Thoughts on Avast Marine CS1 skimmer
- Thread starter LeslieP
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reefernutz
New member
They are fantastic skimmers and, as said above, you can't beat the customer service. Plus, Made in the USA!
mine works great(been running for couple weeks), def think its better than my nac7, in180, and c&c 160. i purchased the ato at the same time. the ato takes a little more tweeking than my reef fanatics to get my tank at the levels i want but not relying on magnets or float switches i will take a little extra tweeking. i have since purchased the smallest media reactor and so far i love it. for the price and being made in the usa (italian made pump still a lot better than china) you cant beat the cs1.
i got the clear model
i got the clear model
I ordered one for a client. It has its quirks but it's just as effective as other skimmers with the same pump and similar dimensions, but for a lot less. If you want to know more about the quirks there's a thread in the Avast forum where they're discussed--mainly the o-ring groove in the neck and the location of the silencer. None of these are showstoppers for me and Avast seems interested in resolving them in future updates.
If you get one of these definitely get the Swabbie and the skimmate locker, too. Even the most expensive skimmer is only as effective as how often you clean it. With the Swabbie it goes from a skimmer to a Skimmate Factory.
If you get one of these definitely get the Swabbie and the skimmate locker, too. Even the most expensive skimmer is only as effective as how often you clean it. With the Swabbie it goes from a skimmer to a Skimmate Factory.
bvoss
New member
I have a CS-1 with a recirc mod. I also have an older CS-2 with a skimmate locker and swabbie.
The O-Ring retaining the CS-1 skimmer cup can be a PITA. Other than that it is a great skimmer for the money. It will be plenty of skimmer for a 75. I know people running them on heavily stocked 150s.
I have a bunch of their stuff since I live three miles from their original shop. We have a big club in DC and many of the members use Avast stuff. They are just a couple of hard-working guys with really well-thought out designs. I don't know if I have ever heard a bad thing.
The O-Ring retaining the CS-1 skimmer cup can be a PITA. Other than that it is a great skimmer for the money. It will be plenty of skimmer for a 75. I know people running them on heavily stocked 150s.
I have a bunch of their stuff since I live three miles from their original shop. We have a big club in DC and many of the members use Avast stuff. They are just a couple of hard-working guys with really well-thought out designs. I don't know if I have ever heard a bad thing.
same here. easy fix.
i would highly recommend the CS1 to anyone. i have the cs1 with recirc mod and davy jones locker. i wish i could fit the swabbie under my stand or i'd have that too.
my only complaint is how loud it is. avast is working on rubber feet to hopefully dampen the sound a bit.
Thank you all so much for the information - I'm feeling very good about this! My husband will be makiing the stand for me so I won't have to worry about having enough room. I was definitely going to get the swabbie, but wasn't sure about the locker - I thought I might wait a bit for that piece. Then again, the skimmer will now be out of sight so it might be good to get.
the locker is AWESOME. you can get a version that connects to your Apex; and it will shut off when it's full and send you an email or text message letting you know it's full. I LOVE that feature about the locker. set it and forget it!
i like that idea i am always leary about letting my skimmer drain into something, because you never know when your skimmer may go nuts and overflow thus flooding your tank with fresh water from an ato.
There's a surprising amount of people out there who run their skimmer cup right into the sewer drain. The locker is much safer than that, and if your tank is big enough to have space for the gallon size then even in a worst case scenario adding just a gallon of ro won't have too big of an effect.
Haddonisreef
New member
Had the cs1 and just couldn't get it dialed in! Cs was great w helping to fix problem, dam thing would do great for a few days then bam started going nuts. I learned to not have the drain go to a five gallon bucket yep flooded my fish room! So I sold it for a steal no less, and went. Ack to asm. Now that's plug and play nothing to worry about!
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