Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[swissgaurd]

here ya go shawn
http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/youbuilt/CS1-Cone-Skimmer-Kit

ive got the reactor, quality and customer service is fantastic
they will work with you

vic

 

[Aquarist007]

A one-pump (non-recirculating) system mixes air and water at a rate governed by the demand for air. A two-pump (recirculating) skimmer uses one pump for making bubbles and a second to feed the appropriate amount of water through the device for a 2 minute dwell (contact) time.

Most manufacturers will not tell you, or simply don't know what the through put is of their non-recirculating skimmers. In my opinion the value lies in controlling through put and bubble production rather than settling for what you get.

Still a little confused Shawn----
I have the MSX 250 which has two scicci pumps. To my knowledge they both have air intake and contribute to the amount of bubbles

 

[dahenley]

Still a little confused Shawn----
I have the MSX 250 which has two scicci pumps. To my knowledge they both have air intake and contribute to the amount of bubbles

standard skimmer with an "insump skimmer pump" has to suck water, push it up the skimmer cylinder as well as suck air and push it up the cylinder.

Recirculation skimmers have a "recirculation Pump" which because the intake and exhaust of the pump are plumbed to the cylinder, it allows the pump to only pull air and mix it with the water in the cylinder. because there is no head pressure pushing back on the pump and the air/water mixture, it allows for more air to be pumped in the cylinder. thus allowing more contact. a recirculation skimmer must use a feed pump or be plumbed to where it can be fed water to be skimmed.

if you look at skimmer manufacturers, 2 skimmers with the same body diameter and height, and using the same pump. (one in sump and the other recirculated) you will see a 50-100gal increase in rating. my personal thought is that the recirc pump has the ability to "recirculate the same amount of water 2-3 times with more air before it leaves the skimmer so it actually skimms and makes the water that much more clean before leaving the skimmer.

 

[clownnrnd]

I have used many of the mentioned skimmers and I would say you can't go wrong w/ H&S, Tunze master DOC (although not recirc.....I have heard they will be coming out w/ a recirc model in the future though) and the next one I would like to try is the new 2009 model deltecs.

I've used 4 of the H&S models and currently have a A150-f2001 and all of them have worked great. Built like a tank and air/water ratios are spot on IMO. With the air silencers they are very quiet.

The tunzes are typical tunze stuff.well done and very quiet. Some don't like that there is limited adjustment for skimmate but I have not had a problem.

I've owned a BK 300Int. and was disapointed w/ performance vs price and when it came time to warranty a broken needlewheel it was a absolute joke. I'll n4ever own another.

New Deltecs look very nice and from what I hear are a improvement on the old line of skimmers. The old line from what I hear performed very well. I just always went w/ H&S due to beefier materials and parts/pump replacement cost being cheeper.

Chad

 

[mr.wilson]

standard skimmer with an "insump skimmer pump" has to suck water, push it up the skimmer cylinder as well as suck air and push it up the cylinder.

Recirculation skimmers have a "recirculation Pump" which because the intake and exhaust of the pump are plumbed to the cylinder, it allows the pump to only pull air and mix it with the water in the cylinder. because there is no head pressure pushing back on the pump and the air/water mixture, it allows for more air to be pumped in the cylinder. thus allowing more contact. a recirculation skimmer must use a feed pump or be plumbed to where it can be fed water to be skimmed.

if you look at skimmer manufacturers, 2 skimmers with the same body diameter and height, and using the same pump. (one in sump and the other recirculated) you will see a 50-100gal increase in rating. my personal thought is that the recirc pump has the ability to "recirculate the same amount of water 2-3 times with more air before it leaves the skimmer so it actually skimms and makes the water that much more clean before leaving the skimmer.

What he said.

 

[bioload]

What he said.

+ Illustration...what goes in must come out

 

[dahenley]

PICTURES!!! :beer::beer::beer:

 

[mr.wilson]

+ Illustration...what goes in must come out

What he drew.

 

[mr.wilson]

you need to check out this LED light fixture, look at the PAR values!

48": average of 275, peak of 380
36": average of 350, peak of 450
24": average of 600, peak of 650

http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2010/09/orphek-pr-156-reef-aquarium-led-light-review.html

Sorry I missed that post. Someone PM'd me the link as well. Looks very promising. I have sent them an email. http://www.orphek.com/index.html

They don't have dimming, but they claim to run cool, no noisy fans, remote ballast to help with heat, slick design, deep PAR values, and 90˚ optics for good coverage in our 36" wide tank. If it's all true, I may be ready to switch to LED. The price is reasonable too :eek1:

 

[mr.wilson]

Upon reviewing many manufacturers skimmers, I have decided on the new Skimz line for the Mars protein skimmer, calcium reactor, and fluidized bed reactors.

