What is the best and worst skimmer you have used over the ye

[Anonymous]

Based on the 2 below URL's that I found on ReefCentral this week, I thought I would ask reefs.org what their opinions were as well... What, in your opinion, is the best and worst skimmers you have used over the years and why?

http://www.reefcentral.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004266.html
http://www.reefcentral.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004255.html

This should prove to be interesting...

liquid

 

[Anonymous]

Without any douht the skilter is the worst skimmer.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a fair question, you have to ask, what is the worst and best skimmer in the $50 dollar range, $100 dollars range $150, $200 and so forth, post some models with their price and what it is rated so we can vote

)
Models like , The Beast, Berlin, Turbofloter 1000, SR4 to SR6, Amaricle's Typhoon etc....
you can't compare my Bullet to a Seaclone

I can see the Bullet 2 & 3 going up agaist models like ETS reef devils 750 or the ETS 1000, Aqua C 150 or the 200, Aerofoam ,euroreef etc...

P.S I guess you can put the SR9 up there to compete , CPR does say it'll do a 600 gallon tank driven by a Rio 3100 , hehe

 

[Anonymous]

Although lots of people have had luck with Berlin skimmers I have come to the conclusion that mine sucks. It never produces the type of bile that it should. It is always watery and light green. I have tried adjusting it every way but upside down.

 

[Anonymous]

Wilson has a point, but price aside we can still rank 'em for performance.

Worst= skilter
2nd Worst= Top Fathom
3rd Worst= Oceanic 6
4th Best= Knop
3rd Best= Turboflotor T1000
2nd Best= DAS BX-2
Best = Modified MTC Pro 5' skimmer. Dual venturis were replaced with air pump feeding air just before Little giant intake, creating a 5' tall aspiration skimmer.


John

 

[Anonymous]

dsb1829, you can't really judge the color of the skimate and say the lighter color is worst then the darker skimate, if you want darker skimate, adjust your Berlin to have the bubbles break way before the riser tube, this allow longer contact time but it will produce alot less skimate as compare to the lighter skimate, another thing is, you might not have that dirty of a tank.
For the price of a Berlin, I don't think anything comes close to out performing it, you can purchase the Berlin on line with a Mag 7 for $179 bucks.

 

[Anonymous]

Turboflotor will outskim a berlin any day. They both use about the same contact tubes but the turboflotor has needle wheel aspiration so produces a much drier skimate.
Only thing is the turboflotor is only good for tanks UNDER 100 gallons, as is the Berlin.

John

 

[Anonymous]

Problem with the tubofloter 1000 is it require a rio pump and the pinwheel does not produce constant bubbles when the rio pump is a few months old, while the Berlin is a work horse and can be equip with a better pump.
if Aqua medic can replace the rio for the Turboflotor 1000, then I'll agree with you John, that the Turboflotor 1000 is a better skimmer, not sure why it has to use the rio, the higher end Turbofloter uses the Eheim pump.

[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 21 May 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 21 May 2000).]

 

[Anonymous]

Wilson, where online can you get the Berlin with mag pump for 179? Let me know.

_b

 

[Anonymous]

I've only used one, but I have to say ... its been trouble free and always produces dark green sludge from dry bubbles. Its made by a small company out of Houston called Precision Marine. I picked it up for $60 (new) from an LFS and have had it running for over a year on my 18 gal reef.

The only complaint that I can come up with is that its not the easiest thing in the world to clean. Other than that, I don't know what could be better about a skimmer.

 

[Anonymous]

anyone treid one of these I am thinking of getting one.

http://www.lifereef.com/hvscup1.jpg http://www.lifereef.com/home.html


Martyn

 

[Anonymous]

I must agree with the post above about the berlin not skimming great. You mention its good for the price but I think for the price it could be a lot better. Of course its not in the same krap class as skilters, etc. I used a Mag. 7 with my berlin, also used an 2md. It produces not bad, after a gazzillion adjustments, then the next day overflows on the wifes carpet, sounds like a turbine in your house. Kicked it all the way down the street, my friend used it on his tank and it now resides in the garbage.
Now give me my Euroreef, now thats a skimmer. Not bad for noise, cannot overflow, low power consumption, built like a brick !, and best of all skims like there is no tommorrow.

------------------
Doug Lowey

 

[Anonymous]

Paul; I also tried that pump on mine and it was limiting as you say.
The ones that I have seen produce fairly well have been run on larger pressure pumps.

