- Hey, it's Thomas here.
And today, we're going to be going over
the best budget protein skimmers
that I would actually buy and use, and why.
So, if you're in the market for a budget protein skimmer,
and you want the best that money can buy
for under 300 bucks, then you're in the right place.
I think one of the biggest issues
that budget reefers face
is that there are tons and tons of products out there
that are dirt cheap,
but also don't work well at all,
and send you into an absolute sea clone
of regret and buyers remorse.
Ahh.
Meaning, you would have absolutely spent less money
in getting something a little bit more expensive,
but still affordable, and also reliable,
right from the start,
rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Rather than have you suffer through that experience
like many reefers before us,
I'm going to break down the best
in-sump protein skimmer options
for under that $300 mark
so you can get a great piece of gear
that will get the job done and done well,
while keeping as much of that coin in your pocket
for splurging on corals, because let's face it
that's what we all end up doing.
No judgment here.
All of the skimmers I have lined up for you today
have their own unique reasons
that I'd pick one or the other,
but none of them are a bad choice,
and all can provide a great reliable skim for your tank
for the price point.
And, to keep things fair and relative,
they all have models rated for heavily stocked,
70 to 75 gallon aquariums that fall within our $300 budget.
So, those are the models that I'm going to be focusing on.
So let's kick things off with the Octo Classic 110INT.
While this skimmer is probably not going to win
any beauty pageants,
don't let its old school look throw you off
because it is a tried, tested and true workhorse
in the world of budget skimmers.
What it lacks in a sleek, compact footprint
and chic silhouette, it more than makes up for
when it comes to performance, dollars to donuts.
At barely north of $200. you're getting an Octo skimmer
that will do the job and do it very well.
It isn't lacking in features either.
It has a tapered upper body,
a collection cup with a drain port
for use with an external waste collector,
a reliable gate valve for precise adjustments,
a dedicated air silencer,
PVC union at the pump for quick disconnect,
and rugged PVC and acrylic construction.
Not only is the 110 rated for up to 75 gallons
of heavily stocked reef,
even the larger 150 model rated for 120 gallons
comes in under our $300 mark, which is super impressive.
So if you've got the space in your sump for this skimmer,
and want to spend as little as possible on a protein skimmer
while getting something that will be reliable
and get the job done,
the Classic 110IT is the ticket.
For those of you who are lacking space in your sump,
don't worry, the rest of these skimmers
are all compact models.
Starting with the Octo Classic 110SSS,
this is easily one of my favorite budget skimmers.
The Classic SSS series from Octo
squeezes that awkward transpump into the skimmer body
and swaps the gate valve and air silencer
for a tall wedge pipe,
designed to trim down on that footprint as much as possible
for a more compact skimmer
that will easily fit in most sumps.
While it does bump up the price to around 250 bucks
on the 110 model,
both it and the 150SSS come in under our $300 budget,
which is awesome.
The Classic SSS models have large skimmer cups,
but they do lack a drain port, which isn't a big deal,
if you don't intend on using an external waste collector.
The wedge pipe design
works well for controlling the water height
while also being trimmer than the gate valve
on the previous model.
It does also work well as an air silencer
for keeping things nice and quiet, too.
Ultimately, it's a simple design that simply works.
And once again,
you get a quality skimmer that is going to do a good job
while keeping more of that mula in your pocket,
so you can buy more corals, no judgment.
Next up on the list,
we've got Bubble Magus' Curve Elite 5.
Now, I'll admit the Bubble Magus curve skimmers
are newer to me as a reefer.
Although they've been around for a long time,
I've only recently been acquainted with them,
but I got to say I'm pretty impressed.
It's pretty easy to see why so many budget reefers
have been talking them up for years now,
especially with the Curve Elite series.
You get all the trappings of a modern skimmer
in a very affordable package,
like a wine bottle body,
gear-driven gate for water level control,
inverted cone inside of the skimmer lid,
quick release tabs for disassembling the skimmer,
drain port on the skimmer cup,
an air silencer that comes apart for maintenance,
and a CJPSK skimmer pump,
which is one of the best pumps out there.
So what's the catch.
Well, I guess if there's any,
I suppose it's the price.
While the Curve Five here sneaks into our $300 budget
at 250 bucks and being rated
for 75 gallons of heavily stocked reef,
the larger models blow right past it
with the seven coming in at $370,
meaning those who want something similar for a larger tank,
will likely need to look at the standard curve series,
like this model seven that I've got here,
which does swap a few of those more premium features
for basic ones that still get the job done
while shaving a few dollars off the price tag.
Now, if you're extremely tight on space in your sump,
which some of us definitely are,
I've got something special for you
with the Bubble Magus Z-Series protein skimmers.
Ah, so thin, we match.
The Z-Series is hands down the weirdest skimmer
that I've ever had my hands on,
but at the same time, it is a really novel way
to get a protein skimmer's footprint
trimmed down to eight tiny rectangle
with the smallest model, the Z-5,
coming in at roughly six inches by four inches.
While it is definitely odd at first glance,
the design is actually quite simple.
If you take a cross section of a regular skimmer,
then cut that cross section in half,
there you have it, the Z-Series.
The entire skimmer is made from injection molded plastic.
So it does feel very light in the hand
compared to acrylic skimmers.
It also uses a variety of soft silicone parts
for things you might not expect,
like the quick disconnects
that hold the body to the skimmer base,
and the bracket that holds the recess tubing into the body.
It also has a very unique solution
for controlling the water height in the skimmer body,
in the form of a belt driven gate.
It works quite well and has dead stops
as well as graduated markings
and just the right amount of tension.
So it feels smooth yet firm while you're making adjustments.
Bubble Magus also did something pretty interesting
by making the two basic sizes of the Z-Series
available in an upgraded model that sport's
a non-controllable DC pump for those looking
for the quietest energy sipping skimmer possible
while keeping things cost-effective.
And on that note,
one of the most compelling reasons
to look at these skimmers is the price point.
All four models of the Z series
come in well under our $300 budget,
with the Z-5,
albeit rated for only 40 gallons of heavily stocked reef
sitting at just 150 bucks.
And the upgraded ZADC model rated for 75 gallons
coming in at 230 bucks.
The only real downfall of the Z-Series
is that they don't come in larger models,
which kind of makes perfect sense
since anybody with a 75 gallon reef tank that has a sump
is probably going to have a pretty standard sized sump
that is going to be able to fit
your more traditional style protein skimmer.
If you've got a keen eye,
one thing you might've noticed
that all of these skimmers have in common
is they all have one point tuning for
controlling the water height in the protein skimmer.
While most reefers are going to find
one point tuning to be enough control
to get these skimmers hauling that nasty skim aid
out of their reef tanks,
some might benefit from a second point of control
with the ability to tune how much air is being injected.
The good news is any of these skimmers
can be easily modified by placing an inline valve somewhere
in between the silencer and the pump,
or added on just before the air silencer,
which will give you the ability to dial back
the amount of air for situations
where you have less organics in the water
so you can create a stable foam.
With that being said,
I did find that these skimmers all have well-matched pumps
for their size and are going to perform pretty dang well
right out of the box for the average reefer.
So, if saving a few bucks
and still getting a good skim from a reliable skimmer
matches your reefing mantra,
you can pick up one of these beautiful budget beasts
by clicking right here.
(relaxing electronic music)