Skimmer suggestion

[CloudIX]

Well i posted on the old forum and i figured everyone had moved since there was no one posting on it any more. Thank god that you had a call out on the mtrc webpage. I don't guess i should even ask why the old forum was abandoned.

I go off and have a baby, things start getting back to normal and everyone left me, geeze do i need to shower or something? :neutral:

Any way's i had better get to the point. Time to retire the old MR3 Skimmer and get something new, Tired of the amount of maintenance that is required of that skimmer. I need a skimmer that will handle 350 gallons, but i want something very efficient. I figured i can drive it with the hammerhead pump that's driving the skimmer now. Is the needle wheel still what everyone is using?

OH, forgot to mention it has to be an external skimmer, no room in the sump.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Well i posted on the old forum and i figured everyone had moved since there was no one posting on it any more. Thank god that you had a call out on the mtrc webpage. I don't guess i should even ask why the old forum was abandoned.

I go off and have a baby, things start getting back to normal and everyone left me, geeze do i need to shower or something? :neutral:

Any way's i had better get to the point. Time to retire the old MR3 Skimmer and get something new, Tired of the amount of maintenance that is required of that skimmer. I need a skimmer that will handle 350 gallons, but i want something very efficient. I figured i can drive it with the hammerhead pump that's driving the skimmer now. Is the needle wheel still what everyone is using?

First suggestion is can the Hammerhead as it's a power Hog, I would say go with the best your budget can afford! I run a Vertex Alpha 170 W/Red Dragon Pump (21Watts) But this model will be a tad small for your water volume. I would say the 200 or 250 would be the alternative IMO But if you want to go a little cheaper the Reef Octopus XP5000 Cone skimmer is very efficient for the money and from personal experience is a great skimmer that works very well.
This is just a few that are out there but these would top my short list.
Bill
As far as that other site goes Forget About It!!!

 

[pickupman66]

well cloud..... we didnt know how to tell you...

teh super reef octopus skimmers seem to be the very popular ones as of late. they use the needlewheels and dont need the big hammerhead pump to drive them. I am not speaking first hand on them because I have yet to make the plunge for them, but from what I hear, they do a great job but require a constant water level in their chamber of the sump. they use the needlewheel pumps.

I am still plugging away with my MRC2. Let me know if you decide to sell the MRc3.

Glad you found us by the way!

 

[CloudIX]

Well since my hammerhead is running the return to the display tank and the skimmer, i kinda wanna keep it. That way i can continue to have one pump for all. I will look at those skimmers and read up. I'm guessing that the maintenance is much lower on those skimmers then this Beckett one?

 

[poolkeeper1]

well cloud..... we didnt know how to tell you...

teh super reef octopus skimmers seem to be the very popular ones as of late. they use the needlewheels and dont need the big hammerhead pump to drive them. I am not speaking first hand on them because I have yet to make the plunge for them, but from what I hear, they do a great job but require a constant water level in their chamber of the sump. they use the needlewheel pumps.

I am still plugging away with my MRC2. Let me know if you decide to sell the MRc3.

Glad you found us by the way!

The XP series are external and just need to be fed a constant GPH water supply that he can do with the pump he has. I run my system with one pump like him but it only uses around 80Watts to run all my return,reactors including CaRx Ecobak and Carbon so the power used is way less than the older type Darts/Hammerheads.
My power bill is a fraction of what it used to be before these changes in pumps and lights (Led's) But IMO well worth the long term savings.
Bill

 

[CloudIX]

what pump do you have that replaced the hammerhead? I would love to reduce to power consumption. i had even thought about wiring the hammerhead up as a 220v to get a bit of savings there.

 

[poolkeeper1]

what pump do you have that replaced the hammerhead? I would love to reduce to power consumption. i had even thought about wiring the hammerhead up as a 220v to get a bit of savings there.

I'm using a Reef Octopus Water Blaster7000 that pumps around 1800 GPH @ 80W and these pumps come with a 3 year warranty and they also come in larger sizes to meet most needs. A friend runs their WB10000 on a 650gal system to run all his skimmers (2) and reactors (3) And unlike old style pumps that add heat these run without adding any heat to your system. They can be run internal or external and IMO are the best out there for the money. Mine has been running for several years with no issues what so ever and like i said my power cost are way down.
Bill

 

[CloudIX]

Thanks bill, i will look at that pump also. What do you think about the Super Reef Octopus XP3000 External SRO-XP3000E?

 

[poolkeeper1]

Thanks bill, i will look at that pump also. What do you think about the Super Reef Octopus XP3000 External SRO-XP3000E?

That whole line of Skimmers is pretty awesome for the Money,Not sure if for your water volume if the XP5000 would be a better choice but that's up to you.
Bill

 

[CloudIX]

was looking at the pump you was talking about. Unless i miss read something it don't look like it will move the volume of water at the head pressure that my barracuda does. Currently it pull 240 watt per hr, about 3300 gpm on a 8' head pressure. I couldn't find any of those pumps that moved that amount of water at even a 5' head pressure. Did i read something wrong?

