Operation
The skimmer is tireless. It skims immediately, with very fine, extremely soapy white foam. The photos are nice, but the video perhaps gives you a better understanding of the actual skimming action. The foam fills the body from the base to the cup. Visually, the skimming and coloration look absolutely perfect.
We remind you that skimming performance is heavily dependent on salinity; higher salinity, better skimmer performance. We consistently stayed at 35 parts per thousand.
After several weeks of use, we can say we fell in love with this skimmer. Consistent and high-quality skimming. Performance above suspicion. And the aquarium was almost 800 liters with lots of fish and corals, especially SPS.
Octo Elite 200-S Skimmer Performance and Measurements
Water Flow
Due to the specific design of the skimmer, we couldn’t measure the treated water, which Octo claims is 1,600 l/h.
Air Intake
To measure the air intake, we used the professional ItalControl PSM-21 flow meter, which measures from 250 to 3,000 l/h of air, as the first attempt using the smaller Sander meter quickly maxed out at 1,000 l/h of air intake.
We measured an air intake of 1,300 l/h. A stable value and among the highest ever recorded in our lab.
The air-to-water ratio is therefore 1300/1600~0.82
Noise
The skimmer is extremely quiet. Simone’s aquarium is a bit less so. We conducted our usual three measurements, all one meter away from the aquarium and sump, obtaining the following results:
- Acoustic pressure at 1 meter with all aquarium equipment on and doors closed: 44,7 dB
- Acoustic pressure at 1 meter with only the skimmer off and doors open: 48,4 dB
- Acoustic pressure at 1 meter after turning the skimmer back on: 49,7 dB
The difference in acoustic pressure measured with the skimmer on and off is 1.3 dB, a very low value that almost disappears with the doors closed.
The sound level meter used for the measurement is the usual VOLTCRAFT 320, IEC 651 Type II digital sound level meter, which is sufficiently reliable for the measurement in question. Given the nature of the noise to be measured, all measurements were taken using the dBA attenuation curve.
Maintenance Costs
The Octo Elite 200-S skimmer has a declared maximum power consumption of about 40 watts. As usual, we measured the pump’s consumption:
We found the consumption practically coinciding with the declared value. The consumption is therefore 39.74 watts, really low for a machine of this class and performance. This translates into an annual maintenance cost of about 94 euros, with an estimated cost of 0.27 euros per kWh. Alternatively, you can do the calculation yourself, considering that the skimmer consumes about 348 kWh annually, a value that must be multiplied by your kWh cost.
The Cost
The Octo Elite 200-S skimmer costs 980 euros. A price that might seem high but isn’t when considering the performance and the aquarium it is intended for. We don’t believe, in our hearts, that a 1,000-liter aquarium deserves a cheap skimmer. But this beast can handle it effortlessly.
Conclusions
It’s difficult to draw conclusions when you have such a high-performing tool in your hands. Practically perfect skimming. Managing an 800-liter aquarium with fish and corals without batting an eye. Bonus for the float in the cup. Skimmer pump above suspicion, adjustable. Low consumption relative to performance. If you recall the excellent LGMAcquari LGs950 I used in my 400-liter tank, it had a practically identical combined consumption but treated half the water.
Spectacular skimmer to look at, solid and quiet. Very high air intake value, accompanied by an equally high treated water value, with a ratio close to 1. For us, a skimmer that can handle well-stocked 1,000-liter aquariums without major issues.
During use, it proved to be very consistent and efficient.
PRO
Excellent air intake value of 1,300 l/h Spectacular construction Very quiet Easy maintenance Float to prevent overflow in the cup Low consumption Adjustable pump
CONS
Not distributed in Italy, which is a shame, but it can be easily purchased in Europe
Disclaimer: We thank Octo for providing us with the skimmer for the preparation of this review.
