Not so Happy w/my Bubble King 2nd Gen. 200

[dvsn]

It was time to replace my 10 yr old EuroReef skimmer and Sedra pump. I chose to go with the Bubble King. The BK is made to the highest standards and the Red Dragon pump is so quiet I have to visually see it to be sure I've plugged it in. However it doesn't matter if your fossett is plated with gold, if no water comes out its not able or capable to do its job.

The Bubble King works fine until feeding time. Once food is introduce the skimmer COMPLETELY STOPS (not so with my EuroReef).

Now I thaw my PE Mysis in warm water and then pour it into a strainer, then rinse in strainer to clean (I already know what you're thinking, different topic). Once food is introduce (really cleaned) in the tank the Bubble King STOP COMPLETELY making any bubbles, no foam whatsoever. The Bubble King takes 5 to 6 hrs. to recover (I'm being generous) before it even begins to foam. So let's say we have a 10:00 am feeding and a 4:00 pm feeding the Bubble King is shut down for OVER 12 hrs! before it begin to make any skimmate. It's not just PE-M but other foods as well and it's not limited to food. If I add RODI top-off the Bubble King stops making foam for many hours!

Now this is not a pipe adjustment issue. When the BK is running full blast you adjust the pipe, if you change that adjustment when it's crippled, when it recovers it will overflow the cup and be a blowout (don't ask anyone else, I already know).

So in a 24 hr. period I'm able to actually skim for 7~8 hrs maybe if I'm lucky (just kidding, it's not even that long).
I need a full time skimmer but I've ended up with a part time gold plated finicky wannabe.
Just telling the truth about it.

dave

 

[Essencereef]

It was time to replace my 10 yr old EuroReef skimmer and Sedra pump. I chose to go with the Bubble King. The BK is made to the highest standards and the Red Dragon pump is so quiet I have to visually see it to be sure I've plugged it in. However it doesn't matter if your fossett is plated with gold, if no water comes out its not able or capable to do its job.

The Bubble King works fine until feeding time. Once food is introduce the skimmer COMPLETELY STOPS (not so with my EuroReef).

Now I thaw my PE Mysis in warm water and then pour it into a strainer, then rinse in strainer to clean (I already know what you're thinking, different topic). Once food is introduce (really cleaned) in the tank the Bubble King STOP COMPLETELY making any bubbles, no foam whatsoever. The Bubble King takes 5 to 6 hrs. to recover (I'm being generous) before it even begins to foam. So let's say we have a 10:00 am feeding and a 4:00 pm feeding the Bubble King is shut down for OVER 12 hrs! before it begin to make any skimmate. It's not just PE-M but other foods as well and it's not limited to food. If I add RODI top-off the Bubble King stops making foam for many hours!

Now this is not a pipe adjustment issue. When the BK is running full blast you adjust the pipe, if you change that adjustment when it's crippled, when it recovers it will overflow the cup and be a blowout (don't ask anyone else, I already know).

So in a 24 hr. period I'm able to actually skim for 7~8 hrs maybe if I'm lucky (just kidding, it's not even that long).
I need a full time skimmer but I've ended up with a part time gold plated finicky wannabe.
Just telling the truth about it.

dave

Funny... when shopping for skimmer, every retailer told me to stay away from Bubble King. It looked soooo good, but they kept saying I would feel sorry, pump is very pricey, support is non existent, results are not that stellar. So by recommendation, I went with Super Reef Octopus - Good choice 3x cheaper and excellent performance.

As far as feeding, most skimmers will stop skimming after food is introduced, and then will restart in about 10-20 minutes after feeding. There's one tiny exception - CyclopEeze, they will take out the skimmer for hours with no skimmate production.

I would be hesitant to blame the skimmer for these sort of troubles though... check out the other possibilities (make sure pump is clean, make sure you give the skimmer 2 weeks to break in, figure out what foods make the skimmer stop etc.)

 

[mojo~]

the more they break in the faster they recover.

 

[RoachF4]

Ive had my Bk mini for 7 months now. Had the same issue....thought that I had made a big mistake, but as mojo said now that its been up & running for some time the recovery period is more like an hour at most. Hang in there.

 

[moondoggy4]

Welcome to Reef Central. Sorry to hear about your troubles with this skimmer. One thing that you did not mention is what size is your tank?

 

[BFG]

The sm250 that I have been using perform great at the moment, producing thick muddy stuff if I choose to skim dry. You wouldn't want to smell that, trust me. For me, I have accepted the way the skimmer works, it might be sensitive but the waste output is outrageous. I am using this for my 120g dt and the water have to go through 2 filter wool before it reaches my skimmer.

Their return pump however is another story. I'm avoiding them after having using one. Mine still looks brand new but is unusable. A very expensive paper weight.

 

[dvsn]

Welcome to Reef Central. Sorry to hear about your troubles with this skimmer. One thing that you did not mention is what size is your tank?