------------------
Doug Lowey

 

[Anonymous]

the Berlin skimmer truly sucks until you get a good pump. 1000 gph makes them work very well.(its still not the best or anything but not a total POS either)

------------------
geo

[This message has been edited by geo (edited 22 May 2000).]

 

[Anonymous]

There is more to a reef tank than a skimmer. I run one of those TopFathom skimmers (100a rated for 100 gallon tank)that someone has referenced as 2nd worst on my 90 gallon tank. It even runs off of one of those junk Rio 2500's everyone seems to love on this board. I have 12 fish (yes 12) and at least 45 corals in my tank. I feed pretty heavily 1 time a day (OSI flake food, formula 2 reef cube and 2x3" piece of seaweed minimal each day......sometimes frozen brine shrimp too). On weekends I feed a minimal of twice a day and sometimes 3 times (basically same but add Seaweed and flake food additionally). I'm not saying my skimmer is a good skimmer because I have never compared it to any others but my 16 month old tank has no Nitrate or Phosphate readings that can be picked up by my test kit. The skimmer goes crazy when I add Reef Plus to the tank so it must be doing something. All this hype over skimmers seems to be hype to me. If it makes bubbles and can pull DOC's out of the water it works. Just my humble opinion........RR

All opinions are welcome..........

 

[Anonymous]

A few posts above somebody mentioned that they where using or you could use a mag drive 7 to power a berlin skimmer.

I was under the impression that all mag drives are for water return and not pressure pumps.

I found this info/rumor after purchasing a mag 18 to power a mazzi venturi for a DIY skimmer.

I thought you needed a pressure pump to get the most out of the venturi.?


I have since changed to wanting to use a beckett fountain head for the venturi.

My question is, do you think I can use the mag 18, even if it is not a pressure rated pump, or do I need a pressure rated pump?

BTW, the skimmer is 8" dia. 5' tall counter current with a 2" in at the top and a 2" out at the bottom. The venturi/beckett on a closed loop at the bottom of the skimmer. Lastly I have a 2" gate valve to control fine adjustment.

Christopher Trent Dumas

 

[Anonymous]

Trent Dumas, using a non pressure pump for pressure application will heat up the pump, you are pushing a beckett and also up a water colume of 8 inches dia. then up another 5 feet head, that's alot of of work for a non pressure pump to do, pressure pumps are like tractor, it is build for torque not speed, so is with pumps, yours would be like pulling a trailer with a volkswagon

Dr. Reef, I got my Berlin with Mag 7 in Reefer, www.acropora.com not sure if he's still in bussiness, he was having finanical trouble, I tried to go on their web site but can't.

Berlin is a great skimmer if run with a Mag 7, just have to becareful once the Berlin kicks in, it will over skim, I added a plain air control valve to the air intake and had the bubbles break way before the riser tube. monitor it a few days and with few adjustment and got it to skim dry foam, good skimmer to have if you don't heavy feed.
but now I swear by the Bullet by Presision Marine

)

P.S finally got on reefer's web site, seems like he raised his prices
[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 22 May 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 22 May 2000).]

 

[Anonymous]

worse skimmer---visijet (althou i has found a new home in my planted tank as a CO2 recycler)
best skimmer? to subjective to tell. Most of the high dollar ones work great, inexpensive-precisionmarine HOT-1 has worked well for me

Trent:
just a point about becketts, these are not backpressure-rated heads, they are pond foamers and as such are designed for end-terminal applications (hence the reason why MTC and precisionmarine has placed them in terminal positions-water squirting out into a reaction vessel). They do not tolerate backpressure which is what you will have when you try to drive a 4-5ft column of water. We had tested the beckett heads using taller skimmers and were able to get a beckett to drive almost a full 30" before water came squirting out the ports(i.e. replacing the venturi w/ a beckett). I don't think you could drive the beckett to push 5 ft of water, now if you want to talk about injecting foam laden water thru a tube and allowing 5ft of contact time thats a different story.
I have seen a larger areofoamer (its about 4 ft tall) however the water level stops about 2ft up, and the precisionmarine bullet4 (being tested) it was also 4ft tall, and only filled less than 1/2way w/ water. I guess you could try it, but design a skimmer differently if you want to use the becket.
My opinion
frank

 

[Anonymous]

I'm running my 30" Aerofoamer on a Mag 18 and it's working great. The pump runs just a little warmer the Sen 900, but it's pushing twice the water.

IMO, the Aerofoamer is superior to the Bullet, if only for the fact that you can remove the becket head to clean it.

 

[Anonymous]

$ for $ IMO
Worst-Oceanic(may have had a lemon)
Best-E.T.S.S Reef Devil 2