BK Mini 160 VS12?

[h3dgehog]

This might be a ridiculous question but a question nonetheless...

Would a BK Mini 160 gen 3 work on my tank? I have the feelign that it is way too overkill... But it is a skimmer that will fit my small skimmer section (7.5" x 18").

Spec:
- Fish: 1 sunburst anthias, 1 coris wrasse, 1 flasher wrasse, 1 chromis, and maybe 2 clownfish (pending)
- Feeding habits: frozen foods twice a day and amino acids/coral foods every other day alternating.
-vodka dosing regimen.
-SPS heavy display.
-Tank is ~36 gallons without accounting for rocks (minimal aquascape)
-Sump has ~ 10-12 total gallons of water.

Thoughts? If BK Mini 160 is off the table, anyone got suggestions on BK quality skimmer for my needs?

[slief]

While it would work, it would likely end up skimming inconsistently if you ran it dry. It would remove the dissolved organics/skim well for a day or two and then slow down while they build back up. If you run it wet, that would help to make it more consistent. Do you have any plans to upgrade your display size in the future? If so, then replacing your skimmer would be one less thing you would have to worry about.

[h3dgehog]

Originally Posted by slief

While it would work, it would likely end up skimming inconsistently if you ran it dry. It would remove the dissolved organics/skim well for a day or two and then slow down while they build back up. If you run it wet, that would help to make it more consistent. Do you have any plans to upgrade your display size in the future? If so, then replacing your skimmer would be one less thing you would have to worry about.

While I have no immediate plans to upgrade my tank, I am certain that I will eventually get a larger tank (assuming I’m still in the hobby by then). That said, I don’t necessarily want to make a decision based on a future tank setup. For those who have had BK skimmers, what would be a skimmer that would fit my footprint of 7.5”x18”, my setup, and have near the same quality as the BKs?

[Jeremy B.]

If you are good at adjusting skimmers and dialing them in then you could make the 160 work on that size system. As Scott mentioned above you may have some days that are worse than others in terms of consistency, but if you resist the urge to adjust the skimmer during this time, and only make fine tuning adjustments when it's kicking out nog, then you'll be fine.

You could also squeeze a Double Cone 130 down in that size as well. It will be very tight, but it's doable.

Personally, I'd do the 160 and just try your best to dial it in and make small adjustments. I think you'll be just fine with it.

As far as quality goes you will not find another skimmer available on the market that has the same quality of construction and materials used as a BK, it just doesn't exist. HTH!

[slief]

Originally Posted by Jeremy B.

If you are good at adjusting skimmers and dialing them in then you could make the 160 work on that size system. As Scott mentioned above you may have some days that are worse than others in terms of consistency, but if you resist the urge to adjust the skimmer during this time, and only make fine tuning adjustments when it's kicking out nog, then you'll be fine.

You could also squeeze a Double Cone 130 down in that size as well. It will be very tight, but it's doable.

Personally, I'd do the 160 and just try your best to dial it in and make small adjustments. I think you'll be just fine with it.

As far as quality goes you will not find another skimmer available on the market that has the same quality of construction and materials used as a BK, it just doesn't exist. HTH!

What's up Jeremy!! I hope you are well! I'm glad you are watching the forum here! Your contributions are always welcome and appreciated! Especially since you have put your time and due diligence in working with these skimmers over the years. Thanks for the feedback and comment. Well said and i agree 100%!

[h3dgehog]

Originally Posted by slief

What's up Jeremy!! I hope you are well! I'm glad you are watching the forum here! Your contributions are always welcome and appreciated! Especially since you have put your time and due diligence in working with these skimmers over the years. Thanks for the feedback and comment. Well said and i agree 100%!

I do not doubt the performance of the BKs given their history but with inconsistent skimming due to having an oversized skimmer, wouldn’t equilibrium DOC levels in the system be higher than with a more properly sized skimmer? Another way to put this is…

Properly sized skimmer = takes out consistent skimmate and the level of DOCs present in the water to maintain decent foam in skimmer neck is 3 units/volume of water.
Oversized skimmer = takes out inconsistent skimmate and the level of DOC’s present in the water to maintain decent foam in skimmer neck is 7 units/volume of water.

Is my logic correct? If I am, wouldn’t a high DOC level in the water cause more nuisance algae growth? The benefit I can see from having an oversized skimmer is for instances where DOC levels are suddenly increased (e.g. fish death, overfeeding, etc). An oversized skimmer will be able to extract the DOCs much faster reducing the chances for those DOCs to break down and contribute to poor water quality. Ugh! I’m so torn… If only BK made a smaller skimmer xD

[slief]

Originally Posted by h3dgehog

I do not doubt the performance of the BKs given their history but with inconsistent skimming due to having an oversized skimmer, wouldn’t equilibrium DOC levels in the system be higher than with a more properly sized skimmer? Another way to put this is…

Properly sized skimmer = takes out consistent skimmate and the level of DOCs present in the water to maintain decent foam in skimmer neck is 3 units/volume of water.
Oversized skimmer = takes out inconsistent skimmate and the level of DOC’s present in the water to maintain decent foam in skimmer neck is 7 units/volume of water.

Is my logic correct? If I am, wouldn’t a high DOC level in the water cause more nuisance algae growth? The benefit I can see from having an oversized skimmer is for instances where DOC levels are suddenly increased (e.g. fish death, overfeeding, etc). An oversized skimmer will be able to extract the DOCs much faster reducing the chances for those DOCs to break down and contribute to poor water quality. Ugh! I’m so torn… If only BK made a smaller skimmer xD

While your logic is sound, you are overthinking things. You will not have a high level of DOC's in the water. There may be a slight increase in the DOC levels if you were to run the skimmer dry but the skimmer will remove the DOC's that are there to remove. If you run it wet, it will be consistent. As for nuisance algae issues, that will be the result of excess PO4 more than anything else. Skimmers don't remove Po4. That is the duty of GFO or other Po4 removal methods. They can help maintain lower levels of nitrates but your not going to experience increased nitrates if your skimmer is a bit oversized let alone slightly inconsistent. Especially since you are vodka dosing. As Jeremy suggested, there is always the Double Cone 130 but I too would lean towards the Mini 160. It's an easy skimmer to tune and should work just fine.