My most recent tank incarnation is a 150g. 60"x36"x16" with about 60g total between two separate sump/refugiums.
Clean the Bubble King this morning and hasn't skimmed anything over the throat of the cup yet, 12hrs or so. But it will ramp up over night with about an inch of skimmate in the cup. True, I've been running it about 2 weeks now. Strange to have a break-in period so we'll see what happens. Apart from the break-in thing, the skimmer is made really well.
dave

 

[karsseboom]

Funny... when shopping for skimmer, every retailer told me to stay away from Bubble King. It looked soooo good, but they kept saying I would feel sorry, pump is very pricey, support is non existent, results are not that stellar. So by recommendation, I went with Super Reef Octopus - Good choice 3x cheaper and excellent performance.

As far as feeding, most skimmers will stop skimming after food is introduced, and then will restart in about 10-20 minutes after feeding. There's one tiny exception - CyclopEeze, they will take out the skimmer for hours with no skimmate production.

I would be hesitant to blame the skimmer for these sort of troubles though... check out the other possibilities (make sure pump is clean, make sure you give the skimmer 2 weeks to break in, figure out what foods make the skimmer stop etc.)

The bubble king is hands down the best Skimmer in the world.

 

[dvsn]

The bubble king is hands down the best Skimmer in the world.

I remember 40yrs ago when we bought a new car we had a break-in period of about 600 miles. Afterwards the oil had to be changed to get all the metal out. Motors now are broke-in prior to purchase. Maybe Bubble King should try what the auto industry learned yrs ago? Just saying...

It is a beautiful machine if only it would skim. See attached still empty cup from morning cleaning...

 

[reefsurfing]

I would open the standpipe a little and drop the water level 0.5-1.0 inches. I noticed having the water level too high on mine was inhibiting skimate production.

 

[ksed]

I remember 40yrs ago when we bought a new car we had a break-in period of about 600 miles. Afterwards the oil had to be changed to get all the metal out. Motors now are broke-in prior to purchase. Maybe Bubble King should try what the auto industry learned yrs ago? Just saying...

It is a beautiful machine if only it would skim. See attached still empty cup from morning cleaning...

Is that all the Bio load you have in the tank! 1 fish.
If so it will have a hard time to skim. Those skimmers are meant to run with a fair amount of bio load

 

[James77]

Funny... when shopping for skimmer, every retailer told me to stay away from Bubble King. It looked soooo good, but they kept saying I would feel sorry, pump is very pricey, support is non existent, results are not that stellar. So by recommendation, I went with Super Reef Octopus - Good choice 3x cheaper and excellent performance.

I'd agree with the retailer. I have seen plenty of poor support stories. I owned a BK Mini and it has to be the most over hyped and over priced brand as far as skimmers go. Yes, they are built well and perform well. But my SRO 2000 at almost a third the price beat it in performance, and it has a 3 year warranty with a company that will actually stand behind it.

 

[naterealbig]

Is that all the Bio load you have in the tank! 1 fish.
If so it will have a hard time to skim. Those skimmers are meant to run with a fair amount of bio load

Any skimmer will have a hard time pulling gunk out of that tank.

Maybe Bubble King should try what the auto industry learned yrs ago? Just saying...

A car only requires a mechanical break-in. Skimmers on the other hand, are quite dependent on a biological break-in as well. Bacteria growing on pump parts and within the skimmer body help things along quite a bit. Also, considering the month long break-in period that some skimmers have, do you really want a skimmer that has been used for over a month?

It looked soooo good, but they kept saying I would feel sorry, pump is very pricey, support is non existent, results are not that stellar. So by recommendation, I went with Super Reef Octopus - Good choice 3x cheaper and excellent performance.

Funny, I have owned 2 reef Octopuses, and neither one of them was what I would consider an outstanding skimmer. My first was a DNWB 150 model (external) which required several modifications to perform even half way decent. My last skimmer which was a SRO XP2000 EXT (the external cone w/ BB pump) had the same problem you are experiencing.......except it continued even long after it was "broken in". It is not coincidence that such a large portion of beautiful, successful reefs utilize Bubble Kings.

 

[naterealbig]

it has a 3 year warranty with a company that will actually stand behind it.

This I can attest to. I have had a Bubble Blaster Pump & a Water Blaster pump fail on me, and the body on my 2000 EXT began crazing after about 4 months. They handled the replacements smoothly, and required a minimal amount of effort from me. I don't like the fact that I have had so many problems with Octopus equipment, but I will continue to purchase from them, as long as their support and warranties are maintained.

 

[James77]

It is not coincidence that such a large portion of beautiful, successful reefs utilize Bubble Kings.

Having or not having a Bubble King skimmer has zero effect on whether someone will have a beautiful seuccessful tank. They are just skimmers, good skimmers yes. But there are plenty of other skimmers that can run with them performance wise, and some can beat them. I have run from super cheap skimmers to the highest priced ones, including a BK. The best perfromers for me have been middle of the road in price.

