Reef Dynamics Skimmers
- Thread starter needmore-reef
- Start date
I originally had the Askol pump and was much quieter than the bb5000 I have now. The Askol pump was having heat issues on the external hurricone and would constantly shut down so CV sent me the new version hurricone with the bb pump. I have heard from people using the bb on the sro skimmers that its virtually quiet, but hurricone users say otherwise. At least on the external models. I can only guess it may be getting some type of vibration with connection to the skimmer body.
Alex T.
Active member
Basically, if you like Euro Reef skimmers you'll like the Reef Dynamics skimmers. They are the exact same thing. Even the logo on the collection cup lid is the same Euro Reef logo. I don't believe anything has changed whatsoever. It appears that these skimmers are simply the left over inventory from the Euro Reef warehouse when they closed shop....and why wouldn't it be since Jeff Macare was the president of Euro Reef and currently runs Reef Dynamics. It's comforting that when you call them with a question/problem/concern that he answers the phone and is a wealth of knowledge.
There's nothing wrong with these skimmers whatsoever. They're very well balanced and work great. I think the better models on their website include the Eheim pumps but you'll pay a premium for those. I had it narrowed down to a Reef Dynamics INS350E or a Bubble King Supermarin 200 for my new 195 being built (see my avatar). I went with the Bubble King for two reasons:
1. I would much rather have one efficient skimmer pump with less wattage draw than 2 pumps doing the same amount of work with more wattage draw. Less maintenance, less moving parts=more efficiency and electrical savings.
2. I was able to get a Bubble King Supermarin 200 used for 1 month for less than a Reef Dynamics INS 350E brand new. That's a no-brainer when you're considering over $1,000 for a skimmer.
Euro Reef/Reef Dynamics are proven designs that work. You really can't go wrong. Run through the list of Tank of the Month winners in the early 2000's and the overwhelming majority were running either Becketts, Downdrafts or Euro Reef skimmers. We would all be envious of these results, so the question of whether they perform has already been a resounding yes. I do agree that sizing them properly is essential. Going one model higher than what is recommended for your water volume should probably be the max to go with. Jeff likes to size them a little big when you call. My experience has always been that slightly oversized is fine, but too big simply won't push more skimmate out into the cup until the tank gets dirtier.
HTH
There's nothing wrong with these skimmers whatsoever. They're very well balanced and work great. I think the better models on their website include the Eheim pumps but you'll pay a premium for those. I had it narrowed down to a Reef Dynamics INS350E or a Bubble King Supermarin 200 for my new 195 being built (see my avatar). I went with the Bubble King for two reasons:
1. I would much rather have one efficient skimmer pump with less wattage draw than 2 pumps doing the same amount of work with more wattage draw. Less maintenance, less moving parts=more efficiency and electrical savings.
2. I was able to get a Bubble King Supermarin 200 used for 1 month for less than a Reef Dynamics INS 350E brand new. That's a no-brainer when you're considering over $1,000 for a skimmer.
Euro Reef/Reef Dynamics are proven designs that work. You really can't go wrong. Run through the list of Tank of the Month winners in the early 2000's and the overwhelming majority were running either Becketts, Downdrafts or Euro Reef skimmers. We would all be envious of these results, so the question of whether they perform has already been a resounding yes. I do agree that sizing them properly is essential. Going one model higher than what is recommended for your water volume should probably be the max to go with. Jeff likes to size them a little big when you call. My experience has always been that slightly oversized is fine, but too big simply won't push more skimmate out into the cup until the tank gets dirtier.
HTH
It will be a bit before I get it and get it installed since he is building me a sump/refugium also. Should find out later this week just how long, but I will post pics. I know these are great skimmers from their history. I talked to Jeff about the issues I was having with my current skimmer and what I was needing and got his input and recommendations. Great guy, very helpful and lots of knowledge there. Would have loved to gone with the Ehiem pumps, but I am replacing skimmer, sump and lighting all at the same time, so that extra $500 for the pumps will have to wait.
Laddy
New member
All I can say is that I have very limited brand loyalty in this hobby, Reef Dynamics is one of them though. I had two Euro Reefs, and currently have their last 80 model running on a 75g. The skimmers are just work horses, and the customer service if you ever have a problem is great. If those two things ever deteriorate, I'll find another provider for my skimmer needs, but they haven't.
