erikras
04/05/2011, 07:38 AM
I have an 84gal FOWLR (*may* add a few corals later) with no room for a sump under the stand. I have an extra tank and considered building a basement sump, but the initial cost of a pump that’ll do 600+ gph @ 20ft of head gets pricey. Add to that the cost of running a ¼ -1/3 HP pump 8760hrs a year, and you have quite an investment.
So now I’m looking for a quality QUIET hang-on-back skimmer. I’m only using my Fluval 405 canister filter for carbon and GFO media so a skimmer with an area for a media bag would be great. Noise is the most important thing since this will be in my girlfriend’s living room where we read, do work, and watch TV. I know there’s no such thing as a silent skimmer, but I don’t want a ridiculously loud one. I do have a ReefKeeper Lite so I could run the skimmer on a night and workday schedule so it’s off in the evenings. Although, from what I’ve read, every time you turn a skimmer off it takes a while to get back up to speed.
Will I have any issues with the weight of a skimmer hanging on the back of a glass tank?
My three options right now seem to be:
Octopus BH-2000 - $200 - No place for media. People seem to love it but not sure about how quiet it really is.
Octopus BH-800SBS $300 - Place for media. Not sure of the other real advantages of this unit and can’t find much info online. People seem to think it comes with a noisy pump.
Deltec MCE600 Turbo - $550- For that price I could buy the Iwaki or Pan World return pump AND an in-sump skimmer for the basement!
Any input? Thanks much!
So now I’m looking for a quality QUIET hang-on-back skimmer. I’m only using my Fluval 405 canister filter for carbon and GFO media so a skimmer with an area for a media bag would be great. Noise is the most important thing since this will be in my girlfriend’s living room where we read, do work, and watch TV. I know there’s no such thing as a silent skimmer, but I don’t want a ridiculously loud one. I do have a ReefKeeper Lite so I could run the skimmer on a night and workday schedule so it’s off in the evenings. Although, from what I’ve read, every time you turn a skimmer off it takes a while to get back up to speed.
Will I have any issues with the weight of a skimmer hanging on the back of a glass tank?
My three options right now seem to be:
Octopus BH-2000 - $200 - No place for media. People seem to love it but not sure about how quiet it really is.
Octopus BH-800SBS $300 - Place for media. Not sure of the other real advantages of this unit and can’t find much info online. People seem to think it comes with a noisy pump.
Deltec MCE600 Turbo - $550- For that price I could buy the Iwaki or Pan World return pump AND an in-sump skimmer for the basement!
Any input? Thanks much!