# Protein skimmer blues....



## herefishyfishy (Jan 24, 2011)

Hi all,

I wish my first official post was somewhat more glamorous, but being a beginner in salty land I just have boring questions for now...

I'm setting up a 45g saltwater tank and need a HOB protein skimmer. I have looked at lots and quite honestly just got confused... Lol. I am really looking for something effective but fairly quiet. Any suggestions?? I wouldn't mind paying the 200 clams range! No pun intended.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

Sent you a PM.


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## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

Try the Aquamaxx HOB skimmers
There is a bit of a gap in the hang on market right now, but that is considered about the best reasonably priced skimmer on the market right now.

It is available on marinedepot.com; there are no canadian dealers (though I have requested to become a canadian dealer - no response yet).

Beyond that, there is also the E-shopps PSK100H(also not avail from Canadian retailers - my fav skimmer of ever, i have one), or of course the in-tank Tunze 9006 or 9005 that are available in Canada from jlaquatics.com

Finally, the Deltec MCE 300 hang on is quite good, though it requires a lot of attention as it gets dirty faster than other types of skimmers (its design is very odd - this was my last skimmer). Also available from jlaquatics.com.

*DO NOT buy *1. A SeaClone 2. A Coralife Skimmer C. A Visitherm D. A Red Sea Prizm or any other red sea skimmer.

The reason why the Aquamaxx is so highly recommended is that it is one of the few hang on skimmers that has a diffusion/bubble plate. These plates are new features of high end skimmers and increase skimming efficiency greatly. The E-shopps models also have diffusion plates. Both are needle wheels (also a good thing).

A lot of people used to recommend the Aqua C Hang ons (Remora and Remora Pro) but they are actually quite noisy, and completely out-dated in terms of technology. They work but I woudn't recommend them.


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## j3tang (Sep 14, 2010)

acropora1981 said:


> Try the Aquamaxx HOB skimmers
> There is a bit of a gap in the hang on market right now, but that is considered about the best reasonably priced skimmer on the market right now.
> 
> It is available on marinedepot.com; there are no canadian dealers (though I have requested to become a canadian dealer - no response yet).
> ...


I'm kinda interested in this. It actually reminds me of the Deltec MCE600. The Deltec is rated for slightly larger tank, and users even feel the rating is very conservative. Would the Aquamaxx fit somewhere between the MCE300 and MCE600?

If you ever got them in to Canada, I'd be interested in trying one out.


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Another HOB skimmer, unfortunately I haven't seen them offered here in Canada:

Super Reef Octopus LX1000S

The BubbleBlaster pumps have great reviews but still not much first hand experience for us fellow Canadians. GoReef.com carries the Reef Octopus line but I don't see it in their site. Drop them a line to see if and when they will be available. IMHO/E, it's the pump that's important part of the skimmer.

HTH


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## j3tang (Sep 14, 2010)

AquaValley(.ca) has the above skimmer 

I've been told they frequent Toronto once a week or so?


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## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

j3tang said:


> I'm kinda interested in this. It actually reminds me of the Deltec MCE600. The Deltec is rated for slightly larger tank, and users even feel the rating is very conservative. Would the Aquamaxx fit somewhere between the MCE300 and MCE600?
> 
> If you ever got them in to Canada, I'd be interested in trying one out.


I think the Aquamaxx models would be competitive with the Deltecs. The MCE600 would likely blow it out of the water, but who wants to pay that much for a skimmer lol?

The MCE300 as I said is a powerhouse, but I owned it for about 6 months only. It requires cleaning 3x per week, and the pump has to be cleaned once per week. It was like 30 minutes of work every week just for my darn skimmer! I got tired of that, and sold it. The MCE300 doesn't skim well at all if it isn't perfectly clean. The aquamaxx is much more robust. The build quality is also amazing for the price. I won't be getting them in any time soon, but if you order from Marinedepot.com, it would cost you about 300 bucks including shipping, brokerage, and taxes.

I've heard good things about the Super Reef Octopus LX1000S as well, but I've never seen one or touched one or anything so I can't really say much more about it. Its also twice your price range ($400 CAD +hst and shipping). Super reef octo. also has other models but they look like BakPak clones (BakPak skimmers were all the rage in the late 90's) and I think they are junk.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

Hey guys all the new skimmers sound great and all but you're not helping the poor guy 1) they're not available in canada 2) they aren't in his $200 price range/ budget. Remember shipping, brokerage fees and taxes.

Please continue with suggestions.


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## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

A. You can buy them from america and 

B. You get what you pay for


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## herefishyfishy (Jan 24, 2011)

All you guys are AWESOME!

Thanks for all the suggestions, giving me definatly lots to consider. Not sure which direction I want to go yet but atleast I have some great info to use now. Any more suggestions are appreciated. I think I have to decide if I should prioritize either budget or happy wife ( skimmer with least noise ) lol.


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## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

Well the quietest would likely be the Tunze models.


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## vinjo (Dec 8, 2010)

herefishyfishy said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I wish my first official post was somewhat more glamorous, but being a beginner in salty land I just have boring questions for now...
> 
> I'm setting up a 45g saltwater tank and need a HOB protein skimmer. I have looked at lots and quite honestly just got confused... Lol. I am really looking for something effective but fairly quiet. Any suggestions?? I wouldn't mind paying the 200 clams range! No pun intended.


I'm in the same exact boat as you! Looking for a HOB silent skimmer. I'm hoping to place a 90G SW tank in my bedroom.

It's too bad I can't just buy different models and try them out until I discover a silent model that I like. 



> DO NOT buy 1. A SeaClone 2. A Coralife Skimmer C. A Visitherm D. A Red Sea Prizm or any other red sea skimmer.


What's the deal with the Coralife skimmers? why the no dice? I've seen some decent deals and have been considering buying...


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## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

vinjo said:


> I'm in the same exact boat as you! Looking for a HOB silent skimmer. I'm hoping to place a 90G SW tank in my bedroom.
> 
> It's too bad I can't just buy different models and try them out until I discover a silent model that I like.
> 
> What's the deal with the Coralife skimmers? why the no dice? I've seen some decent deals and have been considering buying...


A) Don't put a salt tank in your bedroom. It will be very difficult to get it quiet enough to allow a good nights rest, unless it is in-wall, or you are oblivious to noise.

B) Coralife skimmers suck for a number of reasons.

First, they are based on older technology and do not feature a bubble plate for reduced turbulence. The build quality is TERRIBLE (ie, they are made of junky plastic). They do not skim all that well, compared to other models available for a similar price. They leak, they overflow frequently. The adjustment knob is very sensitive, and its difficult to get them to the right level. The pump and a big black box both have to go inside the tank, which is ugly, and they put microbubbles in your tank. Finally the pumps fail quite frequently. There will be different opinions out there on them, but I've worked in the industry a long time and seen and heard a lot of bad opinions of them, and also dealt with them from a warranty aspect, and have had to replace a lot of them on warranty.

The other skimmers in that list suck for the same reasons.


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## herefishyfishy (Jan 24, 2011)

Hi Vinjo

You must have a huge bedroom! Lol

Let me know if you have any luck!!!!


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## vinjo (Dec 8, 2010)

Haha, yeah I am fortunate enough to have a large room. I currently have a 90G FW cichlid tank and want to convert it to SW... I am just taking my time to figure out the noise issue.


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