Advice on (Tunze) skimmer for my set up?

[david.faik]

I have a 130 gallon (400 liter) cube as my main display tank with corals and fish. Three tangs, three clownfish, four chromis. Would like to add four more chromis (make a bigger school) and one or two more large fish later.

That tank overflows to an 80 gallon tall tank with a deep sand bed, much flow and room for a skimmer (or two), however it's much deeper than a typical sump.

The 80 gallon overflows to a rectangular tank (typical dimensions) which is a visible refugium where I grow macros, have some shrimp, a sea apple, assorted urchins and the return pumps are shielded by egg crate to one side. I plan to get interesting low bio-load invertebrates here, maybe one fish that isn't reef safe.

Since my second hand skimmer pump died (H&S) I got a single Tunze 9011. It does a good job but needs emptying daily, so I think I'm running on too little skim.

My questions:

* Should I get another Tunze 9011?
* Do the Tunze skimmers that look more traditional (not in a neat black box) work better?
* Can these be used in a deeper tank and how do people attach them to the tank sides? (The magnets on the others are so easy. My old H&S skimmer sat on a brick and was a pain as not well secured).
* Would it be better to get a non-Tunze skimmer just because it would skim differently: so maybe each skimmer getting stuff the other missed?
* With my set up, would I be better investing in a new / good pump for my big H&S skimmer (body is fine) rather than buying a Tunze?

Any advice from you wise folks out there much appreciated

[DEXNC]

I ran a 9011 for 11 years straight until last month, had power outage and it never came back on until you tap on the unit, love tunze great service but I switch to a jns co-2 same as the aquamaxx series large collection cup not to wet skim empty once a week

[moondoggy4]

The tunze has a cup that allows the skimmate to to into a container so you will not need to empty the cup anymore.

[moondoggy4]

http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=US&user_tunzeprod_pi1%5Bpredid%5D=-infoxunter028 Foam extraction kit just scroll down you will see it.

[david.faik]

Was thinking of that foam extractor.

Still wondering my tank is under skimmed by virtue of the 9011 filling up so fast, more than worrying about emptying the cup daily.

Although indeed it's not handy for weekends away :-)

[moondoggy4]

Which H&S skimmer do you have? You can still get parts but you have to get them from Germany, a member just bought a new H&S skimmer and had it shipped said it wasn't that bad. I need to get a Aqua bee 2001 for my eternal 150 I have not ordered one as of yet.

[rishma]

I ran a 9410 with foam extractor for a couple of years. Excellent option for you.

[david.faik]

Rishma: is there an easy way to attach the 9410 to the wall of the tank? What I like about the 91XX models is the magnet, as my sump is deep. Do you think that I could use a magnet clip from a Tunze pump for example to hold it?
Thanks for the advice!

[unze]

I would try the Tunze DOC Skimmer 9410, they are great skimmers , easy to set up. set and forget.
I just set up a 9430 and it is fantastic.

The 9410 needs about 5 inch of water level to work well.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/d6yPN9g2ELoloKikGzRLYowm3kOYEnGQxr_ybj7IXZo=s197-p-no

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/XNsVNfxe_WuSs2gqLcUbwFMRY0_nFSB2GRU8ObSUOrk=s197-p-no

[rishma]

I'd suggest using a platform to raise the skimmer in the sump for 6-7 inches of water depth.

[david.faik]

Rishma: that foam looks so fine I think you filled it with miller light!

[david.faik]

In the end I got a second 9011 due to a great deal on eBay. 9410s just didn't come up.

Managed to fix my Aquabee and so the H&S is running too. All pull gunk, one 9011 more tea color and fills fastest, the other 9011 dark black smelly stuff and the H&S in the middle. This is the messy side of my hobby now: running them above a 6cms deep sand bed and re-starting growing caulerpa http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/23/901ed1f30787fbbda991d05f2a669f86.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/23/eebf7941b1dbd7bcff2d840be6155811.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/23/68c43e5cdbaaa566fa890e5354394655.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/23/9d04c4b24b058e54f48daae9074a1799.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/23/978d5c7f8a014d8cbdb460f8f962ce76.jpg

[david.faik]

Never clean the sides of that tank so have a small amount of hair algae that I expect / hope the macro algae will out compete once it takes hold. There's a power head in there so reasonable flow to keep everything healthy.

Hoping it pans out fine!