ASM 3 going to be enough?
 

Hey, I am in the process of building my new 90 gallon barebottom I will be upgrading my 65 to. My question is, will a ASM 3 skimmer be sufficient for a 90 gallon BB sps tank? I would do any mods to it I could find. Thanks so much for helping me out.

whats the recommended tank size for this skimmer?

I ran one on a 125 with a total water volume of about 135 gallons and it was fine. I did have mine as a recirculating and fed it with a mesh modded GenX1500 which was perfect. I will use this same skimmer once I set up the 180 next year. It isn't pretty but it will work.

Its recommended for 250 gallons but with a BB you always need overkill. Where can I get good info on doing all of the mods?

I run a g3 (with Sedra 5000) on my 90. It is fairly heavily stocked, LPS and a bunch 'o' fish. I feed 3x/day. The only mod I've done is bore out the venturi. I fill the cup every 3-4 days with really dark and nasty skimmate. Have had it for around 4 years and it has been just fine. Finally replacing the pump but don't feel justified replacing the skimmer because it is working too well. If I was going new I would now go with an Octo NW-150 or 200. Much better price point for an equally as good or better skimmer.

G3 should be plenty.

I would look into a DAS EX 1 or the Extreme octo skimmers

The G3 is plenty on a 90, I had one, G3 on a 200 gallon system and it worked fine. There are lots of issues that determine how clean your aquarium is, Feeding,Cleaning,Water Changes, and What livestock you have.

ill be using a G3 on my 220 soon so it will be interesting to see how it does. I have a 50G refugium so i think it will be able to keep up.

Ill do the enkmat (right sp?) mod for the impeller, and maybe a few other tricks.

the G3 is vertically 25".

is that pretty average size for a skimmer that works on +200G systems? I have 29" to work with.

I had a G3 on my 225 and it worked fine, I just had to empty the cup every day. I would say it was a bit undersized, but worked fine. I have since upgraded to a G4 with a recirculating EHEIM 1260 needle wheel pump, much better.

The G3 should work just fine for your 90, this thread will contain all the info you need for modding the skimmer:

[url=http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=991162&highlight=ASM+Skimmer]ASM Skimmer Club[/URL]

if you add up my 50G refuge, 35G frag, 50G sump (runs maybe 25 gallons avg), and 50G mixing tank (circulated between water changes), the total water volume is actually 380. Does that change things, or is it just helping to dilute the bioload?

Why did you have to change the cup anyday? And doesnt that contradict 'underpowered'?? Or are you saying the skimmate was more watery, and not the thick desirable stuff that takes longer?

I've never run a protein skimmer before so I'm not exactly sure what optimal performance should be like.

Not change, empty. This is good, but I don't think the skimmer kept up with the bioload. A larger skimmer will work like that in the beginning and catch up with the load, which will produce less skimmate. This will leave some room if something happens, the skimmer will clean quicker.

All your systems add up to 380, so you would need a skimmer rated for that, not 50g (largest single tank) they all add to the bioload of the water.

well looks like I'll be starting with the G3 at this point...

i'm getting my tank through aquariums for you, and the skimmer is included. its already paid for originally the system started much simpler (in cabinet sump), but then I started adding stuff to the garage, and then decided to put everything in the garage :D


maybe down the road I will upgrade once I start getting more fish.

It's a very good skimmer for the money IMO. Good luck with your system.

is it possible to get a skimmer that would support 380 gallons that is not super tall?

as stated above, my mixing tank is 29" above the ground where my sump goes. the ASM g3 is 25", which gives just enough room to service it. anything taller would be really cramped.

Bubble Master to name one, but now your talking $750 to $1500 range for a skimmer.

thanks, ill look into that.

if it comes down to it, I may have to make a small system tradeoff: lose the 50G water changing tank, make it a 25G (half as long), and cut out the space where it was sitting. I could then have up to a 60" skimmer :)