SRC Member [V]tEc Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 Although i have been reefing for abt 3 yrs....i still quite confuse on how 1 will grade a skimmer as good or no good.... so how do u guys see if ur skimmer is good enuff for ur tank? by looking at skim mate? by measuring ur NO3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo77 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 hahaha....think generally is the brand....lol... why start this topic.... Quote Tank : 4 X 2 X 2 with low iron front panel and external overflow Skimmer : BK SM200 with waste collector Return Pumps : Red Dragon 6m3 and Ehiem 1262 FR : 2 X Deltec 509 & powered by AB2000 Nitrate Filter : Deltec NF 509 and tee off from AB2000 Calcium R'tor : Deltec PF 501 with RM secondary chamber Kalkwasser R'tor : Deltec KM500 Chiller : Pansonic 1 HP Compressor with 20m titanium Coil Wave Makers : 4 X Tunze 6055 with 7096 & Vortec MP40w Controller : GHL Profilux Lighting : ATI Powermodule 10 or 8 tubes Water Top-up : Water Top-Up tank powered by Tunze Osmolator External Monitor : American Pinpoint pH and Temp. Monitor for main tank and GHL Profilux Controller to measure temp, pH, Redox Ozonizer : Sander C50 UV : Corallife 6x Algae Scrubbler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member onizukaa Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 for me i see the skim mate, more skim mate in 1-2 days = good for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Supporter mitlancer Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Supporter Share Posted February 18, 2010 hmm, my nano skimmer for my nano tank is producing skimmate so much tat I have to clear almost 2-3 times per day... is either my water is super polluted or the skimmer is too efficient or the skim cup is too small??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member TayHongSiang Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 Cannot just observe skimmate...coz if you do heavy feeding...there will be dirty skimmate...even for a lousy skimmer like weipro from personal experience. Established brands are part of marketing strategy...and ang mohs are very good with that. With good branding, you can charge high prices for your products and of course, that comes with certain level of quality and performance to do that..just like benz and bmw...and overtime...trust and loyalty is build with consumers that pple eventually spread thru word-of-mouth. If you really want to know if your skimmer is good...hahahaha...i tell you lah....if an anemone gets into the wavewaver and got blended...and yr tank did not crash...u know u have a good skimmer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Supporter mitlancer Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Supporter Share Posted February 18, 2010 If you really want to know if your skimmer is good...hahahaha...i tell you lah....if an anemone gets into the wavewaver and got blended...and yr tank did not crash...u know u have a good skimmer! haha... this is a very risky xperiment.... shall skip this... LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member [V]tEc Posted February 18, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 hahaha....think generally is the brand....lol... why start this topic.... cos i m very curious why some ppl install a skimmer n can say this skimmer very good, better than other brand skimmer....so i wish to know how they come to that? how they tell the new skimmer is better. for me i mostly use low end stuff....so not sure how those high end skimmer perform.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member [V]tEc Posted February 18, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 i dun think looking from skim mate tell u alot? for example wet skimming sure produce more than dry skimming.....so not accurate right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Reefer yikai Posted February 18, 2010 Senior Reefer Share Posted February 18, 2010 IMO its quite hard to tell if a skimmer is good or not. skimmate can vary from tank to tank, water condition etc. dry or wet skim? how to compare? in terms of NO3 reduction, quite hard to say too. because if your tank is too overloded with nutrients, the convertion of rubbish to NO3 will be too quick for your skimmate to remove. brand makes alot of difference too imo. imagine an air stone skimmer being slapped with a sticker of deltec or bubble king. lol. will be selling like hot cakes and will be having great reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo77 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Personally, I like to see how fine the bubble is being formed and the mass of them. However, one thing I don't know Is how to guage the contact and reaction time as it affect the skimmer performance. For skim mate, is possible to guage but think the rest of the parameter must be consistent. The parameters include water cleanliness and adjustment of yr skimmer. Know one reefer who owned deltec 701 and getting skimmate everyday but after changin to another skimmer, canT get the skimmate from 701 and very inconsistent in skimming due to adjustmet. Given a chance, he will not change. Another factor I look at skimmer is it's sensitivity to adjustment. Quote Tank : 4 X 2 X 2 with low iron front panel and external overflow Skimmer : BK SM200 with