Best Skimmer For Rena Tanks

[pmb_67]

Right, have been dithering over this one long enough... basically I have a nice shiny Rena Aqualife 150cm tank (just over 400l capacity I reckon) which I'm desperate to get running as a FOWLR set-up, with a view to keeping "easier" inverts but nothing requiring climate-change-inducing lighting and bucket-loads of Ca++ dosing...

All the kit is set up [2 Rena XP2 filters - one carbon, one Rowaphos - as the shop didn't have an XP3 handy), 2 heaters, 2 Koralia, I even took the plunge and got a Vecton UV] bar one thing - the skimmer. The shop I bought from sold me a TMC V2 600, but I don't like it - too noisy and a right pain to fit on the tank given the lighting booms and the metal tank frame at the top. So, questions for today:

1) Do I need a skimmer at all? I read on here that maybe I don't, though this is totally out of whack with what I've read in books etc. I'll be stocking slowly and carefully, but do tend to run close to capacity in my freshwater tanks so prolly will here too...

2) How often do hang-on skimmers spring a leak? The V2 overflowed once during set-up, thankfully I had feared the worst and had a big fat towel underneath on top of a plastic sheet - but that doesn't look so good in the living room.

3) Are internal skimmers inherently quieter than hang-ons?

4) Does anyone have any experience fitting any of the following to a Rena Aqualife: Tunze 9005 (internal), Deltec MC500 (internal), Deltec MCE600 (hang-on) ? I'm looking for quiet operation, reliability, ease of set-up, ease of ongoing use, no overflowing onto the floor when the cup gets full, easy mounting on the tank without any mods, minimal (though some will be necessary, I know) modification of "hood" metal sheets.

Thanks in advance,

Paul

PS Apols for repetition to those who already gave skimmer tips/advice in a previous post of mine...

 

[jetbox]

Right, have been dithering over this one long enough... basically I have a nice shiny Rena Aqualife 150cm tank (just over 400l capacity I reckon) which I'm desperate to get running as a FOWLR set-up, with a view to keeping "easier" inverts but nothing requiring climate-change-inducing lighting and bucket-loads of Ca++ dosing...

All the kit is set up [2 Rena XP2 filters - one carbon, one Rowaphos - as the shop didn't have an XP3 handy), 2 heaters, 2 Koralia, I even took the plunge and got a Vecton UV] bar one thing - the skimmer. The shop I bought from sold me a TMC V2 600, but I don't like it - too noisy and a right pain to fit on the tank given the lighting booms and the metal tank frame at the top. So, questions for today:

1) Do I need a skimmer at all? I read on here that maybe I don't, though this is totally out of whack with what I've read in books etc. I'll be stocking slowly and carefully, but do tend to run close to capacity in my freshwater tanks so prolly will here too...

2) How often do hang-on skimmers spring a leak? The V2 overflowed once during set-up, thankfully I had feared the worst and had a big fat towel underneath on top of a plastic sheet - but that doesn't look so good in the living room.

3) Are internal skimmers inherently quieter than hang-ons?

4) Does anyone have any experience fitting any of the following to a Rena Aqualife: Tunze 9005 (internal), Deltec MC500 (internal), Deltec MCE600 (hang-on) ? I'm looking for quiet operation, reliability, ease of set-up, ease of ongoing use, no overflowing onto the floor when the cup gets full, easy mounting on the tank without any mods, minimal (though some will be necessary, I know) modification of "hood" metal sheets.

Thanks in advance,

Paul

PS Apols for repetition to those who already gave skimmer tips/advice in a previous post of mine...

I have a mce600 hung on a sump. its dead quiet and works v well

 

[andywg]

hang ons always carry a risk, which is why I hate them. I use a Tunze 9010 (the bigger brother of the 9005) and it does an admirable job.

In order to keep nutrients down well in a 400l tank you will need to do a lot of water changes if you decided to go skimmerless. I would say to go for the Tunze or a deltec you can mount inside. Those two brands are the best (though I do question just how great the smaller deltecs are).

If it was me I would go with Tunze until you are in the 150+ gallon range, at which point the Deltecs really come into their own.

