Which skimmer? Octo DNW-110 or NW-150

[walkerbrody]

I'm setting up a 90gal reef with 25 gal sump. I'm upgrading (I hope) my skimmer from a Remora Pro. I've read good things about octopus skimmers and I've narrowed it down to 2 (open for other sugestions).
Would an Octopus DNW-110(http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=983 )
or an Octopus NW-150 ( http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=749 )
be better for my system?
I would like the NW-200 but it would take major changes to my sump to make it fit. If the DNW-110 is a better choice what is the best way to get the water into the skimmer, what pump? or should I use the return line. Thank you for any input.

[Reefbox]

I bought the Octo NW-150 but i wish i would of got the DNW to directly feed the overflow water into the skimmer.

i did the mesh mod and modified the cup to drain into a jug.

Overall I'm very happy with the foam production from this cheap skimmer. With the mods it will outperform many expensive skimmers.

I still need to modify the airline to a bigger size and then it will be turbo charged.

Good choice, especially for the price.

[DarG]

Just set-up an octopus dual recirc 150 yesterday.
Actually built better than I expected although I dont appreciate the metric plumbing and the output fittings for the recirc. pumps which will be a real nightmare if they were to break.
Some design flaws as well, like the air hole in the Octopus pumps intake fitting being mostly covered by the gasket. Probably something that is worked around in one of the mods but I havent checked.
I'm feeding the water supply with a pump by the way, not directly from the overflow.

This one comes with two Octopus 2000 pumps. I chose the dual pump unit mainly because I didnt want to mesh mod and figured I would get plenty of air with two unmodded pumps. The body isnt much taller than the single OTP 2000 recirc pump unit, same diameter as well. Neck is larger though, I think.
The Octopus OTP pumps dont seem to be too bad for cheap asian pumps although it was a little work to get rid of a tiny bit of leaking from the ouput fitting of one pump and the intake of the other. Think I have that solved now. I think these are the same basic pumps as the Aquamedic Ocean Runners but I'm not sure.

It's bubbling up really nicely. Lots of tiny bubbles, the only larger bubbles are those few that form on the walls of the unit. The bubble consistency from the pumps themselves are definitely microbubbles. Pumps are also quieter than I thought the would be. Not a quiet skimmer, but quieter than expected and I actually think the pumps have quieted down some over night.

One thing I need to ask about is the air intake on restart.
If you shut the pumps down, they usually wont draw the air out of the air lines when they start back up. They juts kind of cavitate, output some water, but the water stays in the airlines and you need to help it along by blowing into the air lines to clear them of water. Then they start drawing air again. I dont think this is a problem if the power goes out because the skimmer will partially drain and the water level up in the air lines wont be as high. I think they may be able to start the air flow on their own when the water level drops but I havent tested.
Anyway, that's a bit of a problem and a PITA if you need to help them out every time power goes out but we'll see. Again, maybe a simple mod takes care of this.

Also, the drain in the sup is cheesy. It's an always attached piece of tubing to the bottom of the cup. I think this is only on this model, it hads a relatively large union fitting. I think I will end up plugging the hole and mounting a fitting in the side of the cup.

I know this didnt help you with your decision much but figured I would post my early impressions. Maybe you can get some general information about the Octopus skimmers in general that will help. I think this one will end up being a good skimmer despite a few relatively minor work-arounds.

[walkerbrody]

Thanks for the Information, anyone else?

[walkerbrody]

bmp