waste collector Return Pumps : Red Dragon 6m3 and Ehiem 1262 FR : 2 X Deltec 509 & powered by AB2000 Nitrate Filter : Deltec NF 509 and tee off from AB2000 Calcium R'tor : Deltec PF 501 with RM secondary chamber Kalkwasser R'tor : Deltec KM500 Chiller : Pansonic 1 HP Compressor with 20m titanium Coil Wave Makers : 4 X Tunze 6055 with 7096 & Vortec MP40w Controller : GHL Profilux Lighting : ATI Powermodule 10 or 8 tubes Water Top-up : Water Top-Up tank powered by Tunze Osmolator External Monitor : American Pinpoint pH and Temp. Monitor for main tank and GHL Profilux Controller to measure temp, pH, Redox Ozonizer : Sander C50 UV : Corallife 6x Algae Scrubbler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member TayHongSiang Posted February 18, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 18, 2010 First of all, it has to be an apple to apple comparison...can't compare air stone with downdraft or venturi..right? Comparison has to be made within same category...for example, for HOB..you can compare deltec MCE series with CPR Bak Pak, Reef octopus HOB, aquamedic turboflotor, aqua C remora, red sea prizm, etc...to name a few. Then cone models, you should compare between skimz, reef octopus, bubble king.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member arcanehacker Posted February 19, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 My take is looking at more general consensus on its performance.. and never just jump in to new skimmers.. wait a yr or more.. Skimmate is only one expect.. one might say not look at that due to feeding habits and stuff. Esp in LFS where they want to show the poweress of their new product so they overfeed the skimmer. However, based on hobbyist experiences on different skimmers, it should be reasonably accurate. I'm pretty sure very little would go all out feeding frenzy just because they changed a new skimmer. Ease of use I find is very important.. I have recently got another reputable needlewheel model and found out that it wasn't as I have expected. I don't think its broken. Its functioning but its really hard to tune the level.. and everytime I restart the pumps, its tuning time again .. I never had this problem with my concurrent running AP701 or previously used APF600.. Not to mention I cannot fine tune the skimmate as compared to Deltecs.. its mainly always wet. Yes one may say to makes no diff or wet is better. To me, to be able to tune wet or dry is a plus. (This brand is always used to compare with Deltecs). Reliability.. pumps must not break down.. at least not within the warranty period. Yes warranty is good but I'd rather have a peace of mind that its running smoothly for the next few years.. Build is only my last concern. Again the 2 brands I have mentioned on my second point. People prefer the built of the particular brand over Deltec so they go for that first brand. I only agree to half of it.. yes I must say, that particular brand has really strong built. The body/plastics/PVC are very sturdy, compared to materials used for most skimmers (inc Deltecs). I'm very sure they don't break as easily. However, because of my ease of use opinion, it really breaks the deal.. sturdy so what .. Quote Why do we use "My 2 cents worth" when 1 cents are not legal tender in Singapore anymore? Shouldn't it be 5 cents worth? "Its easier to blame the 'mantis' or crabs in the tank for missing & dead livestocks.." http://arcanehacker.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackywongto Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 The finer the bubbles and the more the fine bubbles, the better it is. Quote Eqpt: Deltec MCE 600, Tunze 6055 with Tunze 7091 controller, Artica 1/15 HP chiller, AquaIllumination Sol Blue LED Light System 2011 resolution : Do it simpler, better and in an easier way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member arcanehacker Posted February 19, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 Personally, I like to see how fine the bubble is being formed and the mass of them. However, one thing I don't know Is how to guage the contact and reaction time as it affect the skimmer performance. For skim mate, is possible to guage but think the rest of the parameter must be consistent. The parameters include water cleanliness and adjustment of yr skimmer. Know one reefer who owned deltec 701 and getting skimmate everyday but after changin to another skimmer, canT get the skimmate from 701 and very inconsistent in skimming due to adjustmet. Given a chance, he will not change. Another factor I look at skimmer is it's sensitivity to adjustment. Is it me?? ..hehe. I didn't change.. I'm running 2 concurrent models/brands in sump.. .. see above post. My opinion is surely an apple to apple comparison.. Quote Why do we use "My 2 cents worth" when 1 cents are not legal tender in Singapore anymore? Shouldn't it be 5 cents worth? "Its easier to blame the 'mantis' or crabs in the tank for missing & dead livestocks.." http://arcanehacker.