 

[pmb_67]

hang ons always carry a risk, which is why I hate them. I use a Tunze 9010 (the bigger brother of the 9005) and it does an admirable job.

In order to keep nutrients down well in a 400l tank you will need to do a lot of water changes if you decided to go skimmerless. I would say to go for the Tunze or a deltec you can mount inside. Those two brands are the best (though I do question just how great the smaller deltecs are).

If it was me I would go with Tunze until you are in the 150+ gallon range, at which point the Deltecs really come into their own.

Ok, so this is now slightly embarrassing as the Tunze 9005 is just too big to fit in the back corner of the Rena (or anywhere else for that matter). The Deltec MC500 is pushing it too, so I now have the choice of a Deltec MCE600 or nothing from my original ideas...

But here's a thought - for pretty much the same cost as an MCE600, I can get two Tunze 9002 skimmers. These are rated up to 200l tanks (each - so kind of ok for a 400l tank) and together match the air intake volume/rate of the MCE600, they're internal so solve my leak paranoia, plus I'd have twice the foam collection cup capacity and be skimming at both ends of the tank. And still have half the recommended skimmer capacity working if one packed up - that's the scuba diver in me planning to have redundancy...

Any thoughts? I guess my reservations are the added unsightliness of a second foam cup above the tank, having to cut into two of the lid panels instead of one and the potential extra noise of a second skimmer pump.

Thanks in advance,

Paul

 

[andywg]

Any chance of a sump? It would solve a lot of problems here, but is less than ideal to do after filling the tank (though far from impossible).

Two skimmers should work, and the 9002 is hardly the largest skimmer on the market and as such I would be tempted by it, especially if the Deltecs are not a nice fit.

 

[pmb_67]

Any chance of a sump? It would solve a lot of problems here, but is less than ideal to do after filling the tank (though far from impossible).

Two skimmers should work, and the 9002 is hardly the largest skimmer on the market and as such I would be tempted by it, especially if the Deltecs are not a nice fit.

Hmmm, a sump... well, given my fear level regarding leak potential of hang-on skimmers, you'll understand if I'm really reluctant to get the drill out and start butchering my tank I'm reasonably handy with a drill round the house, but there I'm only messing with the structural integrity of the walls, ceiling etc. - this is a fish tank we're talking about here!!!

I did post the other day asking about using an overflow box to avoid any drilling, but no-one seemed to think they were a good idea. The other limitation is the Rena cabinet, with fairly restricted space (around 40 x 40 cm square base, something like 60cm height) in the cabinet cupboards. I have heard of folks removing the dividers and opening up the cabinet a lot more (with supports added appropriately) to get a bigger sump in there, but the nice looks of the Rena are about the only thing my wife likes about it - getting busy with the jigsaw round there wouldn't go down well.

I did see a nice Tunze option the other day - the "Compact Kit 16", which would easily go in the cabinet but at £633.90 excluding pipework and overflow box it's way more than I was hoping to spend... check out http/www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&amp...r_tunzeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter004 Now, it does have a whole lot more gear in there than my planned setup (if I'm not wrong, it has an auto top-up thing included) which would be nice but spending this kind of cash right now would mean delaying the live rock and fish purchases a while. And though that Rena is one pretty tank, I think it'd look better with more than just water in it

Paul

 

[andywg]

Tunze is essentially the best money can buy, so it takes a lot of money to buy it

Drilling is not as bad as you might fear, especially with the right bit. So long as the tank isn't tempered glass (which is unlikely as few UK tanks are) then it's just a matter of slowly drilling a hole while keeping the area wet.

The drill bit is cheap at around £5-10 delivered from ebay and you can practice on a couple of old bits of glass till you know what you are doing.

The problem would be the lack of space in the stand. I make all my own stands, so they are designed to take large sumps.

 

[SkiFletch]

Agree with Andy on this one. A sump would solve all your problems here IF you can fit one. They're really not that hard to install if you can fit all the appropriate fittings

Failing a sump, I don't see why dual Tunze 9002's wouldn't work. I also agree with your fear of HOB skimmers. I'd never have one myself