Skimmer upgrade needed ? Tank upgrade and switch to barebottom. Opinions needed.

[Froggy]

Hi all. Currently I have a 75 gallon stony dominated reef with a sand bed. I also Like to keep Zoanthis, Acans, a few LPS and other polyps on the bottom of the reefscape.

My current skimmer is an unmodified Euroreef CS 6-1 ( before the models were re-named. Not sure what the current model equivalent is ).

My plan is to upgrade the 75 to a 120 gallon and apply the barebottom philosophies to it. My current sand bed is starting to bind and has some macroalgae growth in it. I want to try a different approach. I also want to run a cleaner looking tank and have more control over the nutrient import/export.

My current tank flow is not adequate for BB but seems to be enough now with the sand bed and the fact that my SPS are small. Currently I have 2 Seio 1100's, a Mag 9.5 return, and a single ( not modified Maxi-jet 1200). I will address and ramp up the flow with the upgrade.

My real question is do you think I will need to upgrade my skimmer or will the current Euroreef CS 6-1 be enough for proper nutrient export in a barebottom 120 gallon system ?

Here is a couple of pictures of the current 75 for reference.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/robertsonjoe/DSC00793cropped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/robertsonjoe/DSC00822_edited-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/robertsonjoe/DSC00820cropped.jpg

[Froggy]

Here is a chart from Euro-Reef that shows the rating on the old model skimmers. The CS 6-1 is idealy suited for a 100 gallon tank per Euroreef. Manufacturer ratings are just that.

What do you barebottom users feel about the skimmer used on a 120 gallon BB tank ??

Here is the link to Euroreef and the specs for the skimmer

http://www.euro-reef.com/oldskimmermodelspecs.shtml


Any input would be appreciated. :)

[plyle02]

Hey Froggy....
I run a 75 gallon BB SPS tank, and recently switched to the Euro-Reef Recirculating Skimmer model CS6-3-RC, I think. It is quite large for my 75, needless to say it is outside the sump. It works like a charm, and is skimming like crazy.....I believe it is rated for 135 gallons with heavy load, I could be wrong, but so far so good....

[tcollins]

Froggy,

I'm still in the process of switching from a DSB to BB and one of the things I did was upgrade my skimmer. I just received the H&S A150-F2000 custom short to fit in my cabinet. Bought it from KM Associates, Ed's a great guy and a lot of help.

The switch is really a two stage process for me. Phase 1 was getting the sand out of the tank, that's done. As my other 75 wasn't drilled, I bought a new 75 RR and after I get one or two more toys this weekend, it's out with the old and in with the new.

The A150 is rated for 225 gph, so I should have more than enough skimmer capacity. I also picked up a Vortech to increase the 3000 gph flow I have now. I'm thinking one of the toys will be another Vortech to eliminate all the cords in the tank.

You have a beautiful tank and I can't wait to see the pictures of the new one.

[Froggy]

Thanks for the input. So do you think an upgrade is necessary or do you think the CS 6-1 will do the job on a 120 BB?

tcollins, thanks for the compliment. I look forward to the project although I do not know exactly when that will begin.

I suppose I could play it by ear and see how things go. If problems arise and I start having algae issues, I could upgrade on the skimmer later on. I just do not want to get started with a BB tank on the wrong foot and have an undersized/underpowered skimmer filtering the tank especially since I do not plan on cooking the rock and just plan on a transfer to a larger tank and going BB at the same time.

Actually the more I think about it, going BB and upgrading the skimmer might have a rather poor effect on the tank if done all at once. I could clean things up to quickly and shock the SPS I do have. Any thoughts on this being a problem? I could see an issue rising where water clarity increased a great deal with both going BB and upgrading skimmers at the same time and then dealing with bleaching and / or RTN do to increased light penetration etc.

[plyle02]

Froggy, I don't think it would be able to keep up if you decide to go BB, IMHO.... For a 125, maybe with a DSB, and Fuge. The problem with BB, is ultimately you need tons of flow, keeping detritus suspended in the water column. Then you need a real oversized powerful skimmer to remove nutrients, almost as quickly as you add them in. I think you may want to consider something rated for almost 1.5-2x the total water volume. BTW, I did the change in one day, no coral losses or fish losses. I made new water, adjusted the params to match the tank, made sure my air temp matched the water temp to keep stable, and placed my sps in a rubbermade, and LR in buckets, fish in the fuge. Then scoop and siphon away. Process took me about 4-5 hours with breaks included. Froggy, Nice Pics, and great job on that tank, I am sure it is kinda hard to make such a change with your tank looking as nice as it does..... Good luck!