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The Reef Octopus Skimmer Guide

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reef octopus skimmerThere is no piece of salt water aquarium equipment that is more important to the well-being of your fish and corals than the protein skimmer.  No matter what type of livestock you intend to have in your aquarium, it is absolutely crucial to have a high quality skimmer to rid a tank of waste and harmful bacteria.  The process used by a skimmer is quite simple: by creating millions of tiny bubbles that pass through water inside the skimmer body, the invisible (but harmful) particles of organic matter attach to the bubbles and ride up the skimmer body to the collection cup.  As such, the more bubbles that are being pumped through your skimmer, the cleaner and healthier the water will be.  Once the bubbles reach the top of the skimmer, they will burst and deposit all that gunk into a collection cup that can be periodically emptied by you.  The Reef Octopus Skimmer is arguably the best brand on the market.  Whether you have a ten gallon tank or a five hundred gallon tank, you are sure to find the best option with a Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer.

reef octopus needle wheel skimmerThe Reef Octopus Needle Wheel Skimmer models are among the most popular in the catalog.  A needle wheel clears the detritus from a salt water tank by using a small valve to inject the air bubbles into the main skimmer chamber.  Unlike the normal bubblers that you see in aquariums, the needle takes in water in order to chop up the air and produce a mist rather than coarse bubbles.  This increases the number of bubbles that can be prudiced inside the skimmer, which means there is more surface area of thsoe bubbles for waste to attach to and be transported to the collection cup. This efficiency makes the needle wheel skimmer a very popular choice.  This company boasts three models: the NWB 110, 150, and 200.  The NWB 110 is the least expensive, capable of cleaning tanks that are one hundred gallons or smaller.  The NWB 150, as the name suggests, can clean up to 150 gallons.  The NWB 200 can provide skimming for behemoth 260 gallon tanks. Of course, the larger the skimmer the higher the price tag, but any experienced aquarist knows the skimmer is no place to skimp.

reef octopus extreme in sump skimmerThe Reef Octopus Extreme In Sump Skimmer has the raw power needed for a variety of different biological environments.  If you are interesting in raising delicate, exotic, or oversize species, it is necessary to ensure that they live in the most clean and healthy tank possible.  The Extreme In Sump can be configured with different types of mechanical and biological devices, making it perfect for complex tanks.  The XS Series comes in sizes that can handle the workload of tanks between 160 and 400 gallon tanks.

If you have a small tank, or a tank without a sump, you can get a HOB Reef Octopus Skimmer.  The “Hang on the reef octopus bh skimmerBack” models are designed for tanks of any size that do not have sump.  These use a mechanical wheel to chop up air blocks into small bubbles.  Owners of smaller tanks will be happy with models like the BH 100, recommended for less than 90 gallons.  You can use these for larger tanks, however: the Super HOB LX2000S skimmer can service nearly 200 gallons. It always makes sense to go with a skimmer that can handle a tank a little larger than the one on which you plan on using it.

reef octopus recirculating skimmerThe Reef Octopus Recirculating Protein Skimmer series has become one of the more popular types of skimmer on the market. With sizes ranging for tanks of under 100 gallons all the way up to 600 gallons, and prices that are very attractive when compared to other skimmers of this size and power, this is a good choice for hobbyists of every experience level with almost any tank size.

The newest technology available to a skimmer is pinwheel mechanics, which reduce the power demands by using the force of the water itself to power the separation wheel.  The Pinwheel skimmer, as such, requires less electricity than the rest of its cousins.  The Pinwheel also has a gate valve so that owners can modify the levels of water intake.  These can only treat smaller tanks, between 100 and 250 gallons, so bigger salt water aquariums need a different model.  With prices as low as $180, however, these are some of the most economic buys available from the library of Skimmer models in addition to the lowered energy costs.

 

Reef Octopus Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer

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Reef Octopus Needle Wheel SkimmerThe Reef Octopus Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer comes in sizes to suit tanks from under 100 gallons up to 250 gallons. This is an in sump only skimmer, which means it is not designed to be used outside of a sump. Like most of the other types of Reef Octopus skimmers, the needle wheel skimmers are touted for their high quality, yet relatively low price point.

The foot print of any protein skimmer you are considering is very important to know before you purchase, and that is particularly true of an in sump skimmer like this one. The NWB150 model has an overall footprint of 9″, with the main body diameter being 6″. The NWB200 model’s overall footprint is 11.5″, with a main body diameter of 8″. The largest version of this skimmer has a 15.5″ footprint and main body diameter of 10.25″. As you can see, a skimmer can take up some space, so it pays to pay attention to these dimensions and how they can be accommodated inside your sump.

The water level inside the skimmer body can be adjusted by either a gate valve or a standard wedge type adjustment system, depending on which model you purchase. The gate valve equipped skimmers tend to be a little more expensive, and since the gate valve is more of a convenience feature that doesn’t effect how the skimmer operates, it is for you to decide if the extra cost is worth the added convenience. Once the skimmer has been adjusted to its optimum settings, most people rarely change those settings, so it is my opinion that the gate valve is not anything you have to have.

The needle wheel skimmer comes equipped with an OTP pump, and of course the size of that pump depends on which size skimmer you purchase. By most accounts the OTP pump operates silently and is a good option for these skimmers given the relatively low price point.

Any protein skimmer requires a break in period before it will produce results, and this one is no different. Many reviewers have reported the skimmer pulling out good amounts of waste after just 2 or 3 days. Even in those cases, there is no doubt that the results a week or two later were much better, and what you see after a week or two is much more in line with the kind of results you can expect from your skimmer going forward.

The Reef Octopus Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer is an excellent choice for both new and experienced marine hobbyists, but a particularly good option for those who are new to the hobby. The reasons for this are the low price point when compared to other brands, the ease of installation and operation, and the fact that this low priced, easy to operate skimmer does a very good job as long as you use the appropriate size skimmer for your tank. When in doubt, use the next largest size, and never use a skimmer on your tank that is rated for smaller tanks as you will only be disappointed with the results.

The smallest needle wheel skimmer is designed for tanks up to 100 gallons and can be found for around $175. The middle sized version of this skimmer can handle tanks up to 150 gallons, and if you find it for $200, that is a good price. The largest of these skimmers can handle tanks up to 250 gallons, and is priced in the $275-$300 range.
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