Supermarine 200 RD 3
 

Hi:)
At the moment I have a Vertex Omega 180 on my RedSea 525xl,light/medium fish stock, but full with sps.I have a possibility to have a good price on a Supermarine 200 RD3.Is it massive overkill, or will it function properly??:-))

If I am not mistaken, the 525XL is about 140 gallons. If that is the case, while the SM200 is an absolutely great skimmer, wouldn't be a great choice. I wouldn't recommend that skimmer for anything under a 200 gallon display with a truly heavy fish load.

The best choice would be a Double Cone 180. It will be a very consistent skimmer that will perform great and it's much less than the SM200! You really want a skimmer that is appropriately sized that works hard than an oversized skimmer that hardly has to work. These skimmers are very underrated and perform much better when the load matches their size. If you were to go with the SM200, you would need to run it pretty wet to keep it consistent. That means keeping the line where bubbles turn to foam up higher in the neck and also likely running the pump speed high than normal. For a 200 sized skimmer, I normally suggest 28-32 watts. You might need to be closer to 38 watts but because every tank is different, you will need to play with the speed setting to find the point where the skimmer remains consistent and also produces the most dense foam. The key thing to realize is that as the skimmer size grows, so does the neck diameter and volume of the neck. The larger the neck, the greater the amount of dissolved organics/proteins needed to generate enough foam to fill the neck and spill over into the cup. Raising the water level/foam line up further into the neck helps reduce the volume of the neck and allows the skimmer to perform more consistently in the absence of enough DOC's. Thus, to get it to perform consistently, you will need to play with the settings and the level inside the skimmer to find a point where it remains consistent.

Hate to resurrect an old stale thread, nevertheless Slief, you seem to be the go to on the intricacies of these skimmers. My display is 200, not currently even close to heavily stocked( fanatical about my aquascape and am cycled but still spending hours and days getting it to my satisfaction.) Just ordered a Supermarin 200 w RD3. If you’re still active here and afffiliated with BK: will the thing perform until I’m actually heavily stocked? I plan on essentially “aggressively yet not irresponsibly, maxing out” the appropriate fish stocking for a 6’ long 200 gallon display within the next year.
Any thoughts appreciated.
By the way I live in Silver Strand Oxnard. I know Simi well, and have a family member there. I try and visit a maximum of once a year.

This skimmer will handle what ever you can throw at it in that size tank. I certainly wouldn’t suggest larger. I run an SM250 on my 500 gallon display (700 gallon system) that has a LOT of fish. I think you’re going to love that skimmer. Set it at 30 watts to start and let it break in. You’re going to need to run it a bit wet until you start building your load. After breakin, set the level where bubbles turn to foam about 1/2” above the white collar where the neck attaches to the body using the wedge pipe. That should keep you reasonably consistent. The sweet spot for the pump on your system will likely be between 28 and 32 watts. Use the pump speed to get the most dense foam you can and use the wedge pipe to tune the skimmate production to you’re liking realizing that your skimmer can only remove the DOC’s that are there. With only a handful of fish, you’re not going to have much in that size display until you start building the load.

Drop me a line next time you’re out here! You’re welcome to come by anytime and check out my setup!

Thanks man, would be stoked to come check out your setup and gain more of your knowledge on this skimmer. I was kidding by the way, I’m out there fairly often. :cool:

Like I said, anytime you’re not here just messaged me. I’d love to have you over. :beer: