# Sticky  Skimmers skimmers and moe skimmers



## Raptor

Well for a long time i have been searching for that skimmer that performs to my expectations.
To my dismay there is alot of skimmers that perform to its limitations.
I would rather someone that wants to stay in the hobby pay a little extra for something that will get them further ahead of the game. A skimmer is the heart of your tank. Remember your tank is only as strong as the weakest point.
A skimmer is something that should be weighed out.

1. Price is always a key and you should stay within your budget, But dont skimp. You can always look for used in the selling fourums everywhere.
2. Solid customer feedback is a strong key in playing its part in choosing a skimmer.
3. Workability into your system, Meaning an in sump, hang on. or external skimmer. There are lots of variables in eachs system. Sump size is one, water height in sump always look for minimum water height requirements for a selected skimmer. Most standard sized skimmers being 6-8 inches requirement for the sump, Unless you need a bigger skimmer.

I had the chance to try out a few skimmers and i like beckett style the best. You need certain criteria to make it work properly though. It needs a pressure rated pump to drie it correctly so it isnt going to save you money in electric.

Needlewheel skimmers are a nice alternate they are quiet, and economical to run, But most are in sump models. There are a few smaller hang on type modles out there.
You can mod a needlewheel skimmer with a recirculation pump to get better production out of it, and there are tons of other mods available to do yourself if youre the diyer that likes to tweek.

Lets keep this topic on skimmers all other posts will be deleted. Lets keep this informative, and feel free to ask/answer questions/info pertainig skimmers.


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## 00nothing

being someone who has gone thru multiple skimmers i totally agree with u on many of your points

i will add a few points of my own

1. when buying a budget mminded skimmer do your research very well there are many skimmers in this price point that do not function very well ( if at all)
2. If u have a friend who has a skimmer that works for him consider purchasing something similar it always helps to be able to have someone nearby with experience with your particular skimmer
3. Needle wheel skimmers seem to be the easiest for the beginning hobbyiest and also the best for a dry skimmate
4. Becket skimmers are considered by some to be best left to fish only or reef tanks with very heavy bio-loads as they do such a good job it is thought by some that they may be overskimming, they are also the best for wet skimming

I am sure i ahve more stuck in my pea brain but alas i can only spill so much at once


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## Andrew

If you choose to use a hang on skimmer, and it is available with a surface skimmer box, spend the extra money and get the box. Most hang-on skimmers suck water from the water column and not the surface. With the surface skimmer box, it will suck in all that nice slimy protein floating on top of the water. It will increase the performance of your hang on skimmer 10 fold!


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## rbp 4 135

they two key factors in skimemrs are reaction time and bubble size. the longer reaction time the better and the smaller the bubble size the better. The problem with venturi driven set ups is that only 13% of the incoming water air mixture can be air, or else the prop on the pump cavitates. Venturi skimmers can be made more efficent in several ways.

1. add an air stone in the reaction chamber this is driven by an air pump and allows for more air to be added directly in to the reaction chamber.

2. Recirculation pump. This can be modded in to most venturi style skimmers it is simply a closed loop with a pump that recirculates the water that is already in the skimmers reaction chamber. Also you can set this pump as a venturi allowing for more air in the mixture. also a recirculation pump will also increase reaction time.

3. obvisouly adding a larger motor to your skimmer will allow for more air and water in the skimmer, this will how ever lessen your reaction time because of more flow.


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## Raptor

A nice dark skimmate.


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## rbp 4 135

yep i have some pictures of when i was cleaning out my pm bullett II, the shim mate that stays in the collecton cup is just like a black clay, what collects in the waste container is like the worst smelling coffee ever. ill post them up when i get back home.


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## Kohan Bros.

if u want my best advice never buy venturi skimmers, yes they can run well but the time and effort needed to make them is more time consuming then its worth and often hard to maintain at a constant rate of quality skimming. and finnally sometimes the pump driving the skimmer is more important then the skimmer itself many times u can get more out of the skimmer with a better pump


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## Puff

what are the best HOB skimmers?

i was looking at the aqua c remora for a 35G i was setting up. does it come with a surface skimmer box or whatever the f*ck it's called?


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## jasert39

remora are a good hob skimmer from what I have always read, I dont have any experince personally with them, but reviews always sound nice.

I ran a cpr bak pak for a while on a forty gallon and thought it was pretty decent once everything was dialed in.

Both of these skimmers have the surface skimmer box thingy but I;m pretty sure they need to be purhcased separetly.


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## Puff

im trying to decide between the remora pro and the bak-pak 2R+

damned hard choice! the bak pak is cheaper, but the pump supposedley sucks balls.

do you know if any pump works for the bak pak? or just the one it comes with or maxijet?

im looking at the aquamedic 1000 multi turboflotor...it has REALLY good reviews from what ive seen. but would it be TOO much for a 35-50G tank?

one positive is that the turboflotor could still be used if i upgraded or got a sump at some point in the future.


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## jasert39

i think when I was running my bak pak i had maxijet running it (i for some reason think it as a 900, but can be certain)


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