I've seen enough rough service experiences coming from Bubble King where i would be cautious of them. I can see paying that top dollar...if something goes wrong you should have it taken care of in no time. But Ive seen quite a few stories, here and elsewhere inline/

 

[krzyphsygy]

MY old ETSS skimmer did that, it would stop foaming when I feed, put my hands in the tank, cooked in the kitchen, any change in the air around the tank or any thing. I hated it. Granted the BK is a totally diffent type of skimmer than ETSS, but it was frustrating.

Went with an H&S and never looked back. It never stops foaming ever (knock on Wood)

 

[AcroporAddict]

I had a BK Mini 160 Gen II on my 100 gallon reef and it was a terrible performer. I sold it and bought a SRO 10000SSS INT, and the SRO outperforms the BK 160 in every category.

Alternately, I have a Royal Exclusiv built Alpha Vertex 250 Cone skimmer on my 300 gallon reef and it is the best, most reliable and consistent skimmer I have ever owned.

 

[naterealbig]

Having or not having a Bubble King skimmer has zero effect on whether someone will have a beautiful seuccessful tank.

Here is the bottom line; the better the skimmer you have, the better your chances are of being successful, assuming everything else is in line (the same logic can be applied to any piece of aquarium equipment and tank methodology). The unfortunate reality is that most people will willingly trade quality for cost, and try to pass this rationale on to others. I hate hearing statements like "For the price, this is a great ........". I want the best period. Not the most air draw, not the most "bang for the buck", not the most efficient, not the latest technology, not the easiest to clean, not the neatest looking, etc....just the best. What pulls the most junk out of my tank.

Neat FACT: Four out of the nine Tank of The Month recipients in 2011 were using Bubble King skimmers. Now consider the vast number of skimmers that are currently on the market, and you have a serious argument against your claim.

I've seen enough rough service experiences coming from Bubble King where i would be cautious of them.

I agree, but customer service does not affect the performance of the skimmer.

 

[James77]

Here is the bottom line; the better the skimmer you have, the better your chances are of being successful, assuming everything else is in line (the same logic can be applied to any piece of aquarium equipment and tank methodology). The unfortunate reality is that most people will willingly trade quality for cost, and try to pass this rationale on to others. I hate hearing statements like "For the price, this is a great ........". I want the best period. Not the most air draw, not the most "bang for the buck", not the most efficient, not the latest technology, not the easiest to clean, not the neatest looking, etc....just the best. What pulls the most junk out of my tank.

Neat FACT: Four out of the nine Tank of The Month recipients in 2011 were using Bubble King skimmers. Now consider the vast number of skimmers that are currently on the market, and you have a serious argument against your claim.


I agree, but customer service does not affect the performance of the skimmer.

Well whatever works for you. I can say that the BK was far from the best of the many skimmers I have tried, enough so that I have written them off pretty much for good. Watery crap is all I got in the skimmer cup. Compare that to the dark dry foam that my SRO is pulling wihtout me even touching it, or the H&S that would tie the SRO in terms of performance. They are NOT the best skimmer out there, though they are definitely in the top. Great performance with a massive dose of hype. Most people are not willing to trade quality for cost, they just dont want to pay whatever a manufacturere wants under the claim that ist is the best. There is nothing mythcial about red dragon pumps or their research and development....I have heard it all as to why BKs are the best.

Here is another neat little fact, there are over 250,000 members here. I have seen many tanks passing through everyday threads that look far better than any TOTM. I would not base a handful of TOTM using a BK as proof that BK is the best skimmer.


Customer sevice doesn't affect the performance? Say that same thing when your BK pump breaks down in warranty and you cannot get decent service. A busted pump will hinder performance

 

[krzyphsygy]

Here is the bottom line; the better the skimmer you have, the better your chances are of being successful, assuming everything else is in line (the same logic can be applied to any piece of aquarium equipment and tank methodology). The unfortunate reality is that most people will willingly trade quality for cost, and try to pass this rationale on to others. I hate hearing statements like "For the price, this is a great ........". I want the best period. Not the most air draw, not the most "bang for the buck", not the most efficient, not the latest technology, not the easiest to clean, not the neatest looking, etc....just the best. What pulls the most junk out of my tank.

Neat FACT: Four out of the nine Tank of The Month recipients in 2011 were using Bubble King skimmers. Now consider the vast number of skimmers that are currently on the market, and you have a serious argument against your claim.


I agree, but customer service does not affect the performance of the skimmer.

The type of skimmer you use has little to no effect IMO on your ability to win TOTM. The people that win this honor win it because of there knowledge, skill level, obsession, dedication, and pure creative mind set. I'm sorry, not trying to start a debate or anything. But I have seen just about every decent brand skimmer on the market in last 5 years win TOTM including Beckett skimmers as well as ETSS Downdrafts. There is alot more to this hobby than the skimmer and it does not make or break any tank IMO. Proper maintenance, water chemistry, consistency, stability, and ability, are what counts. JMO