 

[poolkeeper1]

Reef Octopus Water Blaster Pumps
Here's a link to the pumps, Not sure i understand why you need all that many GPH and head pressure for a 240 gal tank??
Bill
HY10000 2600gph @ 15.5 ft head ??

 

[redtop03]

Reef Octopus Water Blaster Pumps
Here's a link to the pumps, Not sure i understand why you need all that many GPH and head pressure for a 240 gal tank??
Bill
HY10000 2600gph @ 15.5 ft head ??

the HY10000 doesn't hold that 2600gph with the 15.5 ft of head,according to their specs,those are max numbers it will produce and the max head it will push water....the gph will drop off significantly more than with the ReeFlo pumps but it should still be plenty enough flow for a 240g tank and less than half the power consumption...ReeFlo pumps are power hungry but are about bulletproof,I'm sure the water blasters are excellent pumps also but I've never used one.....

sometimes it is more power efficient to use 2 or more smaller pumps than to use 1 big one,but I too like the simplicity of having only one pump to clean

 

[poolkeeper1]

the HY10000 doesn't hold that 2600gph with the 15.5 ft of head,according to their specs,those are max numbers it will produce and the max head it will push water....the gph will drop off significantly more than with the ReeFlo pumps but it should still be plenty enough flow for a 240g tank and less than half the power consumption...ReeFlo pumps are power hungry but are about bulletproof,I'm sure the water blasters are excellent pumps also but I've never used one.....

sometimes it is more power efficient to use 2 or more smaller pumps than to use 1 big one,but I too like the simplicity of having only one pump to clean

I have a reeflo Dart sitting in my garage and did use them for years, But times have changed and power costs have gone way up. The Water Blaster pumps i have been using since they came out are the perfect replacements IMO if you want to run your tank a little more cost effective.
As far as them being bulletproof i always had seal problems with reeflo's the whole time i used them, Plus they are Big and take up lots of room and require regular cleaning. My WB has been running 2 years without ever having to do any cleaning at all and restarts every time after a WC with no problems. Plus the 3 year replacement warranty makes it a better deal all around, But everyone has their own preferences as to how to run their tank. Just giving some options that have worked for me.
Bill

 

[redtop03]

I have a reeflo Dart sitting in my garage and did use them for years, But times have changed and power costs have gone way up. The Water Blaster pumps i have been using since they came out are the perfect replacements IMO if you want to run your tank a little more cost effective.
As far as them being bulletproof i always had seal problems with reeflo's the whole time i used them, Plus they are Big and take up lots of room and require regular cleaning. My WB has been running 2 years without ever having to do any cleaning at all and restarts every time after a WC with no problems. Plus the 3 year replacement warranty makes it a better deal all around, But everyone has their own preferences as to how to run their tank. Just giving some options that have worked for me.
Bill

oh I understand completely,I wasn't disagreeing and I definitely wasn't knocking the WB pumps,the WB is likely a much better option for his situation,I was just saying that the GPH drops off faster on smaller pumps than with the ReeFlo pumps...kinda like comparing a sports car to a log truck,the sports car will run circles around the log truck for a lot less power consumption but tie a big load to its butt,the sports car will be struggling where the log truck will keep going.....

where a ReeFlo pump would shine as opposed to the WB pump or any other smaller pump is if the sump were placed like in a basement or in a remote room somewhere other than under the tank,a ReeFlo pump would overcome the head pressure much better than the WB or any other smaller pump would....

I run a power hungry Hammerhead pump with an Ocean Motion 4-way on a closed loop plus I have a Vortech MP60...the closed loop has ran flawlessly for well over a year,the MP60 has ran flawlessly also,the MP60 also moves a lot more water for a fraction of the power consumption as the closed loop,and giving the extra plumbing and all the work it took to get the CL running,the MP60 was less expensive to purchase and much easier to install....if there was a way to add the head pressure that the Hammerhead has to deal with to the MP60,I'm sure the flow would be drastically reduced from the MP60 but if the Hammerhead ever fails and I have to replace it,I will likely get another MP60 instead

I also run a ReeFlo Orca 250 skimmer which has the needle wheel modded Dart pump and the seal and bearings have already been replaced once in it after only about 8 months of use,not due to a seal leak but a bad bearing and while I had it apart,I figured I may as well replace the seal too....if sand gets in there around the seal,it will eventually eat away at it causing it to leak....

