In dire need of a skimmer

[DH_Freak]

I am in desperate need of a new protein skimmer. My old one is just a cheapo model and the pump has gone out on it.
I want to get something good to replace it and am looking to spend around $400-700.
My tank is 75g with a 20g sump and 10gal refugium.
I will hopefully be looking to upgrade to a 180g tank and use my 75g currently set up as my new sump.
If anyone can help me out on what I should look for and where to get one from I would greatly appreciate it. BTW our lfs dont carry anything of descent quality just the run of the mill $100-300 skimmers.

Thanks

[invincible569]

DH, as you may already know there are TONS of skimmers to choose from. Some of the top brands by people's experiences are Deltec, Euro Reef, Bubble King, H&S, Aquamedic, Grotech, etc. For a 250g total volume tank, just go to the respected vendor who sells these skimmers and price them out. If you need links let me know. Other than that, its really about person experience. I have been hearing great things about Deltec but then again, people who are using Euro Reef also say they are great. You may want to ask your local reef board if anyone owns any of these brands so you can take a look at it in person to better make your decision.

[DH_Freak]

If you could provide me a few links that would be very helpful.

Thanks

[Fins Reef]

If you are looking for quality in that price range, this is how I rate the suggestions by Invinc
1. H&S
2. Deltec
3. Grotech and Euro-Reef
4.Aqua-Medic and ASM

Now Bubble King would be #1, but the price is higher.
I can give specifics if need be.
How much height and footprint do you have to work with?

[mikester]

I agree with Brian - go with either the Deltec or H&S. You can't go wrong with either of those. You can get the H&S from Brian, and he was extremely helpful answering all of my questions. For information on the Deltec's, go to www.deltecusa.us. Both Brian and Doug (the Deltec distributor) are stand up guys, and both are very helpful. Like I said, you can't go wrong with either of them.

[moonpod]

There are a lot of good options. Personally I use a Deltec and I am very happy. H&S units are very similar. There are small differences between the units, and I leaned towards H&S, but they are very similar.
ERs are very good units as well, but they use an inherently inferior pump IME. That being said, they are sort of domestically produced, well supported and have lots of happy users. HOWEVER, once you jump up to the recirculating units there isn't much price difference between ER RCs and H&S or Deltec units.
An option noone's mentioned yet are beckett skimmers. These are still IMO/E the most "air injection" you can get period. They ARE a bit more "twitchy" and more maintenance than a needlewheel, but they have some serious raw skimming power. They are NOT as "refined" as say a H&S or Deltec, but I would consider them especially in terms of bang for the buck. www.myreefcreations.com for instance.

[DH_Freak]

Thanks for all the great answers. I have been leaning towards the H&S skimmers after hearing what you all have to say as well as a little research on my end. My footprint for in-sump is 10"x10"x22-23" as for external I would have much problem.
Wich brings up another questions do I go with a in-sump or external? Also the models I was looking at are:F2001 Internal Skimmer Pump and A-F2001 External Skimmer Pump.
I also am not sure if any of you are dealers for them if so please email me if you have pricing. I would like to purchase something today or tomorrow at the latest and need it in Utah by Thursday as I have now been without a skimmer for almsot a week .
Thanks

[moonpod]

finsreef is a dealer. The other one I know of is www.tpaquarium.com.

IN GENERAL, what "external" means is recirculating, so you IMO/E get better performance out of a comparable size unit.

Small differences between H&S and Deltec. The "frame" on the H&S is nice and deltec doesn't use those. Deltec at least on the larger models has a gate valve on the outlet which allows for a little finer adjustment on the water level in the skimmer (they both have "hartford loops" that peg the water level to a certain point otherwise). I'm not sure those are on the smaller models. Deltec claims to have modded their needlewheel to work better with the US hz power supply vs the European hz power supply. H&S makes no such claim. They are otherwise very, very similar.

[moonpod]

Just checked tpaquarium and they seem to be out. finsreef seems to have a few in stock.

[Derek]

I have a H&S 110-F2000 and a Deltec APF600. The H&S is an in sump skimmer, while the Deltec is a recirculating type. I really like the Deltec, easy to set up, no real adjustments once it is set(I run the air wide open.) Pulls out a ton of stuff. The H&S hasn't impressed me so far. I have had it for a week and it is pulling out less from the tank than the ER ES5-2(with oceanrunner 2700) I had on it before. Also IMHO I think the ER is a better design and was alot quieter that the H&S.

I don't have any experience with the bigger H&S skimmers, they may be better.

Derek

[Fins Reef]

Derek,
The APF600 should be very noticable improvement over the 110 internal, It uses a larger pump, Aquabee2001 instead of the Aquabee2000 and is a Recircualting design. It is also 1" larger diam, and taller too. It is also over twice the price. A better comparison for the APF600 is the H&S A150-f2001.
I am a little suprized that your Euro pulls more stuff than the H&S. What size tank do you have it running on? Give it another week to break in good, and you should see an improvement. Are you trying to run a wet or dry foam?
What design features do you like better about the Euro-Reef better?
Thanks for your feedback.

[Derek]

I agree about the Deltec being slightly bigger and more money, I have it running on a 130 gal tank. Sorry I didn't mean to compare them head to head, I was only sharing my experiences with the 2 brands.

I am running the H&S on a 30 cube with 15 gal sump. I am running it wet.

The big downside to this skimmer is the pump isn't secured very well to the skimmer body. When adjusting the water height I have pulled two apart by rotating the outlet valve. Then the little pipe that sticks in the pump and slides into the skimmer body goes too far into the skimmer and it isn't easy for me to get it out. The ER pump doesn't slide off the skimmer body. Also this skimmer makes a rumbling noise that is annoying. It started after a week. I took the pump apart, but I think it is actually the skimmer body that is vibrating. Finally the ER I had skimmed more material than this one, but it has only been a week.

If you want more info pm me.

Derek

[Fins Reef]

If you are getting a vibration from the pump being attached to the skimmer body, take a 1-1/2" piece of tubing and splice inline from the pump to the skimmer body, that will cut down on the noise, and should offer a little more secure connection. Also try to use some silicone on the o-ring on the outlet pipe, that will allow it to turn for adjustment easier.
I might of come off wrong, I was not questioning your opinions, just trying to get feedback to send to Germany about the US wants and comments on the product. Thanks for the reply