BoringDave Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 So I have not been happy with both of my last skimmer purchases. The first was a Bubble Magus Nac 5.5. It worked great, it was the perfect size for my limited sized sump. But to me was crazy loud! So I sold it to reefboys and moved on. My next purchase was a Reef Octopus classic 150sss. Also a great skimmer. Worked spot on, set it and forget it. But again to loud for my liking. also a bit to big to fit in my limited sized sump if I wanted to use the filter sock (which I do). Both skimmers fell under my own policy of buy from my LFS. I ended up ordering a skimmer online and its powered by a Jebao DC pump. Yes, this does not fall under my own personal policy of buy local. The reason why? I was bit embarrassed to ask of our local shops to procure it for me or if they could since it's a off brand and I doubt they even know about them. The question??? How reliable have your DC pumps been for you? I know Jebao by no means is a Vectra. But have also read many bad stories of even Waveline,Skimz pumps and Reef Octopus. Mr. Saltwater won't even use one. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The ReefBox Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Dave. I think the DC pumps are coming around finally. It seems to me the issue was how tight the clearances were built for the impellor and such. I kno someone on forumn fpdoes a 3D mod for these pumps that I'm told extends the life and general operation I will be running the newest jebao DCT-15000 on my new build and an Orphek dc3000!skimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caolewis Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) DC pump is still piece of junk to my opinion. Too sensitive and unreliable. I ended up go back old school power horse ASM G4xx. Edited October 29, 2015 by caolewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlp6899 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 My Jebao DC 12000 lasted about 6 months and quit working. Every Jebao product I have owned has quit working within a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 DC pumps are hit and miss from Jebao due to tight tolerances and quality control. I don't make parts for the fix (just impellers to convert them), but the issue I see most of them have is the tight tolerance between the ceramic bearing and shaft. If this gets something in it and locks, the pump fries itself. The "fix" I recommend is lightly sanding the inside of bearing to prevent this from happening. Also be careful with all Jebao products when unplugging the power and plugging back in at the controller. Do this at the wall plug to avoid any arching that can mess up the controller. I've had pretty good luck with all my jebao equipment as well as my RO DC pump on my skimmer. I do love DC for how quiet they are and efficient. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merritt180 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Skimz skimmers are quiet been running the same pump for 2 yrs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsonmfg Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I've been running a Jebao return on my tank since it was setup and hasn't skipped a beat. I think I might have cleaned it once since I set my current tank up... The Reef Octopus simmer with the dc3500 (exactly the same as the Jebao just different colors) hasn't given me any problem other than a slight vibration when it get's really dirty. Guess I've just been lucky with both... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Well for the price decided to try one and will see what happens......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share Posted November 1, 2015 Well for the price decided to try one and will see what happens......... What one size? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share Posted November 1, 2015 I see they have done some improvements to the 3000 and up models. And of course the skimmer I ordered has the DC2000 pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 What one size? Picked up a 3000 for a return pump on my new build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 So here it is. My new cheep Jebao powered DC skimmer named the Coral Box. It just arrived from Hong Kong. First impressions are good. It was packed very well in foam and bubble wrap. The acrylic is right on par with both my last skimmers. ( Bubble Magus and Reef Octopus) The Jebao DC2000 is very quite! So quite I can not even here it over my Quite One return pump and Reefcorner LED cooling fans. So quite I think the Quite Ones days are numbered! Way more quite then both my last skimmers by far! Now that I have a D/C pump to compare to. the A/C pumps seem to have a knocking noise to me. Where as the D/C pump I have has a turbo charger like whine if I turn off everything else to hear it. Things That I'm not impressed with. I think it's called the valute And the bubble defuser lid.? Basically the pieces that are orange that are cast from what seems cheep Chinese brittle plastic. Like the orange power tools horrible freight use to sell. Also I don't think the pump really needs 8 speeds. The first 4 or 5 do not provide enough foam to even use them. I really don't see a need for the controller at all. I have it set on high and adjusted the gate valve to get what I think is a perfect foam level in the skimmer body. Dave Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Looks nice, let us know how it skims for you. The speed settings on them are a bit much but I have used lower settings when dosing chemi clean for red cyano. Makes getting your skimmer going without overflow fiesta much easier! Also can be left on the lowest setting during treatment to keep your o2 levels up. Otherwise mine is full boar on like yours during normal usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Cool, and good points BlueZ. Ssappington has one too for his new build, mentioned it works great. Nice to see some skimmer competition as they do seem to be one overpriced piece of equipment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Picked up a 3000 for a return pump on my new build. Mind me asking where you got it from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Also is it a DC or the newer DCT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboys Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 But to me was crazy loud! So I sold it to reefboys and moved on. Dave So I've heard bad things about this reefboys character. Did he write you a check and it bounced? Anyways everyone should stay away from that shady character. I am glad you found a quite pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Oops my bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Here is 24 hours worth of scum. Keep in mind I don't have much of a bio load. Only 6 small fish and 100 total gallons of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 Looks nice, let us know how it skims for you. The speed settings on them are a bit much but I have used lower settings when dosing chemi clean for red cyano. Makes getting your skimmer going without overflow fiesta much easier! Also can be left on the lowest setting during treatment to keep your o2 levels up. Otherwise mine is full boar on like yours during normal usage. I did end up using a lower speed for a few hours. I was walking by and thought I would check on the performance. Decided the foam level needed turned down. Instead of taking the time to adjust the gate valve I just turned the pump down 2 speeds. Later when I had more lime I readjusted it the proper way and turned the speed back up to full power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Well it's been a few weeks, so far so good! It pulls a 1/2 cup of skim every 3 days or so. I way love the gate valve over the stupid adjuster tubes the last skimmers had. The gate valve is adjustable with just one finger. I broke it down to night so I could do some upgrade plumbing. This is what it looked like after just two days of running. I have been so impressed with the skimmer I bought a DCT-3000 return pump. Now that I have it installed I kinda wish I would have chose the DTC-4000 or maybe even the DTC-6000. The DCT-3000 is doing a fine job returning sump water but I have to set it all the way on high to get the job done. Although it would probably do a much better job if I were not also feeding my remote 25 gallon refugium with it. Before I installed the DCT-3000 I disassembled it to check the bearing clearances. Everything seam so spin freely and work fine. I may give it a few weeks then clean it to get an idea of future performance. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT_York Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Looks nice, I've had my jebao return pump running flawlessly for nearly two years. They are great pumps for low head height operations, but they won't push much flow higher than six feet and you really need to run the 1.5" plumbing all the way to the tank to keep the pressure low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoringDave Posted November 24, 2016 Author Share Posted November 24, 2016 Well, my skimmers DC 2000 pump dies almost 1 year to the day. knock on wood my DCT 3000 return is still cranking along. Funniest thing. I have cleaned the skimmer pump 3 times in that year. The return pump hasn't been touched. But, it isn't quite a year old yet. About another month iirc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danlu_gt Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 I have the coral box skimmer for my old 50gal. It worked great and quiet. If you dose kalk, it might jam up the pump over time. Just soak it in vinegar every 9-12 months or so to clean it well. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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