Aqua-Digital will be stocking the full line and they will carry ALL replacement parts. Having a quick supply of replacement parts is a huge asset. Although I have only seen website photos, the build quality and design appears to be excellent. They come with a few professional endorsements from skimmer designers and dealers who have laid their hands on them. Everything is CNC machined and they offer all of the popular design forms... and yes the price is very reasonable. You could buy a spare with the money you save

http://www.skimz.sg/products/protein_skimmers/monzter_subpage/sm162.html
http://www.skimz.sg/products/fluidised/fm100.html
http://www.skimz.sg/products/calcium/cm120.html

 

[dave.m]

Mr.Wilson, it seems that though you have endorsed input from the community you also have your own resources for finding equipment. If it's not too personal or too involved, perhaps you could share with the community your method of finding equipment that no-one else has heard of before. Was it recommended to you by a friend or professional colleague? Do you have access to resources that non-professionals may not be aware of?

Please note that I'm not questioning your choice per sé, just wondering how you came about finding a source that seems a bit obscure.

Thx,

Dave.M

 

[mr.wilson]

Mr.Wilson, it seems that though you have endorsed input from the community you also have your own resources for finding equipment. If it's not too personal or too involved, perhaps you could share with the community your method of finding equipment that no-one else has heard of before. Was it recommended to you by a friend or professional colleague? Do you have access to resources that non-professionals may not be aware of?

Please note that I'm not questioning your choice per sé, just wondering how you came about finding a source that seems a bit obscure.

Thx,

Dave.M

Sure, I can see how the selection could seem out of the blue and our decisions on best practices will remain transparent and open to critique.

Even though Aqua-Digital is supplying the GHL Profilux controller for the tank, I had to find out about their new line of skimmers etc. through an RC member that has been posting in this thread. I got a pm with the company link. I heard that Warner Marine was going to carry these skimmers and it was a line that was going to really take off. I got a new product notice the following day from Aqua-Digital just as I was about to call in the order.

As it turns out there was some question as to who was going to distribute for North America and I'm not 100% sure if that has been resolved. I get new product emails regularly from Asian manufacturers but most of it is clearly junk. These ones are from Singapore where they have a better track record.

Before I got the tip about the Skimz line, I was ready to pace my order with Deltec. There are a few design factors hat I prefer with these and the price is about half as much. I will be happy to go over the pros and cons of them when they arrive. If there is anything quirky about them I will post here.

Here are some links I used to compare the build quality and design of the calcium reactor. My intension is to mod the Skimz reactor to be fluidized.

http://www.skimz.sg/products/calcium/cm120.html
http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/deltec-pf509-calcium-reactors

The skimmer model comparison was made withe these. The Deltec is an excellent piece of equipment and I was preparing to order the newer 1655 ext model which produces a little more air at 800 LPH compared to 780 LPH, and uses 12 W compared to 13 W with the Skimz unit. The Skimz model has a smoother cone-like transition for less bubble merging and premature popping. Skimz has a cone version but I find some cones to reduce the contact chamber area too much (both are good designs though).

http://www.skimz.sg/products/protein_skimmers/monzter_subpage/sm162.html
http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/apf800
or http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/deltec-tc-1655-external

The fluidized reactor comparison was similar. The Skimz has a cone at the bottom for more efficient deflection of water through the plenum plate. In general, the CNC plastics with on the Skimz products look better than the ABS moulded stuff that Deltec makes. Like I said, I like the Deltec line and it was my original choice. It was a close call, but Skimz won the comparison. The conversation is open if anyone has any comments on what I may have missed.

http://www.skimz.sg/products/fluidised/fm100.html
http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/fr509-fluidised-reactor

 

[dave.m]

Even though Aqua-Digital is supplying the GHL Profilux controller for the tank, I had to find out about their new line of skimmers etc. through an RC member that has been posting in this thread. I got a pm with the company link.

Aha! Insider trading! I knew it!

My intension is to mod the Skimz reactor to be fluidized.

Sorry, I don't understand this bit. The reactor is already fluidized. What is it you propose changing?

Thx,

Dave.M

 

[clownnrnd]

Upon reviewing many manufacturers skimmers, I have decided on the new Skimz line for the Mars protein skimmer, calcium reactor, and fluidized bed reactors.