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member onizukaa Posted February 19, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 last time using beckett skimmer,the tuning part is damn lazy.. haha after changing to deltec, just need to on it and after setting ONCE to wet or dry skim, it will always stay at the level. seeing so much skim mate after 1-2 days and cleaning it often makes me feel that it's pumping hard, compare to weipro, which will take quite long to have the skim mate i had for deltec for 1-2 days. in any case, the end user who uses weipro is happy, and the fishes in the tank are happy, wei pro will be a good skimmer, it all depends on individual and budget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member zorden Posted February 19, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 my view on skimmer. tried the few skimmer - beckett its a work horse and definitely can churn out lots of skimmate but on the down side, its consume lots of electricity. Please be green and change to a energy efficient skimmer deltec 851 which is consider a very decent skimmer and its very user friendly. Cons.. nosiy. Hns my 2 aquabee pump its consider one of the best skimmer i got but its an unfair comparison with deltec, its meant for 1600L tank and yes, its become very noisy and i got it replace with Reef octupus xp2000 cone. Yes i love the controls for the finner bubbles for my hns skimmer. allow u to control the bubbles, water flow and yes i can get very nice skimmate. Xp2000 reef octopus cone, its not as quiet as the vendor claim, fairly cheap but maybe too much turbulence and the skimmate wise.. well cant comment much as my tank only have one cardinal. If you really want to know what is a good skimmer. u can try to google or read up mojo skimmer review @ rc. In SG, we have very limited skimmer brand around, no i-tec, no atb and no alpha cone. my humble conclusion for skimmer is long reacton time for the bubbles and YES same wth jack, the finer bubbles the better. Quote I am just an average FR (fish reefing) writer. If you like my FRs, please upz my points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gouldian Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 My personal beliefs is that skimmers are built to remove gunck from the system and therefore the more gunk removed the better. Like some of the reefers here, I conclude which skimmer is better by running 2 skimmers in the same system to see which one manages to pull out more gunk. However, you need to take in considerations the re-selling of your unwanted skimmers after testing. The quality of the materials and pump used is also important as well when looking at the durabilty aspect of the skimmer. Quote "Reefs, like forests, will only be protected in long term if they are appreciated" Dr. J.E.N. Veron Australian Institute of Marine Science -----------------------------------------------------------------------Member of:UEN: T08SS0098FPlease visit us here: http://www.facebook....uaristSocietySG Facebook Group: http://www.facebook....gid=34281892381 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member arcanehacker Posted February 19, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 my view on skimmer. tried the few skimmer - beckett its a work horse and definitely can churn out lots of skimmate but on the down side, its consume lots of electricity. Please be green and change to a energy efficient skimmer I'm very sure no one can deny the excellent performance of a beckett skimmer.. but like you said, takes up too much power.. esp in Singapore where electricity bills are going up so high every few months.. Not only its about being green already.. its about retaining more colours in our wallets for other stuff.. hehe Quote Why do we use "My 2 cents worth" when 1 cents are not legal tender in Singapore anymore? Shouldn't it be 5 cents worth? "Its easier to blame the 'mantis' or crabs in the tank for missing & dead livestocks.." http://arcanehacker.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo77 Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 not you....so now i got a few reefers who can back my justification....lol. .... Is it me?? ..hehe. I didn't change.. I'm running 2 concurrent models/brands in sump.. .. see above post. My opinion is surely an apple to apple comparison.. Quote Tank : 4 X 2 X 2 with low iron front panel and external overflow Skimmer : BK SM200 with waste collector Return Pumps : Red Dragon 6m3 and Ehiem 1262 FR : 2 X Deltec 509 & powered by AB2000 Nitrate Filter : Deltec NF 509 and tee off from AB2000 Calcium R'tor : Deltec PF 501 with RM secondary chamber Kalkwasser R'tor : Deltec KM500 Chiller : Pansonic 1 HP Compressor with 20m titanium Coil Wave Makers : 4 X Tunze 6055 with 7096 & Vortec MP40w Controller : GHL Profilux Lighting : ATI Powermodule 10 or 8 tubes Water Top-up : Water Top-Up tank powered by Tunze Osmolator External Monitor : American Pinpoint pH and Temp. Monitor for main tank and GHL Profilux Controller to measure temp, pH, Redox Ozonizer : Sander C50 UV : Corallife 6x Algae Scrubbler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member serravorte Posted February 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 20, 2010 just a little contribution to the thread... 