I'd much rather tweek with my lighting configs or water flow over the course of a tanks life and not the skimmers. My philosophy is buy something big enough for the bio load you're going to place on the tank, clean the pump and skimmer occasionally, and forget about it--same thing with a good CArx.
I'd much rather tweek with my lighting configs or water flow over the course of a tanks life and not the skimmers. My philosophy is buy something big enough for the bio load you're going to place on the tank, clean the pump and skimmer occasionally, and forget about it--same thing with a good CArx.
wildman926
Active member
I don't agree with that statement...
My SRO 1000 pulls 100 lph more than the INS 80, and uses less watts/power to do so, at only $284.99 from our sponsor Premium Aquatics.
Reef Dynamics are very nice skimmers, don't get me wrong. I would love to have one made where the output is on the opposite side of the input. This would make the footprint a tad smaller. I would then put a BubbleBlaster pump on it. I am a big fan of the standard bodied skimmers.
Bubble blaster pumps are good pumps. I am running a BB5000 on my Hurricone cat2e which is basically the predicesor to the SRO (haven't really figured out the difference, they look very similar) great skimmer great pump just way to noisy for being in the middle of my living room.
Alex T.
Active member
While you may disagree, your reasoning is flawed. LPH air draw is not the sole determining factor in what makes a great protein skimmer. The mixture of water and air in the proper ratio is much more important for consistent, stable foam head and waste removal. A skimmer that pulls too much air will process less water...and vice versa. If it doesn't pull enough air you can't keep a stable, pulsing foam head. You can only fit so much air and water in any given reaction chamber. This is why so many cone designs playing copycat are seeing surging in water levels and other issues related to oversized pumps for the body they're attached to. I owned a cone. It's not important which one because I don't want to play "my skimmer is better than yours". I won't go back.
A properly balanced skimmer, whether it be a cone or cylindrical design, is much more important than chasing liters per hour in air draw. Choosing a skimmer on this factor alone isn't wise when comparing two totally different designs. The Euro Reef/Reef Dynamics skimmers are proven for many years and have probably produced more world class tanks than any other pinwheel design to date. Jeff and his team at Reef Dynamics don't follow trends. Their skimmers are well balanced, easy to tune and very straightforward. In fact, the Euro Reef design is probably the most copied design of any skimmer on the market.
A Vertex skimmer is basically a Euro Reef with a bubble plate, and the list goes on. The problem in choosing a skimmer in today's market is when comparing. Many of the higher end skimmer companies test their products extensively before rating them. This is why so many they have skimmers that will fit your needs under their prescribed ratings, instead of the common assumption of jumping to the next model up. That thinking has become the norm because of the inability for most copycat brands to achieve what they advertise when rating their skimmers.
Higher end skimmers also use much better materials, like cast acrylic instead of extruded acrylic and better magnetic driven pumps. Jeff is the owner and designer of his skimmers as well as the face of Reef Dynamics. Klaus is the owner and designer of Royal Exclusiv's Bubble King, and Anton is the owner and designer of the ATB cone design. Who is the man behind the curtain at Coralvue that introduced the Reef Octopus, SRO and SRO XP skimmers and what are his thoughts on design and why they chose the pumps and materials that they did? If someone knows I'd like to hear. The only adjustment and ratings I hear come from the distributors that sell them and answer questions on these forums.
Just my .02
wildman926
Active member
A lot of hot air there....really worth .02
The Reef Dynamics are great skimmers, but are as "flawed" as any other. Their pumps are designed by who?
The man behind the curtain at Coralvue did not do so bad. They work quite well for the money was my point.
Oh, and for a pulsating head of foam...Here is my SRO 1000
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Alex T.
Active member
A lot of hot air there....really worth .02
The Reef Dynamics are great skimmers, but are as "flawed" as any other. Their pumps are designed by who?
The man behind the curtain at Coralvue did not do so bad. They work quite well for the money was my point.
Oh, and for a pulsating head of foam...Here is my SRO 1000
Hot air? Show me where I misspoke. And last I checked the Eheim pumps on the Reef Dynamics and Deltec skimmers are more proven and tested than probably any other skimmer pump on the planet, thus making your statement a moot point.
You appear to be hung up on defending your SRO XP 1000 like I'm trying to take it from you. Keep it. I wasn't going to list the cone skimmer that I had on my system, but since you assume I came out to bash your brand, I'll tell you. It was an SRO XP 2000 brutha!!! I had your exact skimmer and I'm speaking from experience. If you want pictures of it in my hand I can provide them for you. If you'd like to take it off my hands for me I'll gladly take half what I paid for it only 6 months ago. I never said anything about your skimmer not working well "for the money".
