Best recirc skimmer!!!!

[Greg manton]

now that i have you tech guys here, do external recirc skimmers ever overflow and what do you do when they do?. i have used severa in sump skimmers and set them to run wet just to come home to a sump full of skimmage and a collection cup full of water. if they are external they could empty whole sump onto floor. couldn't they? the reason i ask is because i fear buying my new skimmer ive bought 3 and none good. now my short list is Er 135 rs, Das ex1 This is hwere the fear comes in and ati bm160. oh 90 gal barebottom heavily stocked a few corals but wont by more untill new skimmer.

 

[sjm817]

Of what you listed, only the DAS is external recirc. Many externals can be run in sump to prevent an overflow problem. You should not be having that type of issue with an in sump either. Do you have a constant water level in your sump with a baffle and/or auto topoff?

 

[Greg manton]

yes i have a constant sump level i have a coralife ss 220 it just seems to do this or i can set it wet and the next day the foam will not clear the riser. it slimmes well but takes daily adjustments which drives me mad. oh nad by the way no additives, its not when i feed, its venturi is clear and checked regularly. it will stop skimming if hands in tank but i consider this normal. I JUST WANT SKIMMER I DONT WATCH MORE THAN MY TANK

 

[sjm817]

Yeah, the CSS are well known for that type of problem.

 

[USC-fan]

I think the DAS ex-1 is only one that is plug and play. Since its the only recir skimmer on your list.

The only time i mess with my das ex-2 is when i clean the collection cup every couple of days!

 

[Greg manton]

so the Das and er are my two big contenders but the DAS scares me being a Knockoff, i know the er will work well but will the Das out perform a rs135

 

[sjm817]

FYI, the RS135 is an in sump skimmer. The RC135 is an external/recirc.

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10927749#post10927749 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Greg manton
so the Das and er are my two big contenders but the DAS scares me being a Knockoff, i know the er will work well but will the Das out perform a rs135

Yes it will. DAS brought its skimmer design before deltec sold skimmer in USA. This why the deltec APF-600 is almost the exact same skimmer design as the DAS ex-1.

The ER skimmer that compares better to the das ex-1 is between the RC80-RC135.

 

[Greg manton]

I know thats whet scares me about the EX1 bu i have room for either. or is there a better skimmer u can sugest i am willing to spend about $600.00

 

[sjm817]

I think the EX-1 would work fine in that size system. My only reservation is the smallish collection cup. The EX-1 has the smaller cup like an AP600.

 

[USC-fan]

Not better in term of performance. The H&S A150-F2001 will give the equal performance of the DAS ex-1 but it cost a little more than you want to spend at $650.

Also if you like ER you could get the Euro-Reef RC135 which cost under $700.

 

[Greg manton]

USC fan do you have any pix of your reef. it is a 90 may just help sway me that way. and y said the ex1 could go in my sump,Do you mean the pump is submersable. You Guys Are Soo Much help.

 

[USC-fan]

I can post pics some later if you like...

I'm running the DAS ex-2 on my 90gal and its runs in the sump.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

we have a local company here in kc "aquatic systems design"
that makes amazing recir. skimmers of all sizes. we have 6 running on reefs in a LFS i work at and they are they best skimmers i have worked with/seen yet!!

 

[CruzinKim]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10927749#post10927749 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Greg manton
so the Das and er are my two big contenders but the DAS scares me being a Knockoff, i know the er will work well but will the Das out perform a rs135

DAS a knockoff? What scares me more is the poor shipping history unless you buy from Orca as they seem to always arrive broken. Then no customer service support for the company that distributes them, so no customer service scares would scare me more than them possibly being a knockoff.

BTW, both the RS135 and the BM160 are non-recirculating skimmers. I boiled down my decision to either H&S A150 or ATi Bm160 for my 90g mixed reef. Still researching them unless something knocks them off the list. We have a lot of local people to me who swears by both companies, this might help:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1219382

 

[Reef Sponger]

RS135 and BM160 are not recirculating skimmers.

edit - but both would be good choices. i have the BM160 on my 75g and the pump is a stronger performer and quieter than the pump on the RS135, but there's $100 difference in price as well.