02 barlett die 01 flame wrasse die 02 mystery wrasse die many others more then couldnt remember.... Skimmer go crazy... but tank still alive... one accident, half of the livestock gone... i believe, due to skimmer still working hard... the other half of my livestock is being revived... Conclusion : skimmer is the heart of the system in reefing, just like engine is for a car... the bigger the cc.. the better the drive... however, ppl can be satisfied with a 800cc china car while some drives a BMW and still not satisfied... so more like personal preference as too many factors involve.. *personal taste* -> get a reputable and respected brand, at least when it goes wrong, many ppl goes wrong with u... u wont be alone... HEHE... cheers guys.. Haf fun in reefing... its a long and enjoyable experience... Quote My 3ft tank Dimension --> 3ftx1.5ftx2ft Ehiem 1262 return Ehiem 1260 Artica 1/5hp Chiller Tunze 6055 + 7091 single controller EcoTech Marine Vortech MP40W Royal Exclusive Mini BubbleKing 160 Lumenarc 250watt 10K BLV 02x Giesemann T5 39watt (blue + Actinic) Deltec 501 CR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member LaW Posted February 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 20, 2010 its really hard to determine whats good unless you set skimmers side by side running in a "fair" and controlled condition. i personally have use airstone skimmer ==> venturi weipro ==> marco skimmer ==> beckette 5ft ==> Bubblemaster BM250 ==> Bubblemagus self-import BM460 which is huge and running on 4 needlewheel pumps and finally settled down with a Bubbleking SM300. my advice is, if u are hardcore enough, got some extra $ to spare and most importanly when always in doubt whether your skimmer is serving you well, go for the top brands, it hardly will go wrong. and save you the $ for keep upgrading to the better range like me. so far my best skimmers used is Bubbleking SM300 and then BM460. Quote If a man could beat his own fantasy. Then to only breed in captivity. Then its pointless. Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. || Tank: 78" x 30" x 30" || Sump: 48" x 22" x 20" || Lights: PowerModule 10 X 80W|| Returns: 2 x HF32 || || Skimmer: BubbleKing Supermarin 300 || Wavemaker: 3 x 6100 & 1 x 6200, 2 x Wavebox 6212, WavySea || || FR: 2 x FR150 || NR: Sulphur Denitrator || CR: RM Custom Made 8" || KR: Deltec KM500 || TopUp: Tunze Osmolator 3155 || || UV: Coralife 12X 36W || Ozonizer: Sanders C200|| Controller: GHL Profilux Plus II Ex || Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member zorden Posted February 21, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 21, 2010 i know of one reefer who have very stunning sps uses only those cheapo skimmer but his overall husbandry is good thus his sps still flourish like wild fire. Quote I am just an average FR (fish reefing) writer. If you like my FRs, please upz my points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoVan Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 i know of one reefer who have very stunning sps uses only those cheapo skimmer but his overall husbandry is good thus his sps still flourish like wild fire. who who? :eyebrow: My own take with skimmers has always been laid with doubts as well. I seriously do not know what's good and what's not good. I believe my current skimmer, a reef octopus one is good. 1 tiny dory with some zoas still manage to draw gunk on the side of the neck. But one drawback I find with that skimmer is that the bubble plate is too small. Should have used a bigger bubble plate (: Happy Reefing, Marc J. Quote Happy Reefing, Marc J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member [V]tEc Posted February 21, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted February 21, 2010 its really hard to determine whats good unless you set skimmers side by side running in a "fair" and controlled condition. i personally have use airstone skimmer ==> venturi weipro ==> marco skimmer ==> beckette 5ft ==> Bubblemaster BM250 ==> Bubblemagus self-import BM460 which is huge and running on 4 needlewheel pumps and finally settled down with a Bubbleking SM300. my advice is, if u are hardcore enough, got some extra $ to spare and most importanly when always in doubt whether your skimmer is serving you well, go for the top brands, it hardly will go wrong. and save you the $ for keep upgrading to the better range like me. so far my best skimmers used is Bubbleking SM300 and then BM460. how much did u pay for ur BM460 giant? i think BM is considered quite a good skimmer for the price...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member LaW Posted February 21, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted February 21, 2010 how much did u pay for ur BM460 giant? i think BM is considered quite a good skimmer for the price...... i got it at about S$1.2k + shipping. i like their quality on the overall, but i find their needlewheel breaks easily IME. and if you are getting from local agent, be prepared to pay a crazy price and if i am still correct, they dun bring in such a big boy. Quote If a man could beat his own fantasy. Then to only breed in captivity. Then its pointless. Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. || Tank: 78" x 30" x 30" || Sump: 48" x 22" x 20" || Lights: PowerModule 10 X 80W|| Returns: 2 x HF32 || || Skimmer: BubbleKing Supermarin 300 || Wavemaker: 3 x 6100 & 1 x 6200, 2 x Wavebox 6212, WavySea || || FR: 2 x FR150 || NR: Sulphur Denitrator || CR: RM Custom Made 8" || KR: Deltec KM500 || TopUp: Tunze Osmolator 3155 || || UV: Coralife 12X 36W || Ozonizer: Sanders C200|| Controller: GHL Profilux Plus II Ex || Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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