ATB 840 vs Vertex Alpha 170

[flipteg]

i was wondering which one of these 2 skimmers would be better. the main things i'm worried about with the Vertex is the track record and support for the Red Dragon pumps. seems like quite a bit of people have the pump die just beyond warranty and parts being almost impossible to find. the Vertex also seems to have a large neck for its size. my system is only around 60 gallons water volume. the ATB also has a cheaper pump in case it needs to be replaced. my skimmer right now is using the Sicce Syncra pump that i really like.

the main reasons i'm looking at these skimmers is because of build quality (is the ATB build just as good as the Vertex Alpha?) and that the output is designed to be submerged under water. the system is in my bedroom and i'm very sensitive to noise. skimmers where the output is above the water line makes too much of a water trickling noise for me.

when i buy either of this 2, i don't really want to buy another skimmer for a while. i bought a SeaSide Aquatics/Bubble Magus about 2 months ago. although i'm very happy with the performance, the neck of the cup started getting cracks. cracks big enough that i can feel them with my finger nails. this cup has never been dropped and i do not know how it can develop cracks like that just sitting in the sump. i don't really want that to be happening again.

 

[solitude127]

I don't think you can go wrong with either. That said, I do have an ATB and the build quality is great.

 

[Tracey2]

I love my ATB840 and it is doing a great job on my 150g, I did replace the pump with a psk1000, the original pump had stop/start issues.

 

[flipteg]

thanks guys... i went ahead and did the BK 160. from what i read around, it seems like the neck on the Alpha 170 is much too big for it's body and the pump's air draw. so it came down to the BK 160 and ATB 840. i went with the BK because with the ATB's footprint, i will have to reconfigure my baffle and i don't really want to do that right now.

i know some people have said the BK's are over priced and i tend to agree. this is actually one reason why i went with the SeaSide 2 months ago. i know some people also say that other people buy the BK's, Alpha's and ATB just for the brand and bragging rights, but it seems like i really do have some specific needs out of a skimmer. i have literally considered EVERY single skimmer being sold by multiple online retailers. i even looked at brands i never heard of before and brands i never thought of owning such as Hydor and Aquamaxx. as much as i hate to pay for the Bubble King, and the stigma attached to the brand (given by people who were less than impressed by the performance for the price), it seems like it's the best skimmer for my needs and will still fit in my current sump without having the change the baffle.

 

[solitude127]

Did you every contact the vendor you bought the SSA skimmer from about the crack in the neck?

 

[flipteg]

i'm fixing to contact them about it. i don't doubt the quality of their customer service but that's not my point. maybe i got a one off from a bad batch of acrylic but i just see no reason why it should crack like that just sitting in the sump. regardless of if they're gonna replace it, my confidence is not there anymore that the same thing won't happen again a few months down the line.

 

[moondoggy4]

Nice choose for a skimmer One of Mojo's favorite sorry to hear about the CS 2, I hope you get this resolved.

 

[karsseboom]

Did you ever consider the sro2000? That's a pretty goo skimmer.

 

[flipteg]

i did considered that and the SRO 1000. i actually almost bought the 1000. only thing is, noise seems to be a toss up on the Bubble Blaster pumps. some people think it's noisy, while others say it's completely silent. i also didn't like that the output must stay above the waterline or else it will create back flow. my father has a 2008 model in-sump Octopus with the same design and the trickling noise on the exhaust will drive me insane when i'm trying to sleep if i had that on my tank. i had the external version of his skimmer which was not bad because i can actually control the flow through the skimmer. i have the feed pump low enough that the exhaust does not create trickling sounds in the tube.

my main criteria for the skimmer:
- known to be quiet - exhaust must be designed to be underwater. quiet pump and air suction.
- would fit in a 12"x9.5" space. i could do up to 15" but that would require me to re-baffle my sump.
- around a 3.5" diameter neck. anything bigger would seem to be oversized for my water volume.
- build quality for both acrylic/plastic pieces and the pump.

seems simple enough but apparently, that checklist eliminated most skimmers out right now. it made me realize that a lot of the good rated skimmers are designed for tanks that are 90 gallons and above. my last skimmer had all of those items checked except the build quality of the acrylic.

 

[karsseboom]

I have my skimmer outlet submerged and nothing changed from when it wasn't. You can buy the extra piece that extends the outlet and makes it sumerged. Overall good choice that is a badass skimmer and I want one but maybe ill try used.

