Foam finesse: How do you choose the size of your skimmer?

[Peace River]

Foam finesse: How do you choose the size of your skimmer?

Although a protein skimmer may not be required, it is a standard piece of equipment for most reef tanks. Choosing the “best” skimmer for your system includes considering several elements including the brand, pump type, size rating, and other related factors. Additionally, it is also helpful to think about the amount of water changes, the overall bio-load, and what other filtration equipment, such as reactors, that are in use on your system. Additionally, over the last several years there has been an ongoing discussion about over-skimming. How do you choose the size of your skimmer? Please share your thoughts on skimmer selection in the thread that follows!

Pro Tip: Clean the airline! There are multiple ways to do this such as pouring a small amount of hot water through the line, but whatever your method it is something that may be helpful. Like many preventative maintenance procedures, when the skimmer isn’t cleaned and maintained, it will become less effective doing its job.

Photo by @Elder1945


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tckcorals.com

 

[shakacuz]

i try to oversize mine a bit. for example, if my tank is a 40G, i look to get a skimmer that can run for a 40G with heavy bioload. this gives me a large ceiling in case i actually do not have a large bioload giving me to have a skimmer i can use if or when i upgrade tank size.

 

[WestMI-Reefer]

Oversize. A buble magus curve 5 is rated for up to 140 gallons, my actual total water volume is around 33 gal.

 

[David Groos]

I follow the manufacturer’s guideline then multiply it by .75 and go from there

 

[JC1977]

My new build will be a 400 gallon total water volume system that will house predominantly larger aggressive carnivores. Based on that fact and combined with limited space in my stand I had a custom dual Venturi skimmer built by Jeff at Lifereef. It will run with two Jaebo 13000 pumps although I probably won’t run them at a 100 percent. Overkill? Possibly but I’d rather have that problem than go too small and as others have said over sizing sets you up nicely if you want to upgrade tanks later.

 

[Aspect]

Skimming power should be 4x the total water volume per hour. My tank volume is 500 gallons and my skimmer pumps will pump about 2000 gallons through the skimmer every hour.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I go by tank rated volume, type of bioload which I consider medium and fit.
Mine is rated higher than recommendation but keeps up.

 

[Dburr1014]

My fc180 is rated for 250g light or 130g heavy. My system is total 100 gallon. Should be good to go and even when I upgrade. Looking at a 150g tank with my 40ish gallon sump.

 

[Timfish]

With no metric to determine what one skimnmer is doing versus another skimmer it's all guess work. Here's some links for those interested:

Granular Activated Carbon Pt 1

Granular Activated Carbon, Part 1: Modeling of Operational Parameters for Dissolved Organic Carbon Removal from Marine Aquaria

Chemistry Department, The Pennsylvania State University. In this first part of a two part series, the authors will introduce granular activated carbon and explain the experimental goals and mathematical models used in their research.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Granular Activated Carbon Pt 2

Granular Activated Carbon, Part 2: Modeling of Operational Parameters for Dissolved Organic Carbon Removal from Marine Aquaria

Chemistry Department, The Pennsylvania State University. In Part 2, the authors will discuss the results of their research and make some recommendations to the aquarist on its usage.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Total Organic Carbon Pt 1

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part I

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Ken and Kelly report on their work on Total Organic Carbon and how it relates to the reef aquarium.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Total Organic Carbon Pt 2

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part II

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Ken and Kelly continue to report on their work on Total Organic Carbon and how it relates to the reef aquarium.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 1

The Development of a Method for the Quantitative Evaluation of Protein Skimmer Performance

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Protein skimmers have become indispensable for many aquarists who strive to maintain the high water quality necessary to keep stony corals.

reefs.com

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 2

Further Studies on Protein Skimmer Performance

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. 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...

reefs.com

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water?

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. The chemical/elemental composition of skimmate generated by an H&S 200-1260 skimmer on a 175-gallon reef tank over the course of several days or a week had some surprises.

reefs.com

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration

What are the bacteria populations in the water column of reef tanks, and how does that value compare with bacterial counts in authentic reef water? Does carbon dosing indeed increase water column bacteria populations (i.e., is growth carbon limited)? Does mechanical filtration (protein skimming...

reefs.com

 

[Scritch]

I was running an fc80 on my waterbox 45. Total water volume around 35. It was stripping all my nutrients, so overkill for my system. I ended up putting it in storage for a bigger build down the road. Now I’m running a hob aquamaxx, and it does the trick.

 

[MoshJosh]

Voted “just guess” cause there was no “biggest I can afford” option. . .

