MTC marine technical concepts still open
- Thread starter Chicago
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Seem like it just a side business for them. I dunno you are not the first person to say this. Very poor way to run a business.
they been makimg skimmer for 20 years it seems. I have no idea why they a mention so much given how out date the skimmer tech is they use. They are one of the few that still makes these type of skimmer.
15-20 ago this type of skimmer is what everyone used. Then nw wheel skimmer came ago and the rest is history.
they been makimg skimmer for 20 years it seems. I have no idea why they a mention so much given how out date the skimmer tech is they use. They are one of the few that still makes these type of skimmer.
15-20 ago this type of skimmer is what everyone used. Then nw wheel skimmer came ago and the rest is history.
d2mini
Premium Member
And nothing good came of it other than lower power consumption and smaller skimmers.
Venturi skimmers are still the best! :dance:
And a lot better performance, better dc pumps and almost silent skimmer. Also require little to no adjustment. Much better deaign that are simple to take apart and clean. This is what happen when most of skimmers sold are nw. It get all the r&d money.
Venturi are best at the immeasurable. Anything measureable not so much.
d2mini
Premium Member
And a lot better performance, better dc pumps and almost silent skimmer. Also require little to no adjustment. Much better deaign that are simple to take apart and clean. This is what happen when most of skimmers sold are nw. It get all the r&d money.
Venturi are best at the immeasurable. Anything measureable not so much.
You are mistaken.
One single adjustment with my lifereef, set and forget, no maintenance other than draining the cup every few days, no proprietary pump... you can use anything at your lfs, and if you believe the performance is better with NW and cone skimmers, you just got duped by the marketing hype. My LR is also just as easy to take apart and clean and NOTHING makes it go ape. Ever. As long as the water level is consistent (it will run in a wide range of water levels no problem) it doesn't matter what I feed or dose.
Smaller foot print and lower power consumption are the ONLY benefits.
I've had a range of different skimmers over the years and a well designed venturi tops them all for performance, consistency and ease of use.
There has not been any new "technology" to improve skimming... just sales. The only way for competing companies to boost sales to come up with some new design. The basic principals remain the same. Your R&D is all a bunch of b.s.
jason2459
Well-known member
A bubble is a bubble. What ever is able to make nice small bubbles with out popping to soon is just as effective as the next. Overall, none of them are very efficient mechanical filters. Venturi skimmers can be just as or more or less efficient then a NW. Same can be said for Becket, Stone, Down draft, Spray injection, etc.
And a lot better performance, better dc pumps and almost silent skimmer. Also require little to no adjustment. Much better deaign that are simple to take apart and clean. This is what happen when most of skimmers sold are nw. It get all the r&d money.
Venturi are best at the immeasurable. Anything measureable not so much.
Hard to follow your posts with all the typos and grammatical errors .... though enough to believe that you really don't know skimmers ... or just fall for the marketing hype.
MTC have been making skimmers for a lot longer than 20 years, and as a user of their products for almost 30 years, I'd stack their stuff up against any of the extruded junk that most people buy.
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I'd suggest perseverance. Spoke with Jeff a couple of weeks ago and I know he's had some health issues. Early afternoon seems to be the best time to reach him. I'd asked him to make me something and he said he had to get to some back orders first.
There are newer designs where water level doesnt matter. Like the type of skimmer i use. Recirculating NW designs can run in any water level or none at all. Changes in water level do not effect the skimmer performance.
Also only few model have a pump that must be use. These are a space saver type model with the pump built in. You can use many different type of NW wheels pump. In fact i plan to upgrade my pump to new DC nw pump. Better performance at almost half the power usage.
Thats your opinion, not a fact. There is a reason most people use one type of skimmer. I never said one performs better than the other. They all work but NW have many advantages over older tech. It why most people use these types of skimmers and are very happy with the results. I dont think it even debatable that nw skimmer produce great results.
Think it silly to say it just marketing BS. When you go to lifereef site is nothing but marketing talk and how NW skimmer are just terrible. It very funny. how they got it right 25 years ago and nothing has changed. Who fell for marketing again? :lolspin:
NW skimmer have advance greatly in the last 15 years. To say over wise is just silly.
Clearly all these skimmer technology works. Some just do it without massive pumps and size. Like i said i used these skimmer back in the day. the funny thing is the pump i used back then uses more power than my whole tank does without a heater on today.
Yeah it just about making bubbles.
Yep mr skimmer expert. that been using the same skimmer for 30 years. And of course is on first name basic with the owner of the company. Yep everything else is just "junk."
Yeah just marketing hype again.... Strange trend im seeing here..... :lolspin: No shills at all.
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oseymour
Euphyllia Addict
I don't know much about needle wheel vs venturi skimmers I just use what's recommended and what I like. I've only been in the hobby a few years.
But whenever anyone says something so definitive where they downplay or dismiss new technology in any industry, they are almost always wrong.
