Master DOC 9410 DC Skimmer - Tunze

Goldilocks Skimmer "This one is just right"

Posted by Conrad Coffield on Jan 20th 2017

I have a 7 year old 75 gallon mixed reef tank. Its first skimmer was a Cadlights 225 gallon conical fitted into a 30 gallon 3 section sump. While the skimmer effectively removed the nutrients it sounded like a jet engine. After a bout 1 year the motor burned up unexpectedly for an undetermined reason while the tank was occupied by animals and coral. So I quickly bought from a local reputable LFT without spending time doing my usual diligent research a SWC 180 that was in-stock on the shelf when I needed it. The noise it produced was less than the Cadlights but it was not as productive as the original Cadlights which might have failed prematurely because of a modified impeller which supposedly produced more foam. Maybe it did but it was not worth the bother that followed.

For the next 5 years I struggled with the SWC. Keeping the skimmer from overflowing was a constant challenge. Feeding Mysis shrimp and some dry foods that also disturb the surface tension made it worse. Usually once bi-weekly copious white wet foam was suddenly generated and occasionally made a mess in the sump cabinet. Then there was the famous Atman 2500 motor. The "replacement" motor sold as the same motor was a different physical size but did fit without modification into the SWC. It is LOUDEST of all the pumps so far but unfortunately does a great job skimming protein.
I have suffered for almost 5 years with this noisy pump. I saw a couple of positive review articles for a new Tunze 9410 DC on Reefbuilders.com: "Pound for pound, the Tunze DOC DC Skimmer 9410 is hands down one of the best protein skimmers we’ve ever used; it’s very quiet, very easy to adjust and control, it’s easy to service and clean, and it produces an incredible amount of skimmate for its size and footprint. We don’t make statements like that lightly, but after more than 6 months of use with virtually nothing critical to say about it, this skimmer is one of the best reef aquarium products released this year." So I replaced my SWC-160 still working but unlikely to quiet down in its lifetime. I don't usually replace working equipment but the performance of this skimmer is worth the investment and silence is golden. Goldilocks is just right.