Bubble King Skimmer Users. Post your pictures and skimmer setup here!

After 20+ years in reefing, owning just about every skimmer out there (ATB, H&S, Euroreef, Vertex etc.) I finally ordered a BK Mini 180!! I just hope my tank comes soon!!

 
Hi guys
Im looking at Purchasing Either a BK Supermarin200 or a BK DC 200 for a 225g SPS dominated tank with a med bio load (15 fish) so far. Tank is still in design stage Just looking for Opinions from the people that have them. Heard they are conservtive with the ratings of these Skimmers

Cheers

Rob



I have a SM200 RD3 running in my 93gal SPS tank with 15 fish and two large anemones. I was told it would not work well, but in fact, it is.



Delivered with an iPhone via Tapatalk
 
I have a SM200 RD3 running in my 93gal SPS tank with 15 fish and two large anemones. I was told it would not work well, but in fact, it is.



Delivered with an iPhone via Tapatalk

It will work. we simply don't recommend it because a properly sized Bubble King will always perform better than an over sized one. An over sized skimmer isn't as consistent as a properly sized one unless you have a silly amount of dissolved organics. What ends up happening is that the amount of dissolved organics in the system will rise and fall as the skimmer will only really produce when there are enough DOC's in the water for the skimmer to be able to fill the neck completely with foam. Once the DOC's are reduce, the skimmer will slow down for a couple days or more during which time the DOC's in the water will build back up. Instead of maintaining consistently low levels of DOC's in the system, they will rise and fall and rise and fall. If you run the skimmer really wet, this can help because the water level in the skimmer is higher in the neck which reduces the amount of volume in the neck and thus reduces the skimmers need for as much foam to fill the neck. The whole principle of foam fractioning in a skimmer is based on the proteins/dissolved organics/DOC's being present so that the bubbles can stick together and become foam. In the absence of DOC's, you get bubbles that burst at the surface. If the skimmer is properly sized, it will always be working consistently hard and it will keep the nutrients consistently lower in the tank.In time, you might see what I am talking about if you find yourself wanting to or needed to make regular adjustments because it isn't producing skimmate like you feel it should be.
 
I love my 180 mini. For those of you running them, where can I buy a self cleaning head??

You can get one here. If you click on the description, there is a video in there showing it's construction and how it works. It's made in Germany and designed for that skimmer. The lid is PVC just like the one on your skimmer. You will not find a better self cleaning head anywhere. They have a dual wiper system that wipes the neck, lid and lid ring and use a high speed gear driven motor. They also draw water up from inside the skimmer body and squirt it on the inside of the neck and lid for a wet scrubbing. The underside of the lid where the wiper attaches is Cone shaped and actually improves skimmer performance by pushing the foam outwards towards the top edge of the neck.
I run mine once a day for 15 seconds and my neck is always clean.
 
You can get one here. If you click on the description, there is a video in there showing it's construction and how it works. It's made in Germany and designed for that skimmer. The lid is PVC just like the one on your skimmer. You will not find a better self cleaning head anywhere. They have a dual wiper system that wipes the neck, lid and lid ring and use a high speed gear driven motor. They also draw water up from inside the skimmer body and squirt it on the inside of the neck and lid for a wet scrubbing. The underside of the lid where the wiper attaches is Cone shaped and actually improves skimmer performance by pushing the foam outwards towards the top edge of the neck.
I run mine once a day for 15 seconds and my neck is always clean.

Thank you!!!
 
Hey Scott, It is the standard pump. Sorry I did not answer sooner. Best skimmer I have ever used . I have a lot of fish and a large eel.
 
Lastly, should you decide to use ozone, be sure to use lignite carbon. That is the most effective carbon for removing residual ozone.

Scott,

I've trying to understand why lignite carbon is the most effective carbon for removing residual ozone. BRS says that their lignite carbon is soft and dusty, which I want to avoid. What's the science that makes lignite the most effective and are we splitting hairs here or is there a mountain of difference? I'm considering the BRS ROX for use in the air reactor that burns off residual ozone before releasing it back.

Also, does carbon ever have to be replaced when used in an ozone reactor? I would think not but if anyone would know, that would be you.

Thanks!
Chris
 
Scott,

I've trying to understand why lignite carbon is the most effective carbon for removing residual ozone. BRS says that their lignite carbon is soft and dusty, which I want to avoid. What's the science that makes lignite the most effective and are we splitting hairs here or is there a mountain of difference? I'm considering the BRS ROX for use in the air reactor that burns off residual ozone before releasing it back.

Also, does carbon ever have to be replaced when used in an ozone reactor? I would think not but if anyone would know, that would be you.

