Achilles Tang

Roidan, Are you by any chance the Public Relations agency for Troy the movie? Good job! hehehehehe!

Hi, Croceas or Squamosas for the beginners. 150w may be sufficient if you place them nearer the top of the tank for maximum lighting. Clams are found in areas where there is a lot of light. I would say go for 6500k or 10k at least as these simulate the light intensity of shallow water. If you go for 14k and above, I suggest to increase the wattage of these bulbs as they are weaker in PAR. Suitable rockscaping, no predators or peckers (such as some small angels). Maroon clown you mean! Sometimes LS will peck at clams but if they hound it constantly enough, they may not open and get enough light then.

Hmmm.... well its true we can't test all the skimmers. But we can have 'higher grade' skimmers (the branded ones) road tests and we can have 'affordable range' skimmers doing their own road tests. It's silly to put up a Weipro against a Deltec...

Scarab!! You have an awesome tank!!! WOW!! Definitely definitely TOTM material.... AT

Happy Birthday, Mrs Bwilly! May you bear your loving hubby many many wolf cubs!

Bum.... slow lah you.... its for his new tank project lah!

Check the time... we have 15 mins more before completion of baking time! If only we can have an online VR taste session!

?? *whips flame detector out* Needle seems to be twitching slightly... hmmm...

Congrats bro! Need any help? I wish to return the favor after being shot by you during the last paintball session!

AAAAAWWWWW I'LL BE DAMNED! BWILLY!!! YOU'RE A DOMESTICATED DOG!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WILD WOLF THAT WE ALL LOVE???

Did you just notice it? I did housekeeping some time ago...

As requested, topic titled edited to: My durso is below water level

Ahhhh.. the first link was to the test done the Americans with the beckett, H&S, AquaC (i think) and a few other brands is no longer there! I believed the beckett skimmer blew away the competition. The 2nd link would be better applied for tests beyond the ordinary & straightforward way and into the study of the content of skimmate by different skimmers. I agree we should just stick with the suggested benchmarks as proposed by Robe for a 'road race test'.

sigh.

I can't tell the visual difference between the two bulbs myself. The Phoenix DE bulb is a good buy if the bulb is tested to give favourable results in time to come! Any other testers beside Hon? I have not tested the AC bulbs myself and am thinking of using them on my reef to replace the Sakis. But the phoenix bulbs are not available in SE configurations as informed by Hon... so I can't really report the differences between the AC and Phoenix bulbs. There is also no spectral chart available for the Phoenix bulbs... guess we have to go by visual assessment and faith! I wonder if the AC bulbs are OEM by Phoenix?

Sigh. You all have eyes to see and ears to hear. I'm not going to waste any more time and energy trying to argue with someone who has a very set mind & opinion based on secret information privy only to himself. As far as this product review is concerned, its all biased anyway. NO MORE TALKING BULLSHIT.... LET'S DO THE SKIMMER TESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I suggest all attention be put to laying down the framework for this experiment to take place in a secured 'neutral ground' environment with minimal variables, with zero loopholes, maximum fairness in a controlled way and verified by independants who can simply assess by simple observation how the skimmers eliminate each other from the competition. Please contribute your ideas on how to achieve the perfect competition. All parties will have to agree on the rules and guidelines and to set a date for the Ultimate Skimmer Test.

Thread reopened. Someone has something to say and I expect it to be honest, detailed, open and SIMILAR to the conversation that just took place. Over to you. And you better not disappoint me this time, Max. Still... its good for me to address these points you made earlier: Beating around the bush. It seems you're the one who's doing it. Personal attack? everyone has eyes to read what words have been used and who said what. Yes and No.... No, I think a lot of people will spend days reading up to understand how a toothbrush from Colgate will work better than a toothbrush from ###### B. The design of each bristle and its tartar sweeping potential has been properly measured in a lab and computer simulated against other brands and then by actual experiments, before a spectrometer analysis of the nylon bristle is examined to determine the erosion and failure rates. People waiting for the movie to start are now given a thick document to read in place of an advertisement featuring a boy and a monster with many mouths interrupted by his mum who screams in terror... that they are using an inferior toothbrush. Faith and Trust go together. So we are all expected to TRUST you that Rowaphos is the world's best phosphate removal product and the rest are bullshit? We are expected to TRUST you that Deltec skimmers are the best in the world and the rest are bullshit? We have to TRUST your words inspite of ZERO EVIDENCE? Do you need to be pointed out this fact point blank? Pretty much. I have to have faith that I will make the best decisions for my reef. Ask everyone here watching at the sidelines and involved in this thread if the one who should be providing evidence about all the allegations YOU made should be you or us. And whether you have PROVEN that you are 100% right by you PROVIDING all the facts, data and evidence. If not, DON'T ASK FOR PEOPLE'S FAITH IN YOU TO BE AUTOMATICALLY GIVEN. Interesting... since you claim to have the data results already. SHOW US LAH! There is already a test in Germany that states that Rowa/Contra is the same product and based the test results alone on the Contra sample being given. Read backwards... it has been posted up before. Since you supposedly have another 'secret' test results that proved it otherwise... SHOW IT!! Simply put... sarcasm in the face of people who just want you to back up your massively unsubstantiated statements won't prove anything except you have no answers & no proof. Faith goes both ways, dude. Anyway... going back to the subject matter.... Maxima, your words to me tonight are expected to repeated here and I will consider the matter closed once I hear it in full with sincerity. If you really mean it. What's at stake here is more important to you than to me.

