Ice Cap K2 Skimmers
- Thread starter DemonicReefer
- Start date
oranngetang
New member
I've had my 160 running for a little over a month now I believe. Skims about 5 mm of dark green from my 92g system daily, there are 0 to 0.25 ppm nitrates at any time in this tank. I don't use a fuge or other means of nitrate absorption beyond a minimal amount of GFO.
Epic skimmer for the price. I'm fairly well stocked too.
Epic skimmer for the price. I'm fairly well stocked too.
sleepydoc
Team RC
Mine came yesterday. Here's a pic of the PSK600 pump and the impeller. Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like a stock impeller. Replacements can be found for $40.
We'll see how the skimmer does. I wanted a quiet skimmer, and while this one is quieter than my old ReefOctopus, it's still fairly loud.
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oranngetang
New member
Loud to you or I may be different. I'd give it time to break in. The only audible sound of mine over water flowing through the sump, is the air intake whistle. Closing the cabinet door silences it.
The fan on my MH housings, and the water falling through the overflow are both significantly louder than this skimmer is, on my setup.
The fan on my MH housings, and the water falling through the overflow are both significantly louder than this skimmer is, on my setup.
sleepydoc
Team RC
I'll give it some time; I've only had it 2 days so far, so it's too early to draw many conclusions. So far I've run it in a bucket with some vinegar water for 24 hours and now have just put it in my sump.
It's definitely quieter (and smaller) than my last skimmer. I measured the sound with my iPhone and got about 50 db for the Icecap skimmer vs just under 60 for my old reef octopus. I can't guarantee how accurate the app measures levels and your ear hears different frequencies and different noises differently, so the comparison can only go so far, but the dB meter would indicate that the Icecap skimmer was about half as loud, which I would subjectively agree with. There's the hiss/rush from the silencer and a low hum from the pump. It's about as loud as my Waveline DC10000II pump, but I've heard people describe that as inaudible which it most definitely is not.
It's definitely quieter (and smaller) than my last skimmer. I measured the sound with my iPhone and got about 50 db for the Icecap skimmer vs just under 60 for my old reef octopus. I can't guarantee how accurate the app measures levels and your ear hears different frequencies and different noises differently, so the comparison can only go so far, but the dB meter would indicate that the Icecap skimmer was about half as loud, which I would subjectively agree with. There's the hiss/rush from the silencer and a low hum from the pump. It's about as loud as my Waveline DC10000II pump, but I've heard people describe that as inaudible which it most definitely is not.
I think since each series is a different pump you are going to get different noise profiles. I can say that the 120 continues to be near-silent, with only a slight hiss in the sump from the air intake. With sump doors closed (exposed rear), it's inaudible. It pulls out some ugly sludge, and I would buy it again if I didn't have one yet.
Potatohead
New member
Does the 120 use the Sicce 200 or 400?
sleepydoc
Team RC
From the link immediately above your post: "Recommended sump water height: 6-8" "
As long as you have it at a reasonable depth, the gate should take care of the adjustment. I'm still breaking in my 160 and have it at the recommended water height and still have the gate 80% closed, so I'd guess that you could have it deeper and have the gate more open. I haven't tried this, though.
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As long as you have it at a reasonable depth, the gate should take care of the adjustment. I'm still breaking in my 160 and have it at the recommended water height and still have the gate 80% closed, so I'd guess that you could have it deeper and have the gate more open. I haven't tried this, though.
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Mine is in just over 7" for waterline, skimming great.
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