Upgrade of skimmer.

[steve1981]

The have a 400l system taking out the space the live rock etc takes up. Mixed reef and just started running bio pellets. I have a BM curve 5 but looking to buy a curve 7 as I've heard it's better to go one above. Especially with the biopellets.

I'm looking to buy one cheap second hand in the morning so reply quick if you can. Lol.

What I want to know is would you agree with the above, and bare in mind that my curve 5 is producing some skimmate (normally half a cup every week) will this bigger one do any more? It does have double the capacity pump.

Thanks. Steve.


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[mcgyvr]

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be agreeing too?
Just that its better to go one size up on skimmers?
That is thrown around quite a bit in this hobby.. but so are a lot of other things that may/may not be true..

From what I've seen manufacturers skimmer ratings are kind of "dart throw" guesses with little facts to back them up and there isn't much if any proof that one size up is the correct answer either to be used across the board..

And unless you are doing some pretty darn scientific comparisons I don't think you can even answer your own question even if you had both to compare..
You would need to get the caloric energy of the skimmate or something to compare as volume really isn't sufficient measurement as one could be skimming wetter than the other,etc...

[greengeco82]

I'd personally stick with what you have. Especially if it's working good. The needlewheel pumps are really good now a days. There is only so much skimmate in your tank. You can't pull out more than what you have. Just my opinion.

[steve1981]

I decided in the end to get the 7. The reason being is that my tank isn't particularly stocked very high yet and when it was (had a disease which killed a lot) the skimmer was filling quite quickly.

Plumbed it in and well happy with it. Already producing more than what the 5 was with everything else the same.