Will a Bubble Master 200 outperform Euro Reef RS250?

[alve]

I am having a hard time deciding which skimmer to get for my new 156g Oceanic Reef Ready that I will be setting up soon. Setup will probably be with about 40g of sump water so a total water volume of around 200g.

The Bubble Master 250 is unfortunately not within my budget.

Would a Bubble Master 200 outperform a Euro Reef RS250?

Would a Bubble Master 200 be enough for this volume? I might later on want to stock it pretty heavy.

[markandkristen]

i think they would be neck to neck
my friend has a rs250 on his 150gallon
im running two euro's on my 150
i would go for the euro myself but thats just me

[Reef Sponger]

I'm going to take a stretch here because I've never owned a BM yet, but waiting for a BM160 to be released. So, without previously owning or using the BM200, my guess is the RS250 will have a slight edge over the BM200. From what I've read and my recent personal experience with buying a new H&S skimmer, I believe sizing correctly is pretty important. I was set on buying a H&S A200 (based on everything I've read on this unit and customer feedback) and when I was ready to make the purchase, my skimmer dealer said I didn't need this, but to size down one. Well, they were absolutely right as I've been getting consistently daily skimming for months now and every week I cleanout a nice full collection cup of nasty stuff. Although you may want the BM250, the best fit for your system is the BM200. I heard that an overpowered needlewheel skimmer is not a good thing as it won't perform as well as one that is properly sized for your system. You may want to talk to someone who is really knowledgeable in your area and they are who I ordered all my skimmers from. Here's a link to their vendor experience thread and they really know their stuff about ER and BM.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1121532

[sjm817]

I would also say they would be close with the edge going to the RS250. The ATI has an advantage of being shorter, quieter, and lower power usage. The ER is built better and replacement parts availability is better. If any of those matter, I would give them higher consideration than performance.

[alve]

Thanks for the input. The RS250 is a lot bigger for sure than the ATI.

I have a 29g AGA tank that I want to put baffles in and make a sump. Will the RS250 fit in it?

The 29g is 30x12x18 (more like 11 3/4 measured inside). On Marine Depot it says the footprint of the skimmer is 12x14. The skimmer is a chamber with pump attached not a rectangle 12x14 so I wonder if it would fit?

[sjm817]

Whichever way you go, I would suggest a different sump. 12" wide sumps are limiting in many ways. A 29G is small for a 156 anyway. Some suggestions:

40 Breeder 36x18x16 (still too small IMO))
50 Gallon 36x18x18 (decent size and still leaves 2' room in the stand)
75 Gallon 48x18x20 (nice size, will fit, but may be a little tall)

[wolfpack]

Orca 8.5" with Dual aqua bees.

[alve]

You are right about the sump. Even if I would fit the RS250 inside it would probably be touching the sides and make vibration noise.

Originally I was thinking about connecting this 29g AGA to a 25g acrylic sump since I have both of them already but they are only 12 inches wide. I will probably just get one bigger sump instead of connecting two smaller ones.

So far looks like both are almost equal, with the RS250 being more favorable.

[sjm817]

I bought a used 75G for my sump and a 30G for the fuge cheap from reef club members. The 18" wide sump is nice for space, and water flows more slowly through it for bubble control. If the height is ok, I'd use a 75G. It will also give you lots of reserve space for drainback when the return is off,