aquamaxx ConeS CO 1 skimmer review

[reeftivo]

I figured instead of continually hijacking the other thread I was posting on (apologies!), I would do it right and start fresh.
when I first saw this skimmer I knew I wanted it because of the small footprint, unique design and quality syncra pump.

Box arrived from Marine depot unscaved-Good start!

everything was wrapped and secured between two thick foam cut outs with a cardboard insert organizing things.

My wife kicked me out of the house because we had company so I took it to the garage and laid it out on the good old washer/dryer. All components were intact and no defects to note. First thing I noticed was everything apears to be acrylic with the exception of the diverter inside the adjustable riser on the output. Also, all edges are polished-Nice!

I noticed the silencer comes off with a few turns of the set screw which will make it super easy to clean if salt and dust builds up.

break down;
everything comes apart except the effluent/output riser which seems to be hot glued to the body of the reaction chamber. Cleaning this thing will be a breeze.

cone BB plate comes off easily by removing the two black set screws. I'm glad they didnt hot glue that to the lip of the tube. It should be much easier to clean this way

the neck has a short twist lock (1/2 to lock) and as you can see, it has a silicone o-ring. The transition is flush thru the neck when the cup is attached so bubble friction should be minimized.

 

[reeftivo]

continued
the cup is a bit larger than I expected and with the slant it should allow a little extra volume. It is similar to the foam extractor design by tunze and channels/concentrates the foam up to the oval opening before spilling down the neck.

here's the little gear bag which contains the drain tube, ziplock, pump mount adapter and instructions. The instructions are very basic.

another cool thing I like is the set screws at the base of the reaction tube. You can see them in this pic. a couple quick twists of each and the body slips right off without having to remove the whole screw-Nice! One thing I found out (LOL) was to position the pump so that the holes for the screws on the body are at the sides of the pump. Otherwise the pump wont mount properly.

The pump is a sicce 2.0 motor block with the shark 1.5 branding. Its the custom volute and impeller assembly that make it a shark pump.

a note about the pump. The intake can only be attached with the airline nipple facing up or down (no side to side) because it is notched at the pump to fit tight and snug. I found this created a fairly significant bend in the air line when routing it up to the silencer. It did not crimp though so no issue there for me.

 

[reeftivo]

only nit picking I can really do so far is point out a couple things. 1)that the drain for the cup is slightly oversized for the tube that comes off of it so thats why they provided a zip tie in the gear bag.

2) would be the silencer will fill with water if you go higher than the flange (9.5in). A washer would solve that and allow you to run it a bit deeper. I would try an o-ring I have but I'm pretty sure the set screw wouldn't be long enough with it.

It looks purdy doesn't it?

I have had it running since yesterday morning and when I installed it I hooked up my Dwyer RMB meter up to it to see how accurate the air numbers would be and it was close. I had 12scfh (330lph) and the bubbles in this thing are as dense as some of my other skimmers which pulled in excess of 500lph. granted it's not pulling those numbers but the design doesn't seem to need all that air. I'm running it at 9 1/4 inches right now but that may change later. The skimmer runs almost silent. Even quieter than my old BK 160 mini and that was the most solinet skimmer I've owned.

here's a cruddy short video I made yesterday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJkqZDr9vM&nofeather=True

I'm sure I missed some things but I see a winner so far and will keep you all updated as to how it's progressing. It's my opinion that this skimmer would be good for systems 80 gal or less but that may change depending on how it responds after break in. If it pulls well then idles like some of the larger skimmers I've ran then it may handle bigger systems like the manufacturers specs indicate.

Happy Reefing

Tivo:thumbsup:

 

[TRENT_G]

Nice review. How big is the base? What size tank is this going on? Thanks

 

[reeftivo]

Nice review. How big is the base? What size tank is this going on? Thanks

you would need 6.5" x 9 " to be comfortable.

It's currently on a 39 DT with a 15 gallon sump, moderate bioload (mixed reef, 3 fish)

 

[reeftivo]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=235432&stc=1&d=1371561752
36 hours without vinegar bath prior to installation.

 

[wildman926]

Nice review and skimmer.

I have had 3 EM series skimmers, and they all have been very nice and well thought out.

I curious as to how the collection cup will work out. Having the slash cut removes a couple of inches of dwell time, IMHO. I would have preferred a standard cup and added an "umbrella" to the top to help empty the waste into the collection cup, similar to the Korallen Revolution skimmers. The curve at the very center of the lid helps the skim slide to the side. Here is what I am talking about -

 

[reeftivo]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=235432&stc=1&d=1371561752
36 hours without vinegar bath prior to installation.

oops! bad attachment. here's a pic. not bad for only a day and a half

 

[reeftivo]

Nice review and skimmer.

I have had 3 EM series skimmers, and they all have been very nice and well thought out.

