Best skimmer?

[FastUno]

I am sure this one has been asked many times, just thought I would get updated feedback.

Question for me is do I continue dosing B-Ionic (now that the tank has gotten bigger) or do I invest in a CA Reactor? I have heard some horror stories of others who have been trying to set them up & then again I have heard great news from those who are successful.

How do you guys feel about the MRC (I would probably get the CR2 dual)?
Have you guys heard of http://www.marinetechnical.com/

I need one that is easy to tune & maintain, most trouble free.

 

[rickytsui]

get the one from mtc is samll and it does the job

 

[jackson6745]

If you want a skimmer that is easy to tune, maintain, and is most trouble free then forget about a beckett skimmer. They require a lot of tweaking to get a desired foam and need frequent cleaning of the injectors......but when properly dialed and maintained they are absolute beasts!!! You definitely get the most bang for you buck! Besides MRC check out Barr Aquatic beckett skimmers.

An easier skimmer (plug and play) that would do a great job would be an ASM skimmer. This would give you the same performance as a euroreef for less cash. Check Championlighting.com

If you really want a great skimmer that is easy to use, and you have a lot of cash to blow you can go with a recirculating skimmer like a deltec or the euroreef RS models. I've seen them in person and they give a very nice/nasty foam and run on very little electricity.

As for the bionic....Are you running a full Stony/LPS tank? If so you will need a reactor sooner or later. Adding bionic gets quite expensive. Have a reactor also adds stability to the system and you'll notice an increase in growth. If you have the cash I don't see a need to wait.

 

[glipper69]

check out the Skimmer I am selling, I never do anything with it. I plug it in, dial it in and forget about it until the collection cup needs to be emptied again.

Here's a link to the skimmers I use. anybody that uses them swears by them, mark my words this time next year you are gonna know this name with regards to our Hobby.

http://www.jdmtechnologies.net/
Frank

 

[rafal1676]

i have deltec apf600 (had euroreef and others before)and in my opinion its the best skimmer i ever had,you should check deltec usa website or call them they very helpful

 

[cla009]

I only buy Euroreef skimmers but their new "quick" connect union is such a PITA. If you buy euroreef make sure you get one with the old style, zero clearance, screw off union.

 

[Hitsnorth]

Im loving my MRC MR-2! I do clean it every week though. I notice a huge difference in performance after I clean it out. It takes 5 minutes and its worth it. The really nice thing with the MRC is you can upgrade it easily. I already have a second Beckett plug so if I wanted to add it I could(And I already have the pump to support it with a mag 24 instead of the 18 they recommend) downside is electricity with the pump. Andy who runs myreefcreations is great about any questions or problems. I went ahead and got a calcium reactor from him too and wasnt disappointed.

 

[cali_reef]

So.. he is looking for a SKIMMER or CA REACTOR??

 

[cali_reef]

Since I don?t know if you are looking for a Ca reactor or Skimmer, I will only offer my general experience with MRC.

Andy, the owner of MRC is very deceptive and does not want to admit past design flaws I have pointed out to him in public. I can email you some of his correspondence with me if you like to know more about this. The MRC skimmer I am currently using is somewhat disappointing as far as design and workmanship, but I guess I am too hard to please because not too many people complain about it. I guess there aren?t many choices out there and he seems to do a good job marketing the product.

 

[jackson6745]

Pierce, I would definitely like to hear about your experiences with MRC. I guess we can discuss it on Sunday

 

[Hitsnorth]

Its interesting because andy just sent me a replacement piece for the beckett that was broken
Number of Packages: 1
UPS Service: GROUND
Weight: 1.0 LBS

Reference Number 1: Warranty
Reference Number 2: Beckett ring


He didnt charge me anything(even shipping) and I didnt even buy it from him but got it secondhand. I have only read good things about him and MRC and certainly have had nothing but good experiences with it.

 

[cali_reef]

I think he is pretty good at sending people replacement parts because they NEED them. That is good marketing and sales skill since everyone will be happy from the perceived good service and the benefited individual will go on to be a voice of a happy customer. However, you should really think if it was built right, it should not need replacement parts unless the skimmer was miss-used. I don?t know the reason you would need a replacement part since there are no part in a typical beckett skimmer that would and could wear out, requiring a replacement part. Did your beckett ring cracked from normal handling? mine did. That ring's original designed purpose is to hold the two beckett halfs together, not holding the beckett on the pipe fitting. You will continue cracking them if you screw on the beckett tight to prevent a leak.

I had asked him a few questions regarding the MR-2 in a reef board which I feel are due to lack of design thoughts and poor craftsmanship. He decided my questions were too much for him to deal with (short version) and told me I "would of" gotten a replacement skimmer if I had not posted my thoughts in public. The funny thing is I posted in that thread I just ordered a new skimmer from a competitor before I posted my questions to him.

Richard, We will talk on Sunday.

[ March 17, 2005, 02:28 AM: Message edited by: cali_reef ]

 

[Melt]

well it got an euro reef and I am very happy with it....it have the new beta test pump and it kick A******* ..This is 3 days of skim..when I first set it up..

Rich thanks for making me choose this little devil.

[/IMG]

 

[wedfr]

hey melt whats the deal with teh new pump? differnt brand? differnt impeller?

 

[Melt]

same brand to me .what euro reef did is take all the marking off the pump and put on their own serial number but it's a little smaller and it produce more bubble(power) and less wattage..

 

[FastUno]

Thanks guys, really good to know more about skimmers. Must have been a late post & me being tired. But I actually wanted to know about CA reactors.

BTW, I bought the ER8-2 only to have to sell it, because the pump was too loud. I live in a CO-OP apt & felt that it would be too much. I must admit that it was a work of art though! I now own a Deltec AP600 & am happy with the skimming, small footprint, low electric consumption, & quietness of the unit.

24hr of skimming:

 

[cali_reef]

Nice skimmet.. How do you like the quality of Deltec? How does it compare to ER?

MTC makes a monster Ca reactor, the model is Pro-Cal. I would said most of the large nice SPS tank I have seen runs one of these for Ca supplement, they are really well built and solid performer. MTC also make a smaller version but I never seen one in operation, I believe Fish Town carries MTC products.

Stay away from MRC, they are POS and not worth the trouble.

 

[FastUno]

When I first got the EuroReef I was in awe! I took it out & put it on display in my living room. It's truly a work of art! Then I bought a used deltec AP600, compared to the ER it's hard to draw any inspiration from the Deltec. A side-by-side comparison places the AP600 in a lower class.

I am happy with the performance of the Deltec thus far, although I have not had it for too long. Also happy with additional beneficial features:
-less electricity used
-smaller footprint
-quiet operation
-skims very well
-skimmer cup is relatively easy to take off, as compared to the ER. ER seems like a pain to take off, especially in my case where its hard to get under the tank & in sump.

The only thing I can compare the AP600 to (in terms of efficiency) is my AquaC Remora. It blows the lid off of it! I never placed the ER in operation, so cant do a full comparison.