Aqua-Digital will be stocking the full line and they will carry ALL replacement parts. Having a quick supply of replacement parts is a huge asset. Although I have only seen website photos, the build quality and design appears to be excellent. They come with a few professional endorsements from skimmer designers and dealers who have laid their hands on them. Everything is CNC machined and they offer all of the popular design forms... and yes the price is very reasonable. You could buy a spare with the money you save

http://www.skimz.sg/products/protein_skimmers/monzter_subpage/sm162.html
http://www.skimz.sg/products/fluidised/fm100.html
http://www.skimz.sg/products/calcium/cm120.html

Maybe I missed it but when do you expect to see this stuff? I am excited to see how this performs. Do you know what pump they are using? kind of looks like a sicce??? This product line looks like a real competitor if they get product support out of china and the skimmer is powered by a good pump. then if it is priced competitively.....well :bounce1:

Chad

 

[AQD_ottawa]

Skimz are shipping within the next week.

The pumps are Eden.

Product support is directly through distribution (based in Canada)

Any further questions, Shawn is well informed to answer

 

[Cougarman]

The decisions been made, but I carry the largest bioload of anyone i know. I've had success with a bucket recirculating skimmer. Mine happens to be from mrc. Works well for me. Just my two cents.

 

[mr.wilson]

Maybe I missed it but when do you expect to see this stuff? I am excited to see how this performs. Do you know what pump they are using? kind of looks like a sicce??? This product line looks like a real competitor if they get product support out of china and the skimmer is powered by a good pump. then if it is priced competitively.....well :bounce1:

Chad

The order will be arriving soon via air. As Michael stated, the pump on the model I ordered is from Eden in Italy and is well known for quality and availability. Some of the other models use Aqua-Bee pumps which are found on many high end skimmers including Deltec.

The manufacturer is in Singapore, not China. Singapore has a strong business model and amazing government support. The local distributor will be carrying a full set of spares so there is no slow boat from China or Germany to wait for. The pump is reliable and the fittings are from Georg Fischer whom I deal with locally as well. I don't expect the headaches I've had with Chinese equipment, but we will soon find out.

The retail price for the Skimz E Series SM 162 is $500.00. That's half of the cost of a Deltec so I could buy a spare, use the savings for the calcium reactor ($375), or two fluidized media reactors ($250 each). Cost wasn't the issue in my selection, as a matter of fact I would have made more money selling a Deltec (sorry, I don't mean to pick on Deltec, as it is a great product... okay BK ). When deciding on a best practice however, cost is a consideration.

I'm happy with my selection thus far, I will let you know if I feel it is a best practice. BTW, take a look at the commercial skimmers from Skimz. http://www.skimz.sg/products/commerical_skimmers/turbo.html

 

[mr.wilson]

Aha! Insider trading! I knew it!


Sorry, I don't understand this bit. The reactor is already fluidized. What is it you propose changing?

Thx,

Dave.M

You have no idea what kind of inside information I get through PMs. That's where the book material is coming from :thumbsup:

Yes, the fluidized media reactor (GAC, GFO etc.) is fluidized, but I was talking about making the calcium reactor fluidized. It may already be set up for that, but it doesn't state it anywhere that I read. It has a drilled plate plenum and perhaps a cone at the bottom for this purpose. I won't know if it is doable until I see it in person.

The reason for a fluidized calcium reactor are as follows...

The most common problems with properly set-up ca reactors is...

- small media has greater surface area and thus dissolves faster
- constant grinding will aid in dissolving the calcium media
- no channeling
- no clogging
- no caking/melting
- no biofilms (bacteria)
- no Co2 bubble accumulation/trapping
- compact design
- less Co2 required

The problem with conventional large media calcium reactors is...

- they can become mechanical filters
- they can solidify and cake, thus clogging the device
- channeling bypasses some or most of the media
- large media has less surface area, slower dissolution rate
- Co2 bubbles get trapped in the media

If you want to dissolve a solid in a liquid the first thing you so is start of with fine granules. The next thing you do is start stirring it. Why should a calcium reactor be any different than a cup of coffee

 

[clownnrnd]

I looked at the pics of the CaRx and they look as if they are recirculating. Looks like the pumps are located under the reactor like w/ the H&S models.
Should be exciting to see this stuff when it comes in though.

Chad

 

[dave.m]

This is great information and good to know. Thx!

But if a fluidized reactor is the best way to go for calcium, why not get another fluidized reactor and modify it to accept the CO2 feed, instead of modifying the calcium reactor? You'd already be half way there.

Also, the idea of a fluidized reactor sounds great, but why isn't it used for activated carbon? Is it that the particles for GAC are too small?

Thx again,

Dave.M