Having a hard time choosing a skimmer

Levinson · Mar 11, 2022

I'm having a hard time choosing a skimmer for my new 2 shallow tanks + 1 sump build (Link to the build thread).
I'm guessing the total water volume would be roughly around 300 liters (80 gallons), including the sump. No corals, just shrimps, and some inverts.

At first, I was going to buy the Aquamaxx Q2 (AC) but then I realized how the bioload of my current marine shrimp only tank is quite low for the size of the tank.
I thought maybe Q2 might be too powerful to have a consistent result and it might be better to buy a DC skimmer and turn it down. ......But I'm still not too sure.
I'd like to run my skimmer dry and prefer to under skim than over skim.
As you can tell, I'm very indecisive and have been thinking about this for several weeks already.
I've made a list of the candidates (I live in Korea and my options are often limited to what they have here and the prices may differ from the skimmers sold elsewhere).
Please feel free to comment and any feedbacks are welcome. Cheers.

1. Aquamaxx Q2
Still a strong candidate.
Pros: Good price and reviews. Love the twist-off skimmer cup. Reliable Sicce pump. Comes with a 2 year warranty.
Cons: AC pump, less control.
Etc: The smaller Q1 and the DC versions are not imported here. I even thought about putting this skimmer on a timer.

2. Reef Octopus Regal 150int
Pros: Good review, read good things about the model and the brand. The external pump design is a plus.
Cons: The most expensive on the list. Comes with a 1 year warranty. I fear any replacement parts (like the pump) would cost a lot of money should there be an issue after the warranty expires.
Etc: For the price, it would've been much better if the warranty was at least for 2 years. The twist-off skimmer cup would've been nice too.

3. Maxspect SK400
Pros: Cheaper than Reef Octopus.
Cons: Couldn't find many reviews (long term). Comes with a 1 year warranty. I fear any replacement parts (like the pump) would cost a lot of money should there be an issue after the warranty expires.
Etc: it would've been nice if the warranty was at least for 2 years. The twist-off skimmer cup would've been nice.

4. Tunze 9410 DC
Pro: Feature-wise, this has all that I want. Easy to take the skimmer cup out, eternal pump, adjustable, good reviews, etc. It's the skimmer I want.
Cons: Not sold in Korea. I could buy one from abroad and have it shipped here but it would practically be without a warranty since it'll cost quite a bit to send it back and forth overseas to get it replaced or repaired. Also, not cheap. I'm trying very hard to convince myself not to do it but it is still very tempting.

5. Tiger 150i protein skimmer (DC)
Pros: The cheapest option. Much cheaper than the rest. Uses Jebao dcp pump (ease of replacement). This has the twist-off skimmer cup that I like.
Cons: Comes with a 1 year warrenty. Uses Jebao dcp pump (not saying they are crap but not the most reliable brand name). Not enough reviews out there.
Etc: I've heard this is a locally deisgned skimmer that is manufactured in China.

6. Deltec 600i
Pros: Good reviews.
Cons: Expensive. Comes with a 1 year warranty. I heard they use Jebao pumps (can someone confirm if this is true?). It's not that I don't like Jebao pumps, but for the price, I expect something better.
Etc: Not really considering this option at the moment.

reefluvrr · Mar 11, 2022

I have used Tunze 9410 DC before for my 40 gallon reef tank.
They are great skimmers. The skim mate stunk.
The biggest complaint I have is that the collection cup is too small. I had to drain and clean it too often.
I think if you use it for your 80 gallon, you may have to drain it more often....

I am now using the Maxspect Aeraqua Duo for my reef tank. I prefer larger skimmer due to my heavy bioload.
I have ran this skimmer for nearly close to two years now. It is nice and easy to take apart and clean.
No broken parts yet.

Hope this helps

UnderseaOddities · Mar 11, 2022

Go with whatever one you can afford and one that will fit nicely in the sump

But rember it's better to overspec then underspec

But really if you're keeling up on wc it's not as important what brand ,it is more or less ,but if it's doing a propper job skimming your system with your bioload

Skimmers are plug and play and it takes a while to find a sweet spot you'll have to figure out if you wanna skim wet or dry and also figure out the sweet spot and also how high u want it in the sump.

