powdertang05 Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 what brand do you have and what pump you use to drive it. do you like it? any prior skimmers and please a star rating on performance and quality of workmanship thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly guy Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Ive used a MR-2 with a pcx 55 for a while. Quality was excellent and it was a serious junk pulling machine. I got rid of it because it was only a skimming machine for 2 or 3 days after i would fiddle with it. I prefer oversized ASM's and Euroreefs as they do a great job EVERY day without having to touch them. Im not going to say they skim better than most beckett skimmers becasue they simply DONT. But get them oversized and they do a better job in the big picture for me. JMO One other thing that kind of matters in my situation is on my DSB tank I skim wet......i mean REALLY wet. All of my water changes are performed through my skimmer like a gallon and a half a day. So ANY degree of tempermental is not ok for me the way i like to run this tank. And on my BB tank, i have the flow and overall tanks et up so that everything truly does make it to the skimmer. I never have to siphon out any detritus in the tank. I dont skim nearly as wet in this tank as I would simply remove too much from the water column, so for me not having to ever touch my skimmers except to clean the throat every few days is important to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 did you ever talk to mrc to ask why yiou had to fiddle with it all the time i thought they were set it and forget it. anyone have good luck with etss? or trigger systems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCityAquarium Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 We have a precision marine bullet with a pcx 40. Works great!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 is it finnicky or set it and forget it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCityAquarium Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 It takes a little while to adjust it, but once it is adjusted it pulls alot out! works excellent!! One of my favorite skimmer. I also have a aqua c ev240. Works excellent also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 what bullet do you have also what pump do you have on the aqua c and do you think its as good or better then the pm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I switched from a bullet 2 to an aqua c 180. The aqua c is much easier to set and then you just forget about it. The aqua uses a slightly different technology that the becketts, but it works equally as well with a smaller pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 well no matter what i was going to use a pressure pump so no big deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCityAquarium Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 we have a bullet 2 with pcx 40 and aquac ev 240 with iwaki 40. I think the aquac is easier to adjust. They both seem to pull everything out of the tank. Very happy with both of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palani Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I've had a better time with the bullet 2 w/pcx40, than my aqua c ev 180 w/mag6 or mag 3(?). I had the aqua c ev 180, and it did an ok job, but you had to clean it out every time, and I think the beckett style is kinda cheezy to me. The bullet 2 did out perform the aqua c, but the bullet 2 is rated for a larger tank, so that has to be factored in. Not to mention that even though the bullet was dirty, it still performed great (but not to the best of its ability). I was even using the old style beckett on it! The bullet 2 for me didn't cause me any troubles once I set it correctly, but the guy I sold it to had problems with it (he was new to the hobby). Maybe the gate valve wasn't working, maybe he just didn't know how to set it right, I don't know. But, if you know what you are doing, then the bullet series is a GREAT product and better than an aqua c ev series with my experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Bob Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I've been running a PM Bullet 2/pcx 40 for about 2 years now. It has worked well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theron Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I have several of these skimmers. PM Bullet 1, MRC 2, AquaC EV400, and a Deltec AP600 needlewheel. My first skimmer was the PM Bullet 1. Of all the skimmers above, this one I felt had the best workmanship. Build very well. I had some problems at first mainly because it was my first skimmer. I think I was overwhelmed by all the adjustments like pump size, air input, gate valve, water level, bubble size, wet vs dry skimming. The real problem ended up being that I had too large of a pump. Once I got a better sized pump, and followed the directions, it was pretty easy to run. I next bought an MRC 2 skimmer. This is similar in size to the Bullet 2. This skimmer worked really well. I am sure it was because I already learned to run the beckett skimmer. I liked the larger size. Seemed like the larger volume gave more room for the adjustments, also easier for me to get my hands in there to clean. I do like the beckett skimmers and I think they can perform very will. But, what I don't like is the amount of work I have to do to maintain them. I don't like all the thumb screws that I have to remove to clean the cup. Also the beckett injector and assembly needs to be cleaned periodically. I found it kind of a pain to remove and disassemble. When I bought the MRC, I purchased and extra beckett assembly so that I could just swap injectors while the other was being cleaned. I then switched to the AquaC EV400 with PCX-40 pump. I really liked this skimmer. I thought it was very similar to a beckett, just used a spray injector to create bubbles. I felt like it was very easy to adjust and it pulled out the same amount of crap as the others. What made me like this skimmer better was no more thumb screws and no more beckett assembly. The skimmer cup and lid are