Remora Pre-Skimmer Box Question

I have been going back and forth on skimmers for my 28 gallon Bowfront that is currently cycling. I thought I had decided on the Remora HOB with a pre-skimmer box so i can have a place to run media and have reduced bubbles.

However, I keep getting conflicting reviews on the skimmer box. Right now I am running a HOB pengiun filter (with no filter OR biowheel) for added oxygen, circulation and a location to add media such as carbon (since I have a glass hood on my tank, I though increased oxygen from the slight cascade out of the filter wouldnt hurt). However, I was hoping I could replace this with the remora and skimmerbox so I would have room to eventually add a HOB refugium (sadly, my stand doesnt leave much room for a sump/refugium).


So my options are (unless I pick a different skimmer, since I haven't bought it yet!):

1. Remora Skimmer + Skimmer box with powerfilter and no HOB refugium
2. Remora Skimmer + Skimmer Box with HOB Refugium and No Powerfilter
3. Remora Skimmer with powerfitler for media and no HOB refigum
4. Remora Skimmer with HOB refugium and no place to run carbon.
5. Remore Skimmer and nothing else

Also, some other details: The back wall of my tank is painted black. Also, it's been cycling for about a week and I have noticed very little evaporation thus far (though it is winter and I dont have my t5HO lights yet... idk if that will change it or not :-/)

What would you choose with this set up and why?

Thanks for any input

 

Hey personally I have a aqua c remora and I don't think the pre skimmer is worth having. You don't half to worry about bubbles entering the tank with this skimmer. I also run a powerfilter, but stopped using carbon because I didn't find it necessary. I just run micron sponges that help polish the water. And personally a refugium i think is a little overboard on a tank that size. The aqua c remora will be more than enough skimmer to keep the nutrient levels down to zero. Take that money that you were gonna invest into the refugium and go get some fish when your tank's ready. Go pullman

 

The skimmer box leaves me with a mixed feeling.

When the water level is just right, it seems to skim all the oily crap from the surface perfectly. But that "perfect level" is a rather narrow window. Any lower and it would run dry. Any higher, and it does not seem to pull the bio slick in.

Skimmer itself still works great and produces plenty of foam, but the effectiveness of "surface skimming" is in a rather narrow window. But when it's there, it's amazing how quickly it cleans the muck from the top.

I'd say it's not worth having unless you have an auto-top off and can get that level dialed in. Then it's absolutely superb.

 

Ok, thanks for the input!

I think I am going to not get it. I might angle one of my powerheads up more so that I (hopefully) can avoid that surface scum, and hopefully get it with the skimmer.

 

Just wanted to add, after adding ATO unit and being able to dial in the water level, box now makes perfect sense.

 

Ya, I got my skimmer. Not much to pull out, but as it breaks in I can see it def helps... but once I get an ATO I will probably go for the pre-skimmer box. I re-arranged my powerheads when I added the remora.

I dropped the one on the side with the skimmer down towards the bottom, pointed semi-upwards across my rockwork. The other I moved nearly to the top, and poined down toward my rockwork and the other powerhead. The suction of water into the back (to be pushed out the front) creates some nice movement on the surface. Surface scum has been greatly reduced, but not eliminated entirely. I am sure it'll get a bit worse once I get much of a bioload in the tank.