Reef Octopus Recirculating Protein Skimmer
Reviews
Works well. Very loud.
by
SAMUEL BRADSTREET
Average
Posted: 3/21/2012 from MOREHEAD CITY, NC UNITED STATE
3.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
As a skimmer goes, I'm no expert. Fortunately my friends are. I chose this skimmer because of the positive reviews and recommendations from friends in THIS PRICE POINT. There are absolutely better skimmers in higher price ranges.
PROS:
Firstly, I don't know why someone would say construction is questionable. All the pieces feel of good quality except for the return plumbing which uses thin PVC.
Drain fitting. If you travel or don't want to do daily maintenance this is fantastic and isn't always standard on skimmers
It comes with adapters from metric to 1 1/4" PVC for the return.
The skimmer is quiet. Much quieter than my aquaC Remora which with a silent pump still sounded like a jet engine.
CONS:
The Hailea pumps aren't very good. I was warned this was the weak link in they system. It is very loud. I was told it would break in over time but in my experience with 10 or 20 different pumps that if something starts at very loud you'll be lucky if it breaks in to just loud. Since I had to glue the PVC together or face water everywhere, my only option is to try and get coralvue to send me a new pump (and pray it is quieter) or upgrade to a bubble blaster 1000 which will increase skimmer output but also gets B ratings. It will also increase the cost of the skimmer by $200 too.
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About Average
by
DAVID SALIM
Average
Posted: 2/22/2012 from FLUSHING, MI UNITED STATES
3.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
I've owned 5 skimmers over the years. ASM to Euro-Reef. This thing is as cheaply made as any but works better than 1/2 of what I have owned.Good value but an obvious value item. Pumps are not anywhere near top of the line but not bad. It seems the parts are kind of thrown together in order to assemble this unit. Its metric so it is a hassle to assemble in terms of any extra plumbing that needs to be done..All that said, it can skim and it does that well. Its a little freaky until it breaks in but, after a day or two, it gets the job done. Not bad but a hassle to set up and confidence level regarding long term viability is so so.
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Skimming Machine!
by
JOSH STEPKA
Excellent!
Posted: 2/10/2012 from WEBSTER, MN UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Despite it being metric size fittings its still an easy external unit to hook up. I went with the recirculating 6 and plumbed it 6 feet away from the sump. It is rated for 180 gallons and on my 125 FOWLR tank it is actually a bit oversized. Very quiet and Can handle 500 gallons per hour easy. Plenty of bubbles. This unit is very comparable to higher end skimmers but at a working mans price. Very little break in period if any.
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reef octopus 4 recirculating
by
KAREY SHARP
Excellent!
Posted: 11/8/2011 from MCCOMB, MS UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
This skimmer has got to be the best in its price range. If you plan to buy a skimmer for about 200 bucks,get this one. I have it set up as an external unit. The return plumbing does require pvc glue at each slip union to prevent leaks. The unit comes with enough pipe to reach a sump about 2 ft away. I've got to check for bubbles in the skimmer to make sure its on because I cant hear it running.(very quiet)Im only pushing 220gph through it. No micro bubbles returning to the tank. This is a very solid,well built skimmer. It took 2 days to start collecting skimmate with it adjusted on the lowest suggested water level mark. Easy to set for dry chunky,moist sludge,or wet tea skimmate. Stop searching the web for a $200.00 skimmer that can out perform the reef octo 4. Your not going to find one.
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****Look No Further****
by
VIC GROVER
Excellent!
Posted: 3/3/2011 from JACKSONVILLE, FL UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
This is a wonderful add to my tank. It is external, very quiet, and best of all it works. Easy to set up and comes with a great External Pump and a lot of piping but don’t forget to buy a return pump. It says 250gph to 400gph bah humbug I'm using a 750 gph pump with the skimmers discharge settings at 3/4 open and this thing skims like crazy and has plenty of room for a larger return pump. Think the correct math is 1/4 of your sump size but go bigger it works better! Strong build could probably drop it and it would bounce without scratching. I don’t like the Metric Piping at all so if you’re doing custom like me buy more pipe, because it’s hard to find! Also, very important like any External you need the supply T to be below the rim of your filter wall. Be sure you can raise the skimmers supply T above the filter wall or drill a bulkhead or it will NOT work Optimally. I set it up temporarily on an open bio ball wet dry with a small sponge pre filter and it skims like crazy. Was going to run on my 40gallonL refuge but the skim mate is so thick and the tank is so clean why fix something that isn't broken so I’m considering leaving it alone. I really like how the Skimmer keeps enough water circulating inside the skimmer even without a return pump running so I don’t lose sleep over a pump failing and burning up the external pump. Also this is on new 150 gallon reef tank that shouldn’t have much skim mate, and for a 24" tall skimmer it should be rated for 250 gallons at least take my word for it you will be very happy. the drain hose from the skimmer cup was bent up but for 12 cents a foot at Lowes who cares! Get it and a skim with the best of us!
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well worth the money
by
CHRIS MUFFLEY
Great
Posted: 2/19/2011 from Birmingham, AL UNITED STATES
4.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
The protein skimmer is a beast, It does the job.The protein skimmer along with a g300 needle wheel pump as a feed pump and I have all the micro bubbles that I can want. all this on a 65 gallon tank. The only reason I did not give it five stars is It is a bit loud,where the air intake is but I can live with it.
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Excellent Skimmer
by
ROBERT RUSSELL
Excellent!
Posted: 2/8/2011 from WESTERLY, RI UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
Plugged two of these in parallel into a 300G setup and they scrub an incredible amount of waste. The built-in effluent tube is also wonderful - saves daily emptying of the collection cup. I actually bought some additional tubing and plumbed it straight into a drain pipe from my sink. No emptying of the collection cup ever! woohoo! Creates an incredible amount of VERY tiny bubbles and skims an incredible amount of waste without overflowing and wasting valuable aquarium water. This is a definite buy.
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A disappointment
by
Disappointed
Below Average
Posted: 9/30/2010 from NH, UNITED STATES
2.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Not sure what the other reviewers heard but the pump is loud - you can easily hear the buzzing, and that is a great disappointment – I bought this because a reviewer said you couldn't hear the pump at all.
The airline tubing was too short to reach without stretching - and didn't fit into the air intake no matter how hard I tried. It ended up splitting so I had to purchase tube from a hardware store, and having to modify how it attaches to the <sic> silencer.
Unfortunately, appears this product has the increasingly typical made in China syndrome – looks good (and it does), but has obvious quality control flaws once you start actually using it.
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Great value
by
BILLY SCHLARBAUM
Excellent!
Posted: 6/13/2010 from HILLSBORO, IA UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
This skimmer kicks some serious skimmate right out of the box! No break in time what so ever.
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Great Skimmer
by
M. CURTIS
Excellent!
Posted: 5/29/2010 from MILL CREEK, WA UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Love this unit, Reef Octopus 4 (125Gal) Recirculating Protein Skimmer. It pulls more crud out of my tank in 2 days than my other skimmer would pull in a week. Also for an external unit it is extremely quiet, I can't hear it at all. Installation is a breeze and dialing it in with the feed pump is just as easy. For the price this is a superior skimmer. No complaints at all.
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