I curious as to how the collection cup will work out. Having the slash cut removes a couple of inches of dwell time, IMHO. I would have preferred a standard cup and added an "umbrella" to the top to help empty the waste into the collection cup, similar to the Korallen Revolution skimmers. The curve at the very center of the lid helps the skim slide to the side. Here is what I am talking about -

i can understand any skepticism. The slanted cup transition is similar to the tunze foam extractor design and my 9410 rocked (just way too loud).

The cones on the bubble plate seem to calm things down quite a bit. So that, in addition to the smooth neck transition into the slanted cup, appear to press the foam (for lack of better word) into the collection cup. Seems to be breaking in nicely. I posted earlier that I had a moderate bio load on the system but I should have said light since I have moved many of my corals to a QT tank at a friends house in preparation for my awful house tenting in a couple weeks. It was postponed for a bit and I haven't moved the rest yet. There is still 3 fish, a boat load of shrooms, 2 decent size softies and assorted LPS in there now so Light bioload would seem a better description for now. IMO the skimmer is performing very well so far. we'll see after a week or so.

Happy Reefing

tivo

 

[wildman926]

continued
the cup is a bit larger than I expected and with the slant it should allow a little extra volume. It is similar to the foam extractor design by tunze and channels/concentrates the foam up to the oval opening before spilling down the neck.

oops! bad attachment. here's a pic. not bad for only a day and a half

I missed that the tube does go to the top, even though the side is slanted. Interesting. It looks like it is working very well with this design.

 

[reeftivo]

Thanks wildman (-:

it's chugging along. When I fed last night the foam head cr@pped out for 15 minutes then started pulling real fast. After that it was about 30 minutes before it settled back down to a slow roll. I wish I had taken a picture then but I'll get one tonight. That kind of indicates to me that this thing will keep up no problem, idle nicely, then pull hard when it needs to. But it's early still. I was thinking NO WAY this thing can handle 175 gallons like aquamaxx indicates but who knows-Maybe! I'm thinking a light stocked 120 though

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Do you think this skimmer is oversized for your tank? It's rated for much higher than your tank.

 

[reeftivo]

Do you think this skimmer is oversized for your tank? It's rated for much higher than your tank.

You would think so, but when I move everything back in I will be around moderate to heavy on stocking levels so I should be fine. The 175 rating is a max tank size rating lightly stocked. I'ved used my MF121 and Tunze 9410 on the same system and they constantly pulled skimmate. they are rated at 120 and 200+ max respectively.

My total system size is 54 gallons and net I have about 45 gallons of water.


If it sits idle for any significant amount of time I will say yes, it's oversized, but for now it's staying the course.

I'll keep updating

Tivo

 

[colortrilogy]

Thanks for the nice review. Considering this for my first skimmer.

 

[reeftivo]

Thanks for the nice review. Considering this for my first skimmer.

Thanks colortrilogy!

what size system?

I would wait a little bit until more reviews are in. I liking it so far, but like everything in this hobby, things can change quick! I think after a week or so I'll know how consistant this skimmer will perform.

Tivo

 

[James77]

Thank you for the great review.....that slanted skimmer neck was baffling me until your pics

 

[reeftivo]

Thank you for the great review.....that slanted skimmer neck was baffling me until your pics

Thank you Jim,

I truely appreciate the kind words!

I'm no Mojo but I'm trying my best to keep those interested informed.

I thought the same as you when I first saw pictures of this skimmer. I was thinking "What the heck is up with that cup-it will never work!"

Still early and my hopes are high for this skimmer. The price point is great for the build quality alone. If it skims great then I'd say it's a steal!

Happy Reefing

Tivo

 

[drew2007]

Thanks for the review and pics. I'm considering switching skimmers to this one. However it might be undersized for my system. I have about 90 gallons total. I will stocking toward the heavy side this summer. I may have to wait for the co-2 but the specs make it seems oversized for me.

 

[wildman926]

Thanks wildman (-:

it's chugging along. When I fed last night the foam head cr@pped out for 15 minutes then started pulling real fast. After that it was about 30 minutes before it settled back down to a slow roll. I wish I had taken a picture then but I'll get one tonight. That kind of indicates to me that this thing will keep up no problem, idle nicely, then pull hard when it needs to. But it's early still. I was thinking NO WAY this thing can handle 175 gallons like aquamaxx indicates but who knows-Maybe! I'm thinking a light stocked 120 though

What you described about your skimmer, is identical how my EM300 acts on my med-heavy stocked 150g LPS tank. I really think JNS/AquaMaxx has done their research on these latest skimmers. They are balanced, and don't need to pull a ton of air to do the job as efficient as they do. As I have said before, more air is not always better.

Excellent review. I am looking forward to more updates. :thumbsup:

 

[reeftivo]

Skimmer is bedding in nicley. I fed last night before lights out and just woke up to this. So far it seems like it will be a great Skimmer. It pulls slow and consistent on my light bio load but will skim hard when it needs to.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=235560&stc=1&d=1371648144