 

[CruzinKim]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10927845#post10927845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USC-fan
Not better in term of performance. The H&S A150-F2001 will give the equal performance of the DAS ex-1 but it cost a little more than you want to spend at $650.

I've seen this claim several times, have you run these 2 skimmers side by side or has someone run these 2 skimmers side by side? I have seen so many members claims this performs as well as that, but it based on just the pump that the different companies are using or certain manufacturer specs. I know that just because 2 skimmers use the same pump, they don't necessary perform the same because the needlewheel impellers are completely different, skimmer body size and height is different, inside riser diameter and height might be different, exhaust size might be different and location of the recirculating pump attached to the body is different. I would love to see someone who tested these 2 side by side for a comparative results as the A150 is one of the skimmers I'm considering.

But again, like I mentioned in my other post, no customer service and poor shipping history would scare the heck for me.

 

[sjm817]

I've kind of wondered the same. If you look at the Deltec AP600 and APF600, when Deltec uses the larger 2000/1 pump, they use a taller (and wider?) neck and cup to handle the extra air. From what I can tell, the EX-1 is an "AP600 with an APF600 pump". I would think the EX-1 would be a "wet skimmer" with that setup. Still, for the price, its a great deal.

Of the Deltec, H&S, and EX-1, I like the H&S for the larger 6" x 26" body vs the smaller 5" bodies of the other two,

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10928337#post10928337 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CruzinKim
I've seen this claim several times, have you run these 2 skimmers side by side or has someone run these 2 skimmers side by side? I have seen so many members claims this performs as well as that, but it based on just the pump that the different companies are using or certain manufacturer specs. I know that just because 2 skimmers use the same pump, they don't necessary perform the same because the needlewheel impellers are completely different, skimmer body size and height is different, inside riser diameter and height might be different, exhaust size might be different and location of the recirculating pump attached to the body is different. I would love to see someone who tested these 2 side by side for a comparative results as the A150 is one of the skimmers I'm considering.

But again, like I mentioned in my other post, no customer service and poor shipping history would scare the heck for me.

I corrected you many times about the shipping but i guess you have VERY selective reading.....

For the last time it is OCRA who had the shipping problem not petorama....

If you like to start another thread about comparing skimmer design please do but don't and try to derail this thread.....If you would do a simple search you will find this topic has been beat to death here.

 

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10928408#post10928408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USC-fan
I corrected you many times about the shipping but i guess you have VERY selective reading.....

For the last time it is OCRA who had the shipping problem not petorama....

If you like to start another thread about comparing skimmer design please do but don't and try to derail this thread.....If you would do a simple search you will find this topic has been beat to death here.

I have done the same, written the same information but Cruzinkim loves to ignore things. It was a recent Orca shipped skimmer that was packaged with the pump attached and arrived damaged. My EX-2 was shipped from DAS (Pet O Rama) with pumps unnattached and in formed foam packing designed just for the skimmer and pumps. It was packaged extremely well and UPS would have had to done a lot of dropping and kicking to damage that skimmer. I dont know how they handle actual warranty or repair issues but their shipping is not the problem that Cruzinkim is making it out to be, in fact it's the complete opposite from my experience. And saying that there is no customer service is another incorrect statement. I personally received timely replies to my email and was comp'd overnight shipping by DAS because my skimmer went out on the Tuesday instead of Monday. I ordered it on Sunday and had it on Wednesday. A far cry from how it is being misrepresented by Cruzinkim.

Nobody is claiming these to be the best skimmers in the world. However, some of us do have experience with skimmers beyond just owning a DAS skimmer. These are a relative fantastic value and an excellent skimmer. Packing was excellent, shipping was incredibly fast and my email questions were answered in a timely and courteous manner. I have nothing that I could complain about if I tried except for the fact that there is no paperwork which could be a problem for a newbie who doesnt know about turing to RC or other forums for help.