Thanks!
Chris

I’ve used ozone on and off for over 20 years. There was an article I read many years back that discussed it but one of the reasons is that Lignite carbon is more porous and has a greater surface area as a result. This is why BRS indicated that is softer. It’s porous nature makes it that way. The greater surface area and porous nature of lignite make it very efficient at removing excess O3. It’s also lower in phosphates than other carbons. There were other reasons as well but I honestly don’t remember that. I always rinse my carbon and when I ran my ozone reactor, that was no exception. You don’t run high flow through the ozone reactor so carbon dust should never be an issue. Lignite carbon is also inexpensive and since you use a pretty fair amount of it in the reactor, that is a good thing. And yes, I changed my ozone reactor carbon about once a month. Since ozone oxidizes organics, the carbon catches some of that and I would venture to guess that the ozone also has an impact on the effectiveness of the carbon over time.
 
I've used ozone on and off for over 20 years. There was an article I read many years back that discussed it but one of the reasons is that Lignite carbon is more porous and has a greater surface area as a result. This is why BRS indicated that is softer. It's porous nature makes it that way. The greater surface area and porous nature of lignite make it very efficient at removing excess O3. It's also lower in phosphates than other carbons. There were other reasons as well but I honestly don't remember that. I always rinse my carbon and when I ran my ozone reactor, that was no exception. You don't run high flow through the ozone reactor so carbon dust should never be an issue. Lignite carbon is also inexpensive and since you use a pretty fair amount of it in the reactor, that is a good thing. And yes, I changed my ozone reactor carbon about once a month. Since ozone oxidizes organics, the carbon catches some of that and I would venture to guess that the ozone also has an impact on the effectiveness of the carbon over time.

Makes sense. I went ahead and ordered a full gallon of Lignite carbon this evening from BRS. Thanks for the background info Scott. I appreciate it.
 
This is my Frankenskimmer!

After my 150g tank crash last year, my bioload was dramatically reduced and my DC 200 became inconsistent. Back when I started the hobby, I bought an RE Alpha 170....WITHOUT the Red Dragon pump! Big mistake! That skimmer never faired too well without its designed pump, so I put the body in storage for years. Until a few weeks ago when I asked Scott if he thought the RD3 from my DC 200 would work on the 170 body....he said yes and to my surprise it has! There is still some fine tuning to do, but the skimmate is a lot more consistent due to the smaller neck size. I was amazed by the versatility of the RD3 as it's used on the DC 180 to the 250 and now on my Alpha 170 and it works! It made it super easy to adjust the foam head with the slight voltage increments. And here it is....

95Ca35s.jpg


ROIW1Hd.jpg
 
Looks good but I think you can lower the level in the skimmer a bit as you are skimming pretty wet. I'd likely drop the pump speed a couple watts or at the very least, open the wedge pipe a bit.

Redid the setup. Made a stand for the skimmer, it now sits in 8-1/2" of water.
Pipe is wide open pump speed is 32.
 
Redid the setup. Made a stand for the skimmer, it now sits in 8-1/2" of water.
Pipe is wide open pump speed is 32.

Once it settles back in you will likely need to close the wedge pipe some. I would aim to have the line where bubbles turn to foam at the white collar where the cup attaches to the body. That would be your driest skim setting. If the foam is rising up the neck really fast, you could go lower or just lower the pump speed a little bit. You obviosly will want to play with the level and speed until you get it where you like it. Every tank and load is different and there is a lot of flexibility in tuning between setting the level and speed.
 
This is my Frankenskimmer!

After my 150g tank crash last year, my bioload was dramatically reduced and my DC 200 became inconsistent. Back when I started the hobby, I bought an RE Alpha 170....WITHOUT the Red Dragon pump! Big mistake! That skimmer never faired too well without its designed pump, so I put the body in storage for years. Until a few weeks ago when I asked Scott if he thought the RD3 from my DC 200 would work on the 170 body....he said yes and to my surprise it has! There is still some fine tuning to do, but the skimmate is a lot more consistent due to the smaller neck size. I was amazed by the versatility of the RD3 as it's used on the DC 180 to the 250 and now on my Alpha 170 and it works! It made it super easy to adjust the foam head with the slight voltage increments. And here it is....

95Ca35s.jpg


ROIW1Hd.jpg

That pump will kick some serious butt on that skimmer. Looking forward to hearing your long term feedback on it.
 
Once it settles back in you will likely need to close the wedge pipe some. I would aim to have the line where bubbles turn to foam at the white collar where the cup attaches to the body. That would be your driest skim setting. If the foam is rising up the neck really fast, you could go lower or just lower the pump speed a little bit. You obviosly will want to play with the level and speed until you get it where you like it. Every tank and load is different and there is a lot of flexibility in tuning between setting the level and speed.

Okay Thanks...........will keep you posted.

On another note, my bio load is light. I have Three (3) Tangs about 5"-6" each and a small Butterfly.
 
Okay Thanks...........will keep you posted.

On another note, my bio load is light. I have Three (3) Tangs about 5"-6" each and a small Butterfly.

That definiately is a very light load for that skimmer. You will end up having to run it a bit wet to keep it consistent.
 
Back
Top