 

[ReefGeezer]

When it comes to skimmers, I've settled on two things over the years. There is a lot of "marketing" involved in the ratings of individual skimmers, and there is little difference in the effectiveness of the different types. I think that contact time : bubble density ratio is really all that really matters.

Where skimming is important i.e. heavy bioload systems, new systems, and etc. I always choose a larger than needed external, recirculating, needle wheel design. This allows me to adjust flow through the skimmer and the skimmer level without greatly affecting bubble density. I've also found these types of skimmers to be the most stable where level is concerned. These types of skimmers generally don't require high pressure pumps to run them either. When my 90 was young, I used a Reef Octo External, Recirculating, NWS150. I think the reaction chamber is 6" ID and 18" tall. It is old, and ugly, and noisy, but I keep it around just in case I want to start a fish only tank.

Where skimming is not so important i.e. lower bioload or mature systems, I prefer inexpensive, less effective, lower rated skimmer. Now that my tank is pretty mature, I use a Bubble Magnus Curve 7. It is not terribly effective, doesn't maintain its level well, but it is simple, inexpensive, quiet, and skims well enough to support the system.

Even with its faults, the Curve 7 skims too much for my mature system. I run it so dry that it seldom skims very much. I am at the point where I'm considering removing it and using the space for frags or more live rock.

 

[X-37B]

I think it depends on the system and the skimmer as no two are the same.
I prefer Tunze skimmers as its one thing in my system I never need ro adjust.
Also they give ratings for different systems.
My 9430dc is rated for 900+ g's.
Its rated for a 270g full sps system. My systems are 95% sps.
I run it on my 80g with 30g so around 120 total.
Its a beast and works well with my heavy in/out systems.

 

[cwerner]

When I was first starting in the hobby there seemed to be a recommendation to get a skimmer twice the rated size of your tank. I did that and if I ran it 24/7 it would completely strip the tank of nutrients pretty quickly, which I did not like. In my AIO I run what fits in the back baffles and it seems to work much better than the oversized one in my first tank.

 

[reeftivo]

i have what i feel is a medium bioload and i choose based on the lightest bioload rating which is usually double my tank volume. then fit, pump and reviews.

the advent of DC pumps has made stripping nutrients more manageable if you oversize a bit, so i prefer DC but AC is fine too. i just have to be a little more shrewd when i size ACs.

 

[LPS Bum]

First things first, it has to fit in your system. So either in your sump or on the back of the tank.

Second, unless your bioload is crazy high, these days I always undersize a bit. Especially with a fleece roller. Some skimming is usually better than no skimming, but you can definitely overskim a tank. I've had a lot of success looking at the manufacturer's recommendation and then either topping out at that number or even going a size smaller.

For example, on my G2 Reefer 625, I have the RSK 300 skimmer (the smallest option) because I have a ReefMat 1200 pulling out most of the gunk ahead of the skimmer. And though the 300 works well, Red Sea recommends a 600 for my size tank, and I could definitely go with something even smaller than the 300.

 

[Robert Edgar]

I have a 180 gallon reef. I have had three good skimmers. By far, the best is my current skimmer, a Bubble King Mini 200, which is rated for mid 200 gallons. I’d say slightly oversized rating should work well.

 

[DanATL]

First things first, it has to fit in your system. So either in your sump or on the back of the tank.

Second, unless your bioload is crazy high, these days I always undersize a bit. Especially with a fleece roller. Some skimming is usually better than no skimming, but you can definitely overskim a tank. I've had a lot of success looking at the manufacturer's recommendation and then either topping out at that number or even going a size smaller.

For example, on my G2 Reefer 625, I have the RSK 300 skimmer (the smallest option) because I have a ReefMat 1200 pulling out most of the gunk ahead of the skimmer. And though the 300 works well, Red Sea recommends a 600 for my size tank, and I could definitely go with something even smaller than the 300.

I have the RedSea 425 so about 100gal and an RSK600. RedSea recommends the 600 for my tank but it's just not necessary. It took forever to break in with my new setup; prob a function of the very low bio load. Totally unrelated to the poll question but interesting to me.....why does RedSea recommend a certain skimmer with a specific water level mark, for a specific RedSea sump, but that mark is impossible to hit unless you put it on a skimmer stand?

 

[Mark Gray]

I chose other, I try them if I don't like them I try another one. I have Life Reef, Red Sea, Reef Octopus, Eshopps, Sea Chem, Deltec. I have been running the Deltec the longest. I like it the best.

 

[Dave-T]

It seems like you should always oversize. If you are over skimming, you can just run it less than 24/7.