More skimmer for your $$$

[Jeremey’s reef]

Hello everyone I have a question about skimmers. I am undecided as to which skimmer best suits my wants and needs for my Waterbox peninsula 5526 which is 120g in the DT and 40.1g in the sump, the tank itself is 55x26x24. I am considering a Reef Octopus classic 202- S 8” or the Nyos Quantum 160, any shared experiences with either or both these skimmers is welcome good or bad. I have been going back and forth between the two via YouTube and BRS reviews and I find nothing that separates them in great detail as far as performance goes. Now a few things I am searching for in a skimmer are quality, longevity, reliability, quiet run time and compact design that will allow room for the addition of reactors. I want to pull the trigger on one of these soon but I want to avoid buyers remors. If I had to focus on two factors that drive this build those would be both a quiet and clean system(less visible equipment). I will also add to that with the desire to be a low maintenance tank with redundancy in nutrien export. So in addition to the skimmer and filter socks I will be adding a reactor or two and a refugium later on down the line.

 

[hzheng33]

Don’t know about Nyos but Reef octopus is a workhorse and cannot be beaten in my opinion.
Plus their support system is there in the event any part goes bad. I recently submitted a ticket and got the response within 1hr.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

Don’t know about Nyos but Reef octopus is a workhorse and cannot be beaten in my opinion.
Plus their support system is there in the event any part goes bad. I recently submitted a ticket and got the response within 1hr.

Don’t know about Nyos but Reef octopus is a workhorse and cannot be beaten in my opinion.
Plus their support system is there in the event any part goes bad. I recently submitted a ticket and got the response within 1hr.

How quiet are They in comparison to other skimmer?

 

[hzheng33]

I think BRS did a best of 2019 video and reef octopus basically took the top spots.

You won’t hear any anything with cabinet door closed.

I’m sure Nyos is good but they are pricier for the same functionality.

 

[york1]

I have a RO skimmer on my bowfront and its been a workhorse over the last year and a half. No problem at all and very quiet. Never use anything from Nyos but have heard alot of good things about the skimmers. I do think the nyos are little pricy but thats just me

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

The Nyos skimmers are expensive but from what I have seen they are extremely easy to clean and claim to be super Quiet

 

[viethluu]

The Nyos is just as loud as the RO. I don't like the Nyos collection cup though; it is harder to remove the Nyos's cup comparing to RO's cup.

 

[snowmansnow]

I'm going to present the unpopular option. Bubble King mini 160 for a 120. I've been using bubble king over a decade for a reason, and never had an issue with one other than an impeller recently getting stuck (resolved). Nearly silent. HEAVY build materials. Easy to clean. If you have the $... its hard to beat.

 

[viethluu]

I'm going to present the unpopular option. Bubble King mini 160 for a 120. I've been using bubble king over a decade for a reason, and never had an issue with one other than an impeller recently getting stuck (resolved). Nearly silent. HEAVY build materials. Easy to clean. If you have the $... its hard to beat.

Yeah, I like Bubble King. They are more silent than Nyos and RO. But, I doubt that the Bubble King has any significant higher quality build comparing to the other two branches. Just my 2 cents.

 

[jcook54]

I'd get the RO. They are under the CoralVue umbrella and, in my experience, they do a pretty good job of keeping old parts or having adapters for when they update their skimmers. For examples, I've got a RO skimmer on my main that is 10+ yrs old and when the pump finally died, I could buy a replacement. However, one email to CoralVue's customer service and I got a new pump with a $8 adapter and was able to replace it without issue. Nyos makes good stuff but who knows where they'll be in a few years and if they'll still be making parts.

I'd also add that I've had the best luck with RO equipment and when I'm in the market for a new skimmer, it's typically a choice between which RO model I want. I've always ran them and plan to as long as they're making skimmers.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

Okay yea the bumble kings are outside of my budget

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

I’m looking to stay under $600

 

[hzheng33]

I'd get the RO. They are under the CoralVue umbrella and, in my experience, they do a pretty good job of keeping old parts or having adapters for when they update their skimmers. For examples, I've got a RO skimmer on my main that is 10+ yrs old and when the pump finally died, I could buy a replacement. However, one email to CoralVue's customer service and I got a new pump with a $8 adapter and was able to replace it without issue. Nyos makes good stuff but who knows where they'll be in a few years and if they'll still be making parts.

I'd also add that I've had the best luck with RO equipment and when I'm in the market for a new skimmer, it's typically a choice between which RO model I want. I've always ran them and plan to as long as they're making skimmers.

i agree. i have a calcium reactor from them and they continue to support products that are no longer in production to certain extend. i was able to find replacement parts through them without buying a new calcium reactor.

 

[viethluu]

I’m looking to stay under $600

lol, you can buy a very nice DC skimmer with that budget.

 

[joseayes]

I’ve tested this skimmers: Coralife, SC Aquariums, small eshopps, another two small ones like the Innovative Marine and the Fluval, two different Aquamaxx, more than 3 different size Reef octopus, and one day I might consider getting a BK but honestly they still relay on tuning the skimmer by twisting a pvc pipe... ! I mean, RO came with the idea to tune the flow with a gate valve, water flow control by twisting the pipe? It really looks old now.
I want to try the Ice Cap Aeraqua one day, it has impressed me for many reasons.

 

[bigd]

When comparing skimmers to determine which one to buy, there's a lot to consider. Space/footprint, height, build quality, ease of maintaining, air/water draw per hour and of course how cool it looks.

Most companies are off on their skimmer to tank size ratings, so looking at the size of the skimmer itself and the air/water draw helps in figuring if it's right sized for a system. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for, especially with skimmers. I've definitely had my fair share... I've got at least 10 at the house now. The best I've owned, by far, are my BK and my Vertex Alpha. I own several Vertex Omega's now too. They're hard to beat, especially at the prices they were clearanced out at. I picked up a RO Regal 150SSS to use in the 24" Geo sump I plan on putting under my 50 gal cube. I needed something with a smaller footprint because the skimmer chamber is tight size wise. I hate to say it, but it's built like a plastic kids toy compared to the BK and Vertex models I've got.

Hard to find a deal like this on a skimmer that's built like a tank and pulls 1000 lph of air.. they sold their last one yesterday though.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vertex-omega-180i-protein-skimmer.html



D

 

[kullas]

In this tank is the first ever skimmer I hav ever owned and know nothing of other skimmers. What I have is the sca 301 it works for me and is easy for me to clean and adjust. I know it it's on the lower end and is not looked at because of the price but it works for me. Its rated 50 to 80g. The 302 is 150 to 180g

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

I just installed a redsea rsk yesterday and i can't hear it at all . I Keep checking to see if it's on. Solid construction , has some nice features , good price

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

I just installed a redsea rsk yesterday and i can't hear it at all . I Keep checking to see if it's on. Solid construction , has some nice features , good price

I really like the look of those skimmers as well at one point I considered the risk 600