The Bubble-Magus Club
- Thread starter tcgreaux
- Start date
- Status
Help for a UK reefer in search of a BM
Help for a UK reefer in search of a BM
Hey guys.
Sorry to be a cheeky git but I am a member of your UK cousin, Ultimate Reef (well, I think they are cousins!). There seems to be a huge fan base growing for the BM skimmers in the UK but sadly, the demand isn't met by retailers - I can only name 3 in the UK. I have looked at the US websites offering these at, lets be honest - total knock prices in comparison but then you add good old UK tax and import etc, it soon levels out. I was looking at the BM150 as I have a 50x20x24" tank with (sorry to be metric, its a Juwel tank) 80X28X40cm sump. This gives me around 340 litres actual water. There are 16 fishes in the system - mostly small like gobies, a mandarin, scooter blenny etc but there is a yellow tang. I have been told by my UK supplier I am in contact with that the BM150 will be another 3 to 5 weeks and I cannot wait that long. He does have however, a shipment in customs in the UK of NAC6A, NAC7 and BM180 CS. The only thing that puts me off the NAC range is the Atman pump and further more, with the ideal NAC7 - the meshwheel. That leaves me with the BM180 rated at 700 to 900 litres so well over my tank but then everyone says it is better to go bigger.
Just wondering what you guys who have been using these for a while now think and also, more specifically - any BM180 owners out there - is it worth the £90 more than the NAC7?
Sorry to hijack Reef Central but as I said, these are pretty new to the UK and therefore, not many users - certainly not of the BM180. Whatever you guys are using - ANY info on these would be great :beer:
Thanks guys,
Lee
Help for a UK reefer in search of a BM
Hey guys.
Sorry to be a cheeky git but I am a member of your UK cousin, Ultimate Reef (well, I think they are cousins!). There seems to be a huge fan base growing for the BM skimmers in the UK but sadly, the demand isn't met by retailers - I can only name 3 in the UK. I have looked at the US websites offering these at, lets be honest - total knock prices in comparison but then you add good old UK tax and import etc, it soon levels out. I was looking at the BM150 as I have a 50x20x24" tank with (sorry to be metric, its a Juwel tank) 80X28X40cm sump. This gives me around 340 litres actual water. There are 16 fishes in the system - mostly small like gobies, a mandarin, scooter blenny etc but there is a yellow tang. I have been told by my UK supplier I am in contact with that the BM150 will be another 3 to 5 weeks and I cannot wait that long. He does have however, a shipment in customs in the UK of NAC6A, NAC7 and BM180 CS. The only thing that puts me off the NAC range is the Atman pump and further more, with the ideal NAC7 - the meshwheel. That leaves me with the BM180 rated at 700 to 900 litres so well over my tank but then everyone says it is better to go bigger.
Just wondering what you guys who have been using these for a while now think and also, more specifically - any BM180 owners out there - is it worth the £90 more than the NAC7?
Sorry to hijack Reef Central but as I said, these are pretty new to the UK and therefore, not many users - certainly not of the BM180. Whatever you guys are using - ANY info on these would be great :beer:
Thanks guys,
Lee
I also would like some peoples opinion. I have a 125g tank, 75g sump (filled with about 30g), and a 20g fuge. Right now I am running a euro-reef rs135. It has done it's job and still pulls out a great amount of nasties but am thinking about getting the bm200p. Do you guys think this will be an upgrade? Down grade?
Hello Reeftivo!
Looking really good! How many fish do you have in that tank?
I agree, there is no need to tune this really good skimmer. But if there is a way to make the skimmer better, i have fun to find it. Maybe this is an problem of ingenieurs. We always want to improve technical things! ;-)
Are you going to buy a Mini Bubble King, cause you posted in the Bubble king club?
Michael
Looking really good! How many fish do you have in that tank?
I agree, there is no need to tune this really good skimmer. But if there is a way to make the skimmer better, i have fun to find it. Maybe this is an problem of ingenieurs. We always want to improve technical things! ;-)
Are you going to buy a Mini Bubble King, cause you posted in the Bubble king club?
Michael
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Lee,
I think either the NAC7 or BM180 are both great choices. I don't think you need to worry about the Atman pumps. Mine has been going strong for a month. Not a single issue so far with it. My guess is that the Atman has the same insides as a "name brand" pump.
The Atman 2500 pulls more air than an Aquabee 2000/1, so that is a plus. I think you will be happy with either skimmer.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I would get the 200P-N if you are going to change skimmers. Get the needlewheel and not a meshwheel. I like the mesh on my NAC6 but I really wish these skimmers came with a needlewheel also.
