[Adam J]

What size skimmer do I need for a 30g tank with a 20g refugium?

[plecosword]

well your total water volume is about 50g, are you going to keep the skimmer inside the sump, or refugium? the skimmer mayb be a little rough to be in with the refugium.

[Adam J]

I guess the sump.Not really sure.Never had one before.

[plecosword]

Well people usually get skimmer rated twice their tank volume, so for you, you can go for something rated over 100g. for my 55, i was going to go sumples with the berlin hang on, rated 250g. with a sump, I dont believe you can overskim.

[pogodzib]

I agree, for a reef tank, you'll want to get a skimmer that is rated for 2-3x your water volume. For FO or FOWLR tanks, you still want to get a skimmer that is rated at close to the 2x water volume. Whatever you do, make sure that you do some research on skimmers you you avoid wasting your money. There is a huge difference skimamte quantity and quality between the good ones and bad ones. FYI - You'll get more "bang for the buck" getting an in-sump skimmer over a HOT skimmer if you have a sump with space available.

[Adam J]

I have room in my sump.Got a suggestion on name brand?And lets pretend for a moment that I don't have a ton of money.

[plecosword]

Originally Posted by pogodzib

I agree, for a reef tank, you'll want to get a skimmer that is rated for 2-3x your water volume. For FO or FOWLR tanks, you still want to get a skimmer that is rated at close to the 2x water volume. Whatever you do, make sure that you do some research on skimmers you you avoid wasting your money. There is a huge difference skimamte quantity and quality between the good ones and bad ones. FYI - You'll get more "bang for the buck" getting an in-sump skimmer over a HOT skimmer if you have a sump with space available.

Yeah I agree, I cant have a sump with the type od stand i have, it was built for freshwater. I would really like to have a sump.

Originally Posted by adam jenkins

I have room in my sump.Got a suggestion on name brand?And lets pretend for a moment that I don't have a ton of money.

Ill tell you all the good ones that i know of,
The berlin skimmers! the Turboflutor skimmer( Really efficient!,
and the ones from euro reef. you may want to check out the AquaC skimmers, somepeople really like them. Aquarium Protien Skimmers: Air-Driven, Venturi-Driven, & Turbo-Driven Protien Skimmers
and about the price, you can go on ebay and get the berlin for about 112, 92 used. same with the trubloflutor but those are more uncommon.
And skimmers you really dont want to own would be the seaclone, the prizm, and air driven skimmer like air stones.
and other things not good!, Bio Balls!, and crushed coral sand.
hope this helps.

[Adam J]

I was looking at one that said reciculating pump 660gph.What does that mean?

[plecosword]

I dont know what you mean, are you asking what a recirculating pump is or what gph means?

[Adam J]

What a recirculating pump is.Does that mean it pumps the water back out at 660gph?

[plecosword]

Im not sure, I think it is a powerhead? Do you have a link to the pump or powerhead you were looking at?

[Adam J]

I'm looking for a skimmer in the 150$ range.I have a 50g total setup.I know 150$ is not much as far as a skimmer is concerned but thats what I got so.........suggestions?

[Adam J]

Originally Posted by adam jenkins

I'm looking for a skimmer in the 150$ range.I have a 50g total setup.I know 150$ is not much as far as a skimmer is concerned but thats what I got so.........suggestions?

I forgot to mention I'm looking for an in sump skimmer.

[pogodzib]

For a good skimmer in that price range, you'll probably need to get a used skimmer. The only part that really ever breaks down on a skimmer is the pump, so a used skimmer is can be a very good idea for people that want to get a good skimmer for a decent price. Euro-Reef and AquaC are good skimmers that can be found at fairly cheap prices while used. The are some other great brands, but the cost would be much higher and there are some other decent brands that will be comparable or slightly cheaper in cost, but many times you need to know to mod the skimmer correctly to get good performance out of them. I don't recommend those skimmers to people that don't have experience because you need to know how a skimmer is supposed to work before you can figure out what the best ways to mod a skimmer to get optimal performance out of the skimmer.

A recirc skimmer means that there is a pump that is circulating water and adding air within the skimmer. A second pump is used to feed the skimmer with additional water. In a non-recirc skimmer, water and air is fed through the feed pump. Recirc models typically get better performance than the same size non-recirc model, but it is at a higher cost. One advantage of recirc models is that they can be ran external.

[Adam J]

octopus nw-150,coralife superskimmer nw-125,pacific coast hang on250(sump 300),aquamedic turbofloater 250 are all in my price range.Opinions anyone?

[plecosword]

hhmm, I dont know about the coralife skimmer, I have not heard about the octupus too much to have an opinion, but I am very familiar with the turboflutor if thats what you meant. that would be the 1000 model that goes in-sump right? Saltwater Marine Aquarium Water Quality & Filtration: Turboflotor Protein Skimmers
I realyl recommend that one, I dont know what other people think.

[reefnoob1991]

Octopus...great skimmer brand.

[Adam J]

Anyone else?I'm ordering Monday.

[Adam J]

I've narrowed it down to the aquamedic Turbofloter and the Reef Octopus ext120 recirculating needle wheel.The octopus says it needs another pump 2xs my total water volume.Thats only 100gph.All I need is a powerhead?Plecosworld recommends the aquamedic.Does anyone know anything about the Octopus?

[Adam J]

No responses so I will go with the reef octopus.Any opinions on pumps?I'm down to a pump and lighting.I've about got the lighting picked out.

[plecosword]

what lightning are you going with?

[Adam J]

Not 100% sure but I'm leaning towards the Nova Extreme Pro T5 6xs39w.I've got a 30g and I've been told that its a little much so tomorrow I'm going to call and see if I can cut off or remove 2 bulbs.

[plecosword]

Yeah i really like that one too, maynly the desingh, way better than the 4x fixture, tell me how it goes, and i do think it is a little more than you need. I think it would be more than enough on a 90g though 48" long, thats what i want to set up, I have to see how it goes... good luck on your tank Adam.

[Adam J]

I like the ind. reflectors.The 4 x 39w doesn't have them.

[reefnoob1991]

The octopus 150 skimmer on ebay for 160$ is the one i ordered and it works great