You should also empty and clean collection cup daily

But if I were u I'd go with the reef octopus outta your list of choices

Levinson · Mar 11, 2022

Thanks for the input @reefluvrr , @UnderseaOddities .
What do you think about the importance of the warranty for skimmers? Especially for better-known brands like Reef Octopus, Tunze, or Maxspect? Do you feel that the good brand skimmers are generally well made that the chances of having one fail within or just after a year is low? I guess I'm more worried about the reliability than the actual performance.

Sabellafella · Mar 11, 2022

Levinson said:
I'm having a hard time choosing a skimmer for my new 2 shallow tanks + 1 sump build (Link to the build thread).
I'm guessing the total water volume would be roughly around 300 liters (80 gallons), including the sump. No corals, just shrimps, and some inverts.

At first, I was going to buy the Aquamaxx Q2 (AC) but then I realized how the bioload of my current marine shrimp only tank is quite low for the size of the tank.
I thought maybe Q2 might be too powerful to have a consistent result and it might be better to buy a DC skimmer and turn it down. ......But I'm still not too sure.
I'd like to run my skimmer dry and prefer to under skim than over skim.
As you can tell, I'm very indecisive and have been thinking about this for several weeks already.
I've made a list of the candidates (I live in Korea and my options are often limited to what they have here and the prices may differ from the skimmers sold elsewhere).
Please feel free to comment and any feedbacks are welcome. Cheers.

1. Aquamaxx Q2
Still a strong candidate.
Pros: Good price and reviews. Love the twist-off skimmer cup. Reliable Sicce pump. Comes with a 2 year warranty.
Cons: AC pump, less control.
Etc: The smaller Q1 and the DC versions are not imported here. I even thought about putting this skimmer on a timer.

2. Reef Octopus Regal 150int
Pros: Good review, read good things about the model and the brand. The external pump design is a plus.
Cons: The most expensive on the list. Comes with a 1 year warranty. I fear any replacement parts (like the pump) would cost a lot of money should there be an issue after the warranty expires.
Etc: For the price, it would've been much better if the warranty was at least for 2 years. The twist-off skimmer cup would've been nice too.

3. Maxspect SK400
Pros: Cheaper than Reef Octopus.
Cons: Couldn't find many reviews (long term). Comes with a 1 year warranty. I fear any replacement parts (like the pump) would cost a lot of money should there be an issue after the warranty expires.
Etc: it would've been nice if the warranty was at least for 2 years. The twist-off skimmer cup would've been nice.

4. Tunze 9410 DC
Pro: Feature-wise, this has all that I want. Easy to take the skimmer cup out, eternal pump, adjustable, good reviews, etc. It's the skimmer I want.
Cons: Not sold in Korea. I could buy one from abroad and have it shipped here but it would practically be without a warranty since it'll cost quite a bit to send it back and forth overseas to get it replaced or repaired. Also, not cheap. I'm trying very hard to convince myself not to do it but it is still very tempting.

5. Tiger 150i protein skimmer (DC)
Pros: The cheapest option. Much cheaper than the rest. Uses Jebao dcp pump (ease of replacement). This has the twist-off skimmer cup that I like.
Cons: Comes with a 1 year warrenty. Uses Jebao dcp pump (not saying they are crap but not the most reliable brand name). Not enough reviews out there.
Etc: I've heard this is a locally deisgned skimmer that is manufactured in China.

6. Deltec 600i
Pros: Good reviews.
Cons: Expensive. Comes with a 1 year warranty. I heard they use Jebao pumps (can someone confirm if this is true?). It's not that I don't like Jebao pumps, but for the price, I expect something better.
Etc: Not really considering this option at the moment.

I'll be honest with you, go with the reef octopus. It's the easiest to tune, super simple to clean, has a float for it to shut down. Parts are replaced nearly immediately. Can't beat the pricing for the quality!

Levinson · Mar 11, 2022

Sabellafella said:
I'll be honest with you, go with the reef octopus. It's the easiest to tune, super simple to clean, has a float for it to shut down. Parts are replaced nearly immediately. Can't beat the pricing for the quality!

Thank you for being honest with me. In my mind, it's a real close race between the 3 from the list at the moment. Aquamaxx Q2, Reef Octopus 150int, & Tunze 9410 DC.