So you are basically saying a 20 year old design is definitively better than anything new released since? I find that hard to believe...
biecacka
Active member
I think that new technology is a lot of hype. It's a competitive market. But they work. I don't deny that! I also think old technology works just as well. Research has proven that a skimmer of both types only removes about 30% DOC's. So they all do the job. Some are just way less finicky than others. Venturi and becket skimmers perform solid and anyone who thinks otherwise has probably never used one. Yes they are old...but look at a lot of the bigger systems on this site or others that have longevity, quite a bit of them use "older technology" because there is no doubt it works.
Corey
Corey
Chicago
New member
Just my two cents on a comment about being on a first name basis with an owner of a company. I can tell you I recall the man's name Jeff because he is very courteous, answered all my questions and when I bought this piece of equipment it was packaged well and he followed up with a call to me asking how the unit was working. I have since bought one of his calcium reactor's and Jeff and I spent many many phone calls with me going over Ways to set it up ..dial it in ..the best way to operate ...so of course I too would remember his name. The reason I asked if anybody had heard from Jeff lately is because it's unusual for him not to get back to me. He went over my order with me to modify my skimmer. He is the type of owner that will literally talk to you and go over his designs. Because , at least my impression is, he like building his products..In fact when I purchased the calcium reactor he did a modification of the design in order to have a pH probe installed. I've used his skimmer for over 10 years and skims like crazy. Yes it is a Beckett design. It is quality construction . just my two cents I'm sure there are other units out there that are just as nice.
English is a wonderfully nuanced language with all sorts of words to convey meaning. You may have noted my use of the word 'productS' ... note the 'S' (I've capitalized it for you). So, I've actually used three of their skimmers, not one.
That I am on a first name basis (not basic) is simply a function of the small-business/sole-proprietorship nature of this hobby. I'd have thought that self-evident.
Do you even know what the word 'shill' means? I simply noted that I'd 'stack their stuff up against any of the extruded junk that most people buy'. Doesn't seem like shilling to me. Perhaps overly hyperbolic, as many of the extruded skimmers are actually quite serviceable (having used some myself) and not always 'junk'.
My current MTC skimmer (there I go again, shilly me) was modified from its original design to incorporate a taller tower for exactly that reason: longer contact time. 1,000 words .....
yeah talk down to people who first language isnt english. that the best you got? LOL This is an international sites with many member who dont speak perfect English.
Dont talk about any points in the thread but just come defend the products. Anyone can just look at these dated skimmer design and see for themselves. LOL Need to talk to your buddy about adding a quick disconnect skimmer cup as standard. Its 2016 and one no wants to have screws to take off just to clean to skimmer cup. But everything else is junk, too funny.
See why the skimmer neck so dirty. Pain to remove all those screws to clean it. LOL 2016!!!My current MTC skimmer (there I go again, shilly me) was modified from its original design to incorporate a taller tower for exactly that reason: longer contact time. 1,000 words .....
Chicago
New member
A dirty skimmer neck means it's doing the job. My lid takes about teenty seconds to remove. .. my tank volume is 900 gallons so I needed seething that put through a lot of water. Every type of skimmer will have pros and cons.
Usc., resoecfully I do not think anyone was attacking you or your native first native language not being English.
Usc., resoecfully I do not think anyone was attacking you or your native first native language not being English.
d2mini
Premium Member
I thought the goofy smiley would have conveyed a little bit of playfulness in my comment, but I suppose I should have said they have worked best for me based on what I want in a skimmer. If by "performance" you mean it removes more DOCs, then no, neither type of skimmer is better. That's my point. All these "technological advances" have not produced a better skimmer. It's been my experience that a solid venturi design skims just as well but with much less hassle and more consistency. I don't go sticking my fingers in the cup in hopes of making a skim mate sandwich. I just like seeing a full cup every few days, every week, every month, every year... with no input from me. Like an old Timex, it just works. I don't have experience with Beckett's so I can't comment on those.
But you probably will have to order a new pump. If I wake up to a dead skimmer pump, I prefer being able to just run out to my LFS and grab something. People are running DC pumps now too so less power consumption and still easy to get local.
Which are? Besides the compactness and less power draw I already mentioned.
He is a little over zealous and very proud of his products but if you read the testimonials, you can't really fault him for it. His skimmers don't stay in stock for long. And his custom orders can have up to a 6 month backlog. There is good reason for this.
Maybe they have, I should hope so. And I never said otherwise. Just said they didn't skim better than older styles.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
very happy with my NW skimmer performance, didn't realize it was "extruded junk that most people buy". maybe i should run out and buy something new from MTC!!!:worried2:
http://[URL=http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CHSUB/media/photoskimmer_zpse6db89b5.jpg.html]
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d2mini
Premium Member
I wouldn't call that junk either. I don't think that's what ca1ore was referring to.
I had a very similar Vertex Alpha 250 and could never get it dialed in right. Very nicely built. I just found it over priced for how it performed and over complicated. The LR skimmer I went with was half the price and worked so much better for me.