I don't know if you saw the latest Advanced Aquarist but they studied like 6 different skimmers ranging from Euro Reef up to Bubble King stuff. The worst performing was the Reef Octopus. They rated them in terms of cost vs. efficiency and how much TOC the skimmer pulled out. The Bubble King wasn't the best, go figure.
The verdict was that skimming will only remove ~30% of the TOC in a tank. No matter how much air it pulled and how much water it moved. The rest of TOC is removed by the bacteria and water changes.
I didn't even realize they made it with the needlewheel. I have looked though and the only place I can find the 200p-n is cheapreefsupply.com and they don't have a phone number and when you click on half the links they don't work. I don't know if I would trust buying it from there. Do you know of anywhere else that sells it?
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I think you would be better off with either the NAC7 if that works or even the NAC66 would be a great fit.
I don't think the nac-7 will be enough. The 66 looks nice as well. While browsing nuocean though I noticed that they actually have installed the needlewheel on the 200p and send it that way. They also inculde the meshwheel as well. I still have some thinking to do though as my euro-reef still works but just wanted to upgradde to something that would pull more air and overall a larger skimmer.
Cheers Ryan, will keep it in mind. I think it will come down to whether I can get a good deal on the BM180. We shall see!!
rodcpierce
New member
well guys, just wanted to post pictures of my BM160L on my 125 gallon setup. I have it set way low to produce super dark skimate. This is about a weeks worth of skimate. Yes, I know, the skimmer needed cleaned again, and got cleaned up right after these pictures were taken 
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Thanks Michi!
4 fish (tomamto clown,purple anthias and two damsels).
I just got the BK skimmer but will continue to use the NAC6. I'm going to do an in wall build in about six months and will be putting the BK on that. The NAC6 is chugging away pulling darker and darker junk each day so even with the Atman pumps, this is the best < $200 dollar skimmer I have used to date. The mesh on the stock impellers is very loose so I believe the cage around it is more for balancing than anything else. I think that once it's cut off it will be difficult to balance the existing mesh so it may have to be completely removed and re-done. We'll see!
Hello Reeftivo!
Amazing what the skimmer is pulling, at your light bioload!
What if you just remove the cage and fix 2 layers(or whatever possible), with cable ties like in this picture?
http://www.aquariumstyle.it/images/ATI_fadenrad02.jpg
Maybee this is a solution. What do you think?
Michael
Amazing what the skimmer is pulling, at your light bioload!
What if you just remove the cage and fix 2 layers(or whatever possible), with cable ties like in this picture?
http://www.aquariumstyle.it/images/ATI_fadenrad02.jpg
Maybee this is a solution. What do you think?
Michael
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Yes, Thats what I'm going to do. Snip off the plastic cage and leave the four pins. Then cut off the existing mesh and drill four small holes inward, between the pins. I'll start with two layers and two zip ties or fishing line (not sure yet). It may take three layers but I'm not sure yet if the volute is deep enough yet. I think the fishing line would be less bulky than the zip ties and the pins would help with the stability.
theyammieguy
Active member
Anyone in here running an NAC6 in a 40 breeder sump?
reeftivo
Skim junkie
NAC66 looks really awsome but man they are big! I had one side by side with my NAC6 and it dwarfed it. The 66 should really shred on a heavily stocked system. I know the Atman pumps have been point of contension for many people thinking of buying one of these skimmers but with that being said, IMO, the build quality of these skimmers is amazing considering how affordable (downright cheap!) the price tag is on these things. I think all current owners out there would agree!
I think Bubble Magus is making alot of waves with the other manufacturers and over time, will start making them re-think price points and marketing strategies.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
You know I agree with you!
I couldn't believe how thick and sturdy the skimmer was when I opened it. The all the engravings on it really set it over the top, quality wise.
Did you happen to read the latest Advanced Aquarist article on protein skimmers?
reeftivo
Skim junkie
Yep!
When you consider the other benefits of skimming (oxygenation,CO2 off gas,pH control), 20-30% removal Total/dissolved organics is great. Yes, bubbles are bubbles but dwell time and design are crutial to a good skimmer. The addition of ozone to the skimmer is even better.
When you consider the other benefits of skimming (oxygenation,CO2 off gas,pH control), 20-30% removal Total/dissolved organics is great. Yes, bubbles are bubbles but dwell time and design are crutial to a good skimmer. The addition of ozone to the skimmer is even better.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I just thought it interesting that skimmers that are 4 times the cost of a Bubble Magus will only really pull out a little bit more. At the beginning, the big expensive skimmer may seem to outperform the cheaper one, but once the bigger skimmer runs out of stuff to pull out, it becomes useless if too big.
I did find it funny that the worst performing skimmer was the Reef Octopus. Yet that is the skimmer everyone will recommend over the Bubble Magus.
- Status
Similar threads