I don't mind being quoted at all, but don't particularly care for being misquoted. I was being constructive. You're apparently very upset and sensitive about your skimmer. I'm sorry I got you so worked up. I was responding to your comment about the SRO XP 1000 pulling more air than a comparably sized Reef Dynamics skimmer. Like I stated before, air alone does not a balanced skimmer make. So, you may be the one with more hot air by your own admission.
Have a nice day.:wavehand:
Drae
RAIDER NATION!
Btw... I took the pump apart on my euro reef and couldn't remember the order of the parts, Jeff emailed me the diagram about 7 minutes after we hung up. Then! He sent me a couple tips the next day on sump placement! Did I mention that I didn't even buy this skimmer from him, or new, and he knew that. Outstanding customer service without a doubt. Period. And american built also. That's a big deal imho.
wildman926
Active member
Not hung up or upset, again if you read my post, I stated Reef Dynamics was a great skimmer, I was disagreeing with the other poster's statement of not a brand for $200-$300 range that performed as good or better. Then you piped in with your $.02.
Obviously, you don't know your skimmmers, as what I showed is not an XP, it is an SRO.
You are correct, air alone does not make a great sikimmer, but I just proved that the hybrid design of my SRO is very good at making a "stable, pulsing foam head" as you put it, BY DESIGN from the "man behind the curtain" at Coralvue. More air, is always better, if you design the skimmer body in proportion to the intake volume of water, or could even fall short. As ************ states HERE on the Warner Marine skimmers, "given the choice between air volume and contact time we'll take the extra air any day of the week".
Have a good day also...:wavehand:
Alex T.
Active member
You didn't really "prove" anything. A picture cannot convey a stable foam head, only that you can make one, as all skimmers can. A 10 - 15 minute video...maybe. I didn't even say that your skimmer couldn't make a stable foam head, only that the R&D of copycat designs don't achieve the results they often try and mimic from the original design.
I also can't read your link because the address of where you're trying to direct me is invalid.
You seem to be hung up on my Wizard of Oz reference to the "man behind the curtain". I can't take credit for that one. Also, for being so knowledgable about skimmers you didn't recognize that Reef Dynamics uses what is arguably the most recognized skimmer pump in existence....Eheim. As for me not knowing skimmers...au contraire mon frere. I've had more skimmers than I care to admit. They all pulled skimmate...some are just better at it than others. I still stand behind my statements. Whether you have a SRO, SRO XP, or any of the others I may have had is irrelevant. The OP asked if anybody has had experience with Reef Dynamics skimmers. You're the one who chimed in plugging your SRO by not agreeing with someone's statement because you subscribe to the "more air is better" camp.
I, however, have had a Euro Reef skimmer when I first got into the hobby. It was an INS80 on a 40 gallon breeder and worked great. In fact, I didn't know how good I had it because it was my first skimmer. I've also had an ETSS 900 XR that pulled more skimmate than anything I've had to this day. It was on a 150 gallon reef tank and pulled a solid gallon of skimmate per week. In my current build thread I asked people which of the skimmers I listed would be good for my upgrade. I didn't want to continue with an ETSS because of the power consumption and large external footprint it requires. I went with an SRO XP temporarily and developed surging (even with stable water depth per the distributor's direction) and it would never stop skimming...which is a clear indication that you're skimmer is not up to snuff for your system...even though it's rated for it with nothing else changing. After a lot of research on this board and others I decided that I would explore going back to Reef Dynamics, specifically the INS350E. I was also thinking about some others like the the ATB 1050a, Alpha Vertex 200 or even maybe going to a Beckett skimmer. I was starting to realize that cones probably needed to be bigger than what they are rated for because I was experiencing problems. This was re-affirmed when I saw Jeff Macare's video on Youtube mentioning that a cone would work well if it was a very large diameter and very tall. I decided that I was not going with another cone so I eliminated them from my list. My budget kept my dream skimmer (Bubble King Supermarin 200) out of the question. I was ready to pull the trigger on the Reef Dynamics when a Bubble King Supermarin 200 showed up on the Used Equipment Forum for less than what I was about to pay for a Reef Dynamics INS 350E. Since the skimmer was in excellent condition and only a month old I jumped on it and it's sitting in my garage in a vinegar and RO bath right now....see thumbnail
/Users/alextjoumakaris/Desktop/IMG_0232.JPG
After a lot of research and talking to many people that have owned the BK I was confident that this would be a great, balanced skimmer for my tank. If I didn't get the BK, you can even read in my build thread that I was leaning toward the Reef Dynamics skimmer. If you include the link you tried to post, I'll read it, however I'll never agree that more air is better than contact time because I've seen first hand to the contrary.