 

[flipteg]

i got my skimmer today! it is much larger than it looks in the pictures. i almost got the 180 because i under estimated the size of the Bubble King skimmers. Jeremy at PA convinced me to go with the 160 for my 57 gallon tank. i'm glad i did because i would have needed to re-baffle my sump's skimmer compartment with the 180. i can look at dimensions and measurement specs all day but it's quite hard to get an idea of how large it really is until i actually see it. the term "Mini" is a bit of a misnomer here.

when i first turned it on, i was a bit disappointed with the noise. with all the hype and everyone saying the Red Dragon pumps are completely silent, i was expecting just that. when i first turned it on, the pump had a really loud hum to it. i could hear it loud and clear even though my cabinet doors are closed. usually, with the cabinet doors closed, the loudest part of my tank are the fans on the 2 Radion units. with the Bubble King skimmer on, even with the doors closed, i can't make out the Radion fans anymore. it's been a few hours now and the pump's noise has settled down quite a bit. i can still hear a hum from the cabinet but with the doors closed, the noise is just slightly louder than the Radion fans. the Sicce PSK600 on the CS1 is actually quieter but the water/air mixing and the sucking noise is louder on that skimmer. on the Bubble King, there is no sucking sound whatsoever.

Mini 160 beside the CS1. i thought the CS1 was big when i first got it! keep in mind that both of these skimmers are rated for around the same tank volume with the CS1 being rated slightly higher at 150 gallons vs the Mini 160 rated at 135 gallons. i'm gonna try to get a new cup for the CS1 and either keep the skimmer as backup, sell it, or give it to my father.

 

[solitude127]

I bet the skimmer will quiet down when it breaks in. But I think you made a good choice

 

[SoLiD]

The Vertex Alpha 170 would have Dwarfed both of those skimmers. Give us some updates on what you think about your Mini.

IMHO for a small reef tank there is nothing more efficient Vertex Alpha 170 coupled with a Vertex Vectra Self Cleaning Head.

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/protein-skimmers/self-cleaning-heads/vertex-vectra/vertex-vectra-self-cleaning-collection-cup-lid

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/protein-skimmers/internal-skimmers/vetex-internal-skimmers/royal-exclusiv-vertex-alpha-cone-vx-170-skimmer

 

[flipteg]

hahaha... :lol: a lot of skimmers would have dwarfed the Mini 160... i'm speaking from my perspective here since this is the biggest skimmer i have owned so far.

i did consider the 170 for quite a while, but went against it because i didn't think my ~60 gallon water volume is large enough for the 170's ~4" neck. i also didn't want to re-baffle my sump's skimmer compartment which i would have to do if i got the 170.

 

[Canadaguy]

I bet the skimmer will quiet down when it breaks in. But I think you made a good choice

I also think he made an excellent choice but couldn't go wrong picking any of the three- Alpha, ATB and the BK are all top notch skimmers

 

[SoLiD]

hahaha... :lol: a lot of skimmers would have dwarfed the Mini 160... i'm speaking from my perspective here since this is the biggest skimmer i have owned so far.

i did consider the 170 for quite a while, but went against it because i didn't think my ~60 gallon water volume is large enough for the 170's ~4" neck. i also didn't want to re-baffle my sump's skimmer compartment which i would have to do if i got the 170.

I feed heavy and have a high bio-load. Running a Vertex Alpha 170 coupled with the Vectra helps me to keep pristine water on my 40 Gallon breeder reef set up. I did have to get another custom acrylic sump built to fit my Vertex 170 in there though. The SWC Xtreme 160 was a much smaller foot print. That did kind of suck, but oh well, it's how things usually go in this hobby. Best of Luck to You.

 

[flipteg]

the skimmer is obviously still not broken in but i can already see that the foam it is producing is quite different from what i'm used to seeing from the other skimmers i have used. in a word, i want to describe the foam as "creamy". i didn't really expect much improvement on performance going to the Bubble King because i have always thought the skimmers i used in the past were good enough. yes, all of them could only produce wet foam but i attributed that to the skimmer being over sized for my tank since i have always bought skimmers that are "rated" for at least twice the size of my aquarium. it never really occurred to me that they were producing wet foam because that is all they can produce given my tanks' bioload. =/

 

[flipteg]

the Red Dragon pump has became much more quiet overnight. i can actually now hear the slight fizzing sound of the water within the chamber, where as last night, the loud hum of the pump filled the room. there is still a hum but overall the skimmer is very quiet now.