watson_barrett
07/20/2009, 12:46 PM
What is your preference / opinion:
Types of skimmers
Needle Wheel / Mesh Wheel: Also known as an aspirating skimmer, low to moderate water flow, good foam production, good bubble size, excellent contact time, cost-efficient, requires specialized impellor or needlewheel.
Air driven counter-current: low water flow, good foam production (with new air stones), good bubble size, maximum contact times (with taller units), frequent maintenance and requires frequent water height adjustments (called tuning).
Venturi: good water flow, good foam production, moderate contact time, requires a powerful pump, valve tends to clog.
Beckett-head skimmer: high water flow, maximum bubble production, moderate contact time (swirling patterns will increase this), requires a very powerful pump, Beckett-head requires cleaning.
Downdraft™: good water flow, excellent bubble production, excellent contact time. Units tend to be tall and bulky and require powerful pumps to create air bubbles.
Recirculating: Recirculation can be added to the venturi and aspirating style skimmer design. The recirculation continues to fractionate the water inside the skimmer body to increase contact time and improve performance. These skimmers usually require an external feed pump to supply water to the skimmer, or they can be direct fed from the tank drain.
I currently have a Euro-Reef venturi on my 100G system. I'm upgrading to a larger system and wondering what skimmer I should look into getting. System volume will probably be around 300G, Any suggestions? ohh and figured i could add: As far as the venturi goes, the skimmer kicks ars but ithe airline does occasionally get clogged with salt crud build-up at the ventrui point. I add a few ML of HOT water every few weeks to the airline tube and usually pull the pump out quarterly for a good cleaning.
Types of skimmers
Needle Wheel / Mesh Wheel: Also known as an aspirating skimmer, low to moderate water flow, good foam production, good bubble size, excellent contact time, cost-efficient, requires specialized impellor or needlewheel.
Air driven counter-current: low water flow, good foam production (with new air stones), good bubble size, maximum contact times (with taller units), frequent maintenance and requires frequent water height adjustments (called tuning).
Venturi: good water flow, good foam production, moderate contact time, requires a powerful pump, valve tends to clog.
Beckett-head skimmer: high water flow, maximum bubble production, moderate contact time (swirling patterns will increase this), requires a very powerful pump, Beckett-head requires cleaning.
Downdraft™: good water flow, excellent bubble production, excellent contact time. Units tend to be tall and bulky and require powerful pumps to create air bubbles.
Recirculating: Recirculation can be added to the venturi and aspirating style skimmer design. The recirculation continues to fractionate the water inside the skimmer body to increase contact time and improve performance. These skimmers usually require an external feed pump to supply water to the skimmer, or they can be direct fed from the tank drain.
I currently have a Euro-Reef venturi on my 100G system. I'm upgrading to a larger system and wondering what skimmer I should look into getting. System volume will probably be around 300G, Any suggestions? ohh and figured i could add: As far as the venturi goes, the skimmer kicks ars but ithe airline does occasionally get clogged with salt crud build-up at the ventrui point. I add a few ML of HOT water every few weeks to the airline tube and usually pull the pump out quarterly for a good cleaning.