I guess bulletproof was a bit of an over statement but point is,the ReeFlo pump motors can be repaired by most DIYers and is what I love about 'em,the mag-drive style motors as with the WB are virtually trouble free,with maybe an occasional impeller replacement,but if something major does happen to it,it usually requires a new motor,I use an Eheim 1262 to feed my skimmer,it's over 4 years old now and just as strong as when it was new....giving the saving in power usage,buying a new motor would most likely be less expensive in the long run...point is,there's a bit of a trade off for whatever we use......same as with the Hammerhead pump,if the Dart ever fails and I have to replace it,I will likely try to adapt something else less power hungry to the skimmer body

 

[pickupman66]

Great points made in that post. I run a barracuda simply because I have roughly 10 feet of head to deal with as my sumo is in the garage.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[redtop03]

Great points made in that post. I run a barracuda simply because I have roughly 10 feet of head to deal with as my sumo is in the garage.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

after paying my electric bill each month,I highly recommend everybody look at ways to cut power consumption,especially if they're looking for replacement equipment or starting from scratch,but different circumstances call for different approaches,and sometimes the best way isn't always the cheapest,still though,if you have to run a big pump,there's are other places to cut costs,I also run 4x250w MH plus 4x54w T5 lights which consume a lot of power,I plan to replace those in the near future with LEDs...I've roughly guestimated that my tank is costing me about a 3rd of my electric bill each month to run which is ridiculous....and I done it again,I've managed to derail this thread completely

 

[poolkeeper1]

after paying my electric bill each month,I highly recommend everybody look at ways to cut power consumption,especially if they're looking for replacement equipment or starting from scratch,but different circumstances call for different approaches,and sometimes the best way isn't always the cheapest,still though,if you have to run a big pump,there's are other places to cut costs,I also run 4x250w MH plus 4x54w T5 lights which consume a lot of power,I plan to replace those in the near future with LEDs...I've roughly guestimated that my tank is costing me about a 3rd of my electric bill each month to run which is ridiculous....and I done it again,I've managed to derail this thread completely

With 2 Darts (One Return pump & One Reeflo 200 Skimmer) Plus 4 250W Mh and 4 80W T5Ho along with 4 Tunze 6100 and several Maxi Jets running reactors and who knows what i forgot my Electric Bill used to push 350.00 per month
Now with WB 7000 Vertex Alpha 170 skimmer 2 MP40 ES and 105 3W LED's my bill never tops 140.00 per month! That's real savings that can be gained by buying with power consumption first and foremost in setting up my current tank.
All situations are different but where there's a will there's a way if you can foot the up front cost of better equipment. JMO
Bill

 

[redtop03]

With 2 Darts (One Return pump & One Reeflo 200 Skimmer) Plus 4 250W Mh and 4 80W T5Ho along with 4 Tunze 6100 and several Maxi Jets running reactors and who knows what i forgot my Electric Bill used to push 350.00 per month
Now with WB 7000 Vertex Alpha 170 skimmer 2 MP40 ES and 105 3W LED's my bill never tops 140.00 per month! That's real savings that can be gained by buying with power consumption first and foremost in setting up my current tank.
All situations are different but where there's a will there's a way if you can foot the up front cost of better equipment. JMO
Bill

that is a big savings...my power bill is usually between $220 and $280 every month,before I got into reefing,it generally ran around $140 to $200 but we have 5 TVs and 3 computers,there's usually not more than 2 TVs going at once but all 3 PC are usually running if only in sleep mode,all the TVs are LCD except in the living room which is a DLP,I've replaced all the light bulbs with the CF curly bulbs and reduced the photo period on the tank to save as much as possible and still keep the coral alive....

I have the MHs set on a 15 minute difference so that 1 comes on then 15 minutes later the next comes on and so on,and they shut of in the same sequence,that helps to mimic the sun traveling across the tank and helps save some power while still having some light in the tank longer,I also have the T5s programmed to shut of after the last MH has lit and then come back on just before the first MH shuts off...each of the MHs run about 4 hours a day but my tank is lit for about 14hrs,I also backed the Hammerhead down to about 50% flow after adding the MP60....that all help a great deal but not as much as I'd like for it too,before doing all that,mine would never drop below $300 a month either

 

[pickupman66]

my bill is in teh $200-$300 range all year long. but I am upgrading to LED this month as soon as I get them installed. that will replace teh 3x250 halides and the T-5 actinics.

 

[CloudIX]

The reason I have to run a barracuda pump is i have 8' of head pressure to deal with. The main tank, plus the skimmer (that needs lots of flow to work correctly), and my media chamber all run off the same pump, add a few 90's in the mix and the flow in the display tank is drastically reduced. Currently my entire tank circuit pulls 1 kwh. That works out to be 68 bucks a month to run my tank. I would love to switch to a cheaper pump, if i could find one that would be worth the cost to replace. I prob will have to wait until the barracuda goes out and get another one then. But since it only pulls 240 watts per hour (1/4 of my hourly usage), then i would need to shave that number in half to even think about buying a new pump. If there are any pumps that would move 3500 gph on a 8' head pressure at 120 watts, then please let me know.

I have also decided that i'm going to get the xp3000 skimmer. Its supposed to handle up to 400 gallons and only requires 1/4 of the flow that the MR3 requires.

Thanks bill for your suggestion on that skimmer, looks like exactly what i was looking for.