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kona reefer

Reef Dynamics or Super Reef Octopus skimmer?

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7 Comments
by
kona reefer
, 11-12-2011 at 10:53 AM (4451 Views)
I am trying to decide between a Reef Dynamics INS 180 or a SRO XP-2000.

They both appear to have the same price, so now it is just a matter of available space, performance, and quality.

I have heard that Reef Dynamics makes a great skimmer, however, something in the back of my mind keeps nagging me if it is outdated and not as great a performer as everyone says it, at least compared to newer skimmers such as the XP-2000. I have a Tunze 9010 skimmer, which several people recommended to me as a great skimmer just slightly outdated, but has done a less than stellar job filtering my 135g reef. So, I am now quite leery of 'outdated' skimmers.

So, which skimmer would you get?

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Comments

  1. Midnight's Avatar
    I have a reef dynamics skimmer and it skims like you wouldn't believe. I have the 180 for my 135g tank and would have no qualms about using it on a much larger aquarium. You can skim as dry or wet as you like. The pump is dead silent, and easy for maintenance
  2. kona reefer's Avatar
    Thats what I wanted to hear! Since you have the INS 180, could you help me out with the sizing? I wanted to make sure I can actually fit the skimmer into the cabinet.

    First off, because of the sump height and low cabinet door I only have a 22" long x 10" high opening to fit the skimmer through. Is this enough room?

    Second, the sump is a 20 gallon long tank, so it is only ~11.5 wide inside. Is that enough width for the skimmer footprint?

    Finally, when I remove the skimmer cup for cleaning will I be able to fit it through the 10" high opening?

    Thank you!
  3. Midnight's Avatar
    The skimmer cup is about 8 inches high by itself, the simmer can go into the sump in pieces so getting it through the door should not be a problem. how big of a tank do you have?

    These were taken from Reef Dynamics site:
    • Sump Space Required For Skimmer/ Footprint:11" x 13.5"
    • Total Height Required: 24"
    • Ideal Water Level: 7" Constant
    • Reaction Chamber & Cup Diameter: 8"
    • Reaction Chamber Volume: 2.18 Gallons
  4. kona reefer's Avatar
    Sweet! Looks like it should fit then. I wonder how I missed the specs on the Reef Dynamics site.

    I have a 135 gallon tank (72" x 18" x 24") and and a 20 gallon sump (30" x 12" x 13"), but after displacement and such the net water volume is about 120 gallons.

    I wonder though if the flow through my small sump will be too great for the proper functioning of the skimmer. If I remember correctly, Jeff recommended 2-3x the system volume moving through the sump every hour. Since my sump is only half full, this would result in an in-sump turnover of 24x to 36x per hour, which seems pretty fast.
  5. Midnight's Avatar
    He is talking tank turn over not sump turn over
  6. kona reefer's Avatar
    Yes. I just wasn't sure if the 2-3x tank turnover (240-360 gallons per hour) going through the sump would create too much turbulence and current in the sump itself. As 360 gallons turnover in the display tank is only 3x, but in the 10 gallon sump that is 36x. Whereas if I had a larger sump, say 40 gallons, 360 gallons of turnover would only be 9x in the sump.
  7. Midnight's Avatar
    I would prolly make a larger sump anyway, but its your setup.