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Unread 12/12/2017, 02:56 PM   #1
FishNDip
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Question Skimmer for 36 gal tank.

Looking for a skimmer for my 36 gal tank with a ten gal sump. something that will do the job, but a good price.


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Unread 12/12/2017, 03:01 PM   #2
smatter
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Aquamaxx WS-1 won't break the bank and is a solid performer.


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Unread 12/12/2017, 03:07 PM   #3
saf1
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CPR Bak Pak.


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Unread 12/12/2017, 03:51 PM   #4
der_wille_zur_macht
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I have an SCA 301, available on eBay, running on a 24g cube. It's well built, easy to use, effective, stable, and very cheap compared to similar skimmers.


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Unread 12/12/2017, 05:50 PM   #5
timnem70
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Have a Reef Octopus SS110. Small footprint, reliable and powerful enough for my 29 gallon.

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Unread 12/12/2017, 06:36 PM   #6
FishNDip
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SCA 301 Sounds like the best for the price.


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Unread 12/13/2017, 06:34 AM   #7
Nick30G
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Bubble magus curve 5. It's what I'm going to be using on my 37g with a 10g sump.

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Unread 12/13/2017, 11:36 AM   #8
sailplanes2
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Originally Posted by FishNDip View Post
SCA 301 Sounds like the best for the price.
$110 plus 15 for ten gallon sump plus 3 hours time building it = pos atwal pump grinds up in 8 months and seizes and replacements are 60 = $195 for less than a year.

Or just get a eshopps or bubble magnus with a sicce pump for around $200 and listen to the silence year after year ...

Pm me I’d you want a great deal on a sca 301 with the worlds loudest, junk, pump


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Unread 12/13/2017, 01:44 PM   #9
Nick30G
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$110 plus 15 for ten gallon sump plus 3 hours time building it = pos atwal pump grinds up in 8 months and seizes and replacements are 60 = $195 for less than a year.

Or just get a eshopps or bubble magnus with a sicce pump for around $200 and listen to the silence year after year ...

Pm me I’d you want a great deal on a sca 301 with the worlds loudest, junk, pump
I agree I think the SCA 301 is kinda junk. Go Reef Octopus/Bubble Magus

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Unread 12/13/2017, 10:02 PM   #10
FishNDip
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Getting the feeling that SCA 301 Versus Bubble magus curve 5, the Magus wins.


Also seems like the Magus looks cheaper. Cheapest I found was US $86.44

SCA 301 cheapest I found was US $94.99

Is it just me, or is the Magus rated for 132.086 Gallons and the SCA 301 is rated for 65 Gallons?? That's a huge difference. Would a skimmer rated for 132 gals work for a 46 gal tank?


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Unread 12/14/2017, 10:36 AM   #11
der_wille_zur_macht
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Ignore the gallon ratings. Look at air intake, water intake, and overall skimmer body volumes if you're going to compare. Manufacturer suggestions for processing power are often wildly different from one brand to another for skimmers that are essentially the same. I would argue that both of those skimmers are appropriate for your tank size.

I don't mean to come off as disagreeing with the others above, but I'm surprised to hear people have had bad experiences with the SCA skimmers. I've only had mine for 6 months and I've never owned a bubble magus skimmer so take this with a grain of salt, but the SCA is easily the best skimmer I've owned in 25 years of reef keeping, terms of value for money. I've had zero issues or noise. Any time in the past when I've had noise issues with other skimmers it's usually been easily solved design issues (put a silencer on the air intake line) or maintenance (there's a snail shell caught in the impeller, there's bits of chaeto in the pump intake, there's salt creep choking off the venturi). Maintenance issues can happen regardless of the brand, at any rate.


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Unread 12/14/2017, 12:09 PM   #12
sailplanes2
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My issues may have been a one-off bad pump but when I looked into replacing the pump (which was scored on the inside where the impeller installs badly and the impeller magnets were too) I ran into a lot of bad reviews on Amazon and other reef sites. People trying to mod it to be quieter. People trying to mod to install a different pump. Lots of people with noise issues. Mine was quiet at first. Then a bit of noise started so I cleaned it real well and got a silicon hot pad for the pump to rest on. Didn’t help. The skimmer body rests loosely on top of the pump and wears over time. The thing got so loud I put it on a timer to run only when I was at work. Could hear it two floors up with all doors shut. It was a nightmare. So I bought an s-120 eshopps and another 10 gal sump as the 301 was smaller and the first sump was custom designed around it and the eshopps was a lot bigger. I was out 2 sumps and 2 skimmers at a cost of over 400 when I could have just spent the 220 out of the blocks.

Look for a skimmer with a sicce pump. Ymmv


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Unread 12/14/2017, 04:50 PM   #13
jurgenph
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just throwing out the Tunze DOC 9004 as a good option


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Unread 12/14/2017, 04:58 PM   #14
FishNDip
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Slightly different topic then the performance of the two skimmers, but if you put on a canister filter instead of a skimmer, would the canister work just as well even though there's no bubbles?


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Unread 12/15/2017, 02:55 PM   #15
jurgenph
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Slightly different topic then the performance of the two skimmers, but if you put on a canister filter instead of a skimmer, would the canister work just as well even though there's no bubbles?
no


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Unread 12/15/2017, 04:18 PM   #16
solitude127
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Aquamaxx WS-1 won't break the bank and is a solid performer.
this gets my vote. I have one on my RedSea reefer 170 and it skims great. I had the BM curve 5 but I think it was too large of a skimmer for my volume and probably more suited for 50 - 60 gallons.


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Unread 12/16/2017, 03:00 AM   #17
gprdypoo04
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just throwing out the Tunze DOC 9004 as a good option


J.
Got one on my 40. Good skimmer.


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Unread 12/16/2017, 04:34 AM   #18
Xxero
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Quote:
Originally Posted by der_wille_zur_macht View Post
the SCA is easily the best skimmer I've owned in 25 years of reef keeping, terms of value for money.
+1

I'm on my 2nd SCA Protein Skimmer - I ran a SCA-301 on a 40 breeder tank, and now I'm running a SCA-302 on my 65g. It is a very simple skimmer/design, but it is built well and it does a fantastic job.


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Unread 12/16/2017, 10:29 AM   #19
rishma
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Quote:
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just throwing out the Tunze DOC 9004 as a good option


J.

I’ve owned quite a few nice skimmers and the 9004 is my favorite.


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Unread 03/02/2018, 04:50 PM   #20
FishNDip
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Just went to buy the Bubble Magus curve 5 went up. The SCA 301 is unchanged though. Does it come down in a few days?


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Unread 03/02/2018, 06:00 PM   #21
kevin_e
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Look at the icecap k2-50. I've been running it on my 50. No complaints.

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Unread 03/02/2018, 10:05 PM   #22
ajoe
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Aquamaxx WS-1 won't break the bank and is a solid performer.
plus one. great product and really well made and easy to maintain.


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Unread 03/02/2018, 10:13 PM   #23
ramseynb
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Aquamaxx WS-1 won't break the bank and is a solid performer.
I have an Aquamaxx cone-s that I busted out for my new build of around the same size. It seems to be working really well and is pretty quiet. It might be a bit oversized if anything.


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