump, and of course, the ability to remove organic waste from aquarium water. Our data show that there are not compelling or remarkably large differences in measurable skimmer TOC removal metrics among the seven skimmers tested, although the Reef Octopus 150 consistently underperformed compared to the other skimmers. However, in the larger picture, it is equally apparent that if an aquarist runs a skimmer continuously (24/7), then any of the skimmers tested would perform adequately in terms of rate of TOC removal; the only practical differences might involve the frequency of skimmer cup cleaning. A perhaps more interesting observation to emerge from these skimmer studies involves not the rate of TOC removal, but rather the amount of TOC removed. None of the skimmers tested removed more than 35% of the extant TOC, leading to the conclusion that bubbles are really not a very effective medium for organic nutrient removal.
I really cannot defend my statement below however based on what I read :
If a skimmer only removes up to 20~35% of TOC from your aquarium getting a better skimmer only marginally improves the overall result which in fact may not have a measurable change, even if you end up changing the skimmer cup more frequently..... Could there be better places to spend our money.. ?
I disagree.
I belive the skimmer is the most important filtration item you will buy. If your skimmer that allows you to remove 5/10% more DOC than a cheeper model that could be the difference between struggling with parameters or not.
In saying that just because a skimmer is more expensive doesn't mean its any better.
The better the skimmer and a good amount of live rock is a proven method of reducing nitrates & p04.
Therefore reducing the amount of WCs .
With a average skimmer you may need to do a 15 -20% WC to obtain good water quality. With a great skimmer you might get a way with a 5% WC weekly.
Just my experience and opinion.
Now to answer your question Susan i would wait and save up for a deltec 1355 @ $450-$500.
I belive the skimmer is the most important filtration item you will buy. If your skimmer that allows you to remove 5/10% more DOC than a cheeper model that could be the difference between struggling with parameters or not.
In saying that just because a skimmer is more expensive doesn't mean its any better.
The better the skimmer and a good amount of live rock is a proven method of reducing nitrates & p04.
Therefore reducing the amount of WCs .
With a average skimmer you may need to do a 15 -20% WC to obtain good water quality. With a great skimmer you might get a way with a 5% WC weekly.
Just my experience and opinion.
Now to answer your question Susan i would wait and save up for a deltec 1355 @ $450-$500.
Limited space, $400 and quality. We will struggle to achieve all three.
First things first, what foot print and height do you have to work with? Then we can look a bit closer.
I'd go something like this in a tight space, but it's like waaaaay over budget.
http://www.aquabella.net.au/skimmers-royal-exclusiv-®/mini-bubble-king-160-200?product_id=531
First things first, what foot print and height do you have to work with? Then we can look a bit closer.
I'd go something like this in a tight space, but it's like waaaaay over budget.
http://www.aquabella.net.au/skimmers-royal-exclusiv-®/mini-bubble-king-160-200?product_id=531
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