We appreciate that you guys are concerned that this may become an explosive thread.... but as far as I am concerned, no flaming is being done by Proposition and Opposition (debate team speak) All are free to contribute and comment, hopefully with facts and figures. The topic says 'Factual Truth for your $ Worth'... and we are still waiting for Maxima to produce the facts so we can all switch to the best product out there... with a nice price tag of course!

Max thanks for 'clarifying' more stuff... Errr... 'everything else is bullshit' seems to be how you view the rest of the products based on 'industrial proof and certifications' that only you and you alone have that you won't share with us. If its your personal opinion how you view a certain product, then say so. The way you 'state the facts' seems to be quite the opposite of what you're trying to avoid. The RRP $138 price was the stated price that the current Rowaphos Distributor has faxed to all LFS on Monday... it was recently withdrawn on the day this debate came up, undoubtedly due to the denied claims of you bringing in Rowaphos as a distributor or p. importer and undoubtedly because Contra K is launched into the market with good response. I am sure there will be a price adjustment in the market... and the winners will be the hobbyists! That is NOT a very objective statement because you simply can't back it up with any evidence of your claims so far. Try to be a bit more objective about this. Duh? I am not upset. There are many other distributors out there that are more upset than me coz you say everything else except Rowaphos is bullshit. Because Contra K is supposedly similar to Rowaphos doesn't make me any less unmoved coz I am a hobbyist too and really want to know what's in every phosphate remover product because its a very vital part of reefkeeping. Cheap is relative... it can be given more value if priced within reason. I WANT to know what's in Contra K! "You know liao why share?" Because you love the hobby as much as we do and wish to advance the hobby by sharing vital information and knowledge without a commercial intent with fellow SRC reefers? No one hit you what.... its just questions thrown to the proposition... did you ever not take part in the debate team at school? The winning team is the one who can back up all the arguments of a debate topic in an entirely convincing way, in the most clear way and with full logic, supported by facts. Since you came in here with full guns blazing.... you have intrigued not only me but everyone else... you have certainly made SRC more happening again... just like the good old days.... when intellectual debates and serious discussions rule!! I have never taken your words personally, Max, and I hope you don't too. We should be matured enough not to get our personal feelings involved since we are talking on an open topic that can be proven by hard facts & data. Over to you, my dear opponent (debate team speak! )

Done! Cowfish? Toxins... hope you drain everything! And used carbon & polyfilters to help! If there is enough ammonia present, you may not need to use another source of ammonia aka... market prawn! Using mangroves? Did you know that mangroves are not recommended for nitrate absorption because you really need a LOT of mangroves for it to work and they need loads of light aka MH to grow fast enough? If you want to use a refugium to grow macroalgae to export nitrates & other nutrients, they will grow fast enough for regular harvesting but you have to be careful coz some macroalgae esp caulerpa are know to crash and add a sudden bioload to your tank... if your skimmer is under-rated or lousy... oh oh! Maybe you can try Ulva instead? Just my 2 cents, AT

Mr Peter Peh, ?? Sorry... you are saying? Agent right? Who? Huh? Rowa? Good!!! I love it! 2. It's a valid question coz I was told that is 100% the same as both Rowa Phos and Contraphos gets the same product from the same manufacturer... and I guess I have to trust that my principle is telling the truth then... if they are not... Why don't we just get the lab test results published then? Share, Max, share it. I think white bottles are the favoured bottles used by Rowa & Contra K. Stick a label on with specification and your 100% faith is there? Well... I guess so. Objective about what? Are you saying that Contraphos Konzentrat is a mixed product like the Contraphos 500ml silver pack? Do you have proof that this mfgr has mixed stuff in it? I really like to see the lab analysis report... share leh, Max. Ahh... I see.. so I DID find the 'secret' lab! Then share leh, Max... share! Wah lau... *smash head on wall* ... there you go again... its an intellectual debate... and your 'truths'... you have not EVEN ONCE showed us a single shred of evidence to back up what you say! IF there is TRUTH not only on Contraphos Konzentrat (pls leave the 500ml version out as we ALL KNOW NOW that it is a mixed product, courtesy of me) and the other phosphate remover brands out there is bullshit... then show us the proof! *Groan*..... so tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. We hobbyists want to know what we put in our tanks is worth the money!!!! I'll be happy to price Contraphos K at a way lower price IF its really bullshit. % difference to Rowaphos to % $.

