CPR BakPak 2R or Knop ???

[johnny]

I am going to purchase either the CPR BakPak 2R or Knop hang on skimmer for a 30 gallon tank, which will then be used in a 125gal, i know I'll probably have to get another skimmer to go along with it, but which one is better, in my 30gal i have 50lbs of live fiji rock also and a 4" live sandbed. Which of these skimmer would do the best job?

[Ironreef]

get a remora its better. But of the 2 get a cpr knops can flood.

[moviegeek]

If you HAVE to get one of those two, get a CPR BakPak II. Since you alread know you will be putting it on a bigger tank in the future, I would highly recommend a Remora or Remora Pro. They cost a bit more but are worth it. I own both the BakPak II and the Remora Pro and the Remora is a significantly better performer.

[Icarus]

I had a Knop look-a-like hang on the back skimmer and nothing but problems with it. It was difficult to adjust and was contantly overflowing. My solution was to get a sump, return pump and in-sump skimmer (TF1000). The Knop could only be run when I was around because it overflowed unpredictably. Found out a couple weeks ago that you have to cover the air vent in the collection cup periodically to keep air from building up in the return pipe. Its a poor design in my view as it can't be trusted.

Just my experience - buy the higher quality now, you'll probably end up doing it anyway, so avoid the problems before they start.

[frequentj]

FWIW, I have had my KNOP HOB for about 4 months and have not had any problems. The only thing I don't like about it is that it comes with a rio 800 pump. I've heard some bad things about rio, and I know that I have to clean mine every few weeks to keep the output up. I only cover the hole for the return pipe after water changes. I went with the KNOP because it was more in line with what I wanted to spend on a skimmer for my 45 gal, but if you are using it on a larger tank, I'd get the CPR 2.

[sculpin]

Buy the CPR. Knops are horrible. They flood unpredictably. Their output line is too small. They break easily. Ad nauseum.

I have one. I'm currently trying to rebuild it to be a needle wheel skimmer to at least get some of my money's worth of performance out of it.

[Cookoopod]

Ditto what most are saying. I've had the Ramora, CPR, Knop, Mombasa, the latter two being essentially the same skimmer with different names. The Knop did well for the first 3 months, then the flooding came.