You keep thinking that I'm trying to flame you for some reason, but started this debacle by rebutting and saying I was full of hot air and only worth 2 cents, when everything I said was based off experience, first hand knowledge and quite a bit of sound, industry supportive information. What kind of reaction did you expect from me? This is a discussion about Reef Dynamics skimmers. If you haven't owned a Euro Reef or Reef Dynamics, then what are you bringing to the table for the OP who asked for people with experience to offer up information in the first place?
You started this by disagreeing with someone and plugging your skimmer due to air draw. If you've owned a Reef Dynamics or Euro Reef offer up an experience other than the opinion that you don't like where the water output is situated. If not, what's the point?
wildman926
Active member
LOL....Now look at who is upset, full of "hot air"...
As I stated before, "Reef Dynamics was a great skimmer, I was disagreeing with the other poster's statement of not a brand for $200-$300 range that performed as good or better. Then you piped in with your $.02. " You didn't have to, but you did.
If you had clicked on the pic, it was a very short vid of the skimmer in action. But, you are in too much of a hurry to get on your soapbox, trying to show off what you think you know. Relax, it is all good. :ape:
Again, Reef Dynamics is a good skimmer. I do recognize them using another manufacturer's pumps (not designed and produced by them), adapted to their body design, producing "good" results. HOWEVER, my point is, they are not the only ones in that price range. The man behind the curtain did very good with the SRO skimmers.
Later. :wavehand:
As I stated before, "Reef Dynamics was a great skimmer, I was disagreeing with the other poster's statement of not a brand for $200-$300 range that performed as good or better. Then you piped in with your $.02. " You didn't have to, but you did.
If you had clicked on the pic, it was a very short vid of the skimmer in action. But, you are in too much of a hurry to get on your soapbox, trying to show off what you think you know. Relax, it is all good. :ape:
Again, Reef Dynamics is a good skimmer. I do recognize them using another manufacturer's pumps (not designed and produced by them), adapted to their body design, producing "good" results. HOWEVER, my point is, they are not the only ones in that price range. The man behind the curtain did very good with the SRO skimmers.
Later. :wavehand:
Chrissypoo
New member
I like 'em 
Alex T.
Active member
Ahhh yes, the 13 second video. I'm sold. You win!
Not to :deadhorse: but you still haven't answered any of the questions I asked you or provided the link that supports what you quoted. It's an invalid address you're linking.
The pumps you mention on the Reef Dynamics skimmers are the entry level pumps as well. Their workhorses are the e series, which are the Eheim pumps. Just thought you should know that since you're referencing. Further information can be found here:
http://www.reefdynamics.com/Standard-In-Sump-Protein-Skimmers-s/1.htm
Also, you're really not upsetting me in the least. You can use terms like "hot air" and "man behind the curtain" to your heart's content. You're keeping it civil so there's no harm, no foul. If you'd like some more sayings, catchy phrases, puns, or figures of speech... I'm more than happy to add to your repertoire for further banter. I assume you've never had a Euro Reef/Reef Dynamics skimmer so we'll stop asking. I'll close by allowing you the final word since that seems to be what you're interested in doing. Answering my questions would be nice too.
Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Not to :deadhorse: but you still haven't answered any of the questions I asked you or provided the link that supports what you quoted. It's an invalid address you're linking.
The pumps you mention on the Reef Dynamics skimmers are the entry level pumps as well. Their workhorses are the e series, which are the Eheim pumps. Just thought you should know that since you're referencing. Further information can be found here:
http://www.reefdynamics.com/Standard-In-Sump-Protein-Skimmers-s/1.htm
Also, you're really not upsetting me in the least. You can use terms like "hot air" and "man behind the curtain" to your heart's content. You're keeping it civil so there's no harm, no foul. If you'd like some more sayings, catchy phrases, puns, or figures of speech... I'm more than happy to add to your repertoire for further banter. I assume you've never had a Euro Reef/Reef Dynamics skimmer so we'll stop asking. I'll close by allowing you the final word since that seems to be what you're interested in doing. Answering my questions would be nice too.
Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
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