removed very easily by just rotating and lifting out of place. This really made it easy to clean the cup, and I found that I did it more often because of this. Also the spray injector just one very small piece that is also easy to remove and clean. And last I tried a Deltec needlewheel skimmer. This skimmer was very easy to operate and is a good choice for a beginner. You can place it in the sump, small powerhead to feed, small adjustment to the air input and that is it. Like the AquaC, the cup and lid are removed very easily. What I don't like about them is the price. It is not as solidly build as the becketts. I feel like it can break very easily and replacement parts are expensive. Probably paying for the German engineering on these things which I believe they are engineered well. Now the only reason I would NOT go with the beckett or spray injector skimmers is because of the large pressure pumps required and the noise that they produce. If the skimmer can be placed in a remote location, not in the viewing room, then I would go with the beckett otherwise I would go with a needlewheel because of the low noise level. Theron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitterbait Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I'll let you know when i get my bullet 3 plugged in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izzypop Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I have tried Euroreefs and Turbo Floaters and now a dual beckett. The euroreefs are easy to setup and work day in day out. Quiet. Using the dual beckett I think I like them better. They are a pain in the butt to set but when they are running good they are amazing. skimmer where noise and space are important, novice - needlewheel skimmer can be noisy and easily accessed, not a newbie skimmer - beckett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly guy Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 skimmer where noise and space are important, novice - needlewheel skimmer can be noisy and easily accessed, not a newbie skimmer - beckett That surely is a clear cut analysis in a big world out there. I might be able to refer you to many thousand accomplished reefers who wouldnt exactly agree that the reasoning is limited to that Like everything in this hobby, many ways to skin a cat and skin it well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izzypop Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Oh yea I jumped in a skimmer thread what was I thinking. Mods please delete my post as I am not worthy. Thank You. (drooler) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly guy Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Oh yea I jumped in a skimmer thread what was I thinking. Mods please delete my post as I am not worthy. Thank You. (drooler) Why would one in a friendly conversation reply to a simple statement i made with a facetious "mods delete my post becasue i am too cool?" I didnt even tell you that your analysis was entirely wrong, i just said it wasnt complete by any means. Dont usually see that kind of attitude here.......but whatever. have a great day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 omg just in search of info people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izzypop Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 flyguy: (scratch) powdertang05 - IMO and IME if you are switching skimmers I find the needlewheels easier to deal with and perform good (if you mod them with a mesh wheel even better but not exactly a stock model if your willing to put in the time) My euroreefs rocked, asm's that I've seen are good and many others. The couple becketts I have seen and played with are harder to tune and can be frustrating at times. I wouldn't exactly want a novice plumbing one over a needlewheel. My beckett I have now is running a panworld pump and I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I have an MRC MR-2 and I LOVE it. It's a skimming machine. Highly recommend if you have the space for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 im still looking i have it between the petorama ex-2 or tunze 9015 or a trigger systems 500 but i was just looking for info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhut Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Skimmer Hey Powdertang05, How ya do'n I would agree with Izzypop. The becketts are loud and take constant monitoring, but work good. Go with a needle wheel style (ASM,Euroreef) as I've ran both kinds of skimmers and if I bought another one, it would be another needle wheel with a recirculation mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhut Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 That surely is a clear cut analysis in a big world out there. I might be able to refer you to many thousand accomplished reefers who wouldnt exactly agree that the reasoning is limited to that Like everything in this hobby, many ways to skin a cat and skin it well ..and you would concider your self an accomplished reefer? No attack here, but rather a response you left for a fellow reefer that is well respected in our reef community. Had you spent the time and research that our fellow reefer izzypop has spent, you would know that this hobbie has alot of adversity. Once more, I would rather take advise from someone that has taken the time to research and read the facts about this hobbie we so desire. I'm not going to go onto a battle of witts here with someone unarmed, but rather ask you to open your eyes to what is outside of your spot in Bend, Oregon. LETS SEE HOW MANY TIMES HE EDIT'S HIS RESPONSE TO THIS REPLY??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly guy Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I'm not going to go onto a battle of witts here with someone unarmed' date=' but rather ask you to open your eyes to what is outside of your spot in Bend, Oregon. LETS SEE HOW MANY TIMES HE EDIT'S HIS RESPONSE TO THIS REPLY???[/quote'] I edited and deleted my post here just for you shannon. Ill go to RC to bash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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