The beckett skimmers at Iwarna are 746 and not 872. Next time I'll bring a measuring tape to doublecheck how much they have grown! And it has never run on dual becketts but just a single beckett each and both sharing just one Iwaki MX-70 (although there's the option to run dual each). Each is producing good enough foam even with a rubberband and a pc of plastic strip stuck in the nozzle. Was there this evening to take a look and discovered it. It may have been there for weeks already but wasn't removed! And the air intake wasn't even properly opened I heard! When it was opened... the skimmate was thick and yummy! I believe Joe_P's beckett skimmers should not be pegged to Reef Concepts rating as the sizes are totally different. A Reef Concepts 872 stands at 6ft tall and Joe_P's Reef Maniac 746 stands at less than 4ft. You want to throw TWO Deltec AP1006 (the 2nd LARGEST commercial unit with SIX needlewheel pumps + 1 feed pump, costing S$9,008.39 EACH???) against one 746 beckett worth many times cheaper? tell me you aren't serious!! Errr.... okie, if I guess correctly.. your AP1006 pumps should be using Eheim 1060? Each consume 50w x 6 = 300w. Hmm...wait... the latest Iwaki MX-70 pump consumes only 150w (as pointed out by Robe) so are you allowing us to use TWO Iwaki MX-70s? It's going to explode.. so we have to build a skimmer body that can cope with that much foam... maybe we really should run 4 beckett nozzles (as you suggested in page 1) ! It's interesting to run 4 beckett nozzles vs 6 needlewheel pumps, both skimmers consuming 300w each... wait...forgot about your feedpump! Recommended 3500 Ltr./ h right? Using 1060 at 50w again? So its going to be 300w + 50w = 350w! Or to be fair, you have to remove one of the needlewheels.... to bring it down to 300w? Why do you insist on Reef Concepts? Because they are the Aerofoamer brand? There are many Commercial DIY beckett skimmer makers out there... Anyway... I think it is going to be very vague competing based on manufacturers ratings... how do they judge the filtration/bioload of every tank? It's all guesstimation. I think all skimmers should just say: "Recommended for... blah blah tanks with blah blah blah livestocks, ###### feedings ###### a day, ###### water change a week...." Too many variables! As Robe says... no need to measure water quality... just go by visual assessment... the skimmer that stops producing skimmate first is the one that loses... or we can see the quality/quantity of the skimmate! Or because you slam visual assessments and insist only on laboratory spectrometer analysis of the water to judge? (That would mean that the skimmers cannot have an even playing ground because you have to have seperate water containers for each!) And why 24 to 48 hours? Just have a large toyogo tub of not so dirty seawater.... the good skimmers should produce foam in 15 mins... and skim clean the tub within an hour I guess.... As proposed by Maxima... The Pump Power to Pump Power (wattage) consumption skimmer Test 4 beckett nozzles (powered by 2 x 150w Iwaki MX-70 pumps: total 300w) vs 5 needlewheel + 1 feed pump (powered by Eheim 1060 50w pumps: total 300w)..... on behalf of all beckett skimmer users.... I accept the challenge!!! This IS going to be interesting!

A meeting of great minds, the company of these I seek. Truly priceless are the gems of wisdom they bring. Just a moment of enlightenment, just an ounce of doubt removed, A meeting of great minds is what we plebeians need. - Anonymous.

Max, One thing at a time... any clarifications to my questions on your statements? I am sure many manufacturers and hobbyists alike want to know why Deltec skimmers are the best and the rest are bullshit. I have been thinking about the proposed skimmer comparison tests and we should come up with suggested guidelines & set parameters for this controlled experiment. Once we all agree to the conditions and testing framework... let the Battle of the Skimmers begin! "Who wants to be the Deltec-Killer?" or "Who wants to beat the Beckett?" lol! There are a few skimmers that have already been volunteered for this experiment... if there are no contenders... will it be just the Deltec vs Beckett?

Did you check the beckett nozzle? There could be stuff inside it.... This evening I popped into Iwarna and the two single beckett skimmers there... one skimmer had one rubber band inside the nozzle and the other had a strip of long plastic inside the other nozzle! Inspite of these obstructions, the skimmers were still producing good foam! I noticed that user unfamiliarity and incorrect tuning made one of the skimmer's water level to be at the halfway mark in the reaction chamber.... I helped to resite the pump and solved the previous self-priming problem. What pump are you using coz both the Iwarna skimmers made by the Reef Maniac, Joe_P, is being driven by just one Iwaki MX-70 and each skimmer body is milk white! And there was a large dirty cuppacinno quality foam ball at the collection cup within minutes of operation.