Jestersix

My next skimmer needs to come apart...

S

sfsuphysics

Supporting Member
BARcard
One thing I noticed at MACNA was that the higher end skimmers (Vertex, Nyos) had titanium screws at the base allowing you to remove the skimmer body, and disassemble for cleaning/maintenance. My current skimmer, an ATi Bubble Master 250, does not have this, it is all welded to the base as one unit.

Now why is this feature important to me? Because of all the calcified crap that ends up getting in there. I looked at the bubble plate and maybe 15% of the holes were unclogged, and the rest were either completely crusted over or practically there. While I could scrub at it, there still was the area under the bubble plate which I could not get to.

So I did what any reefer does, give it a vinegar bath right? HELL NO! I used diluted muriatic acid, that's how I know it's working because it fizzes up good... just don't get a wiff of those fumes, it's hydrochloric acid in there and will burn your throat/lungs. Well enough in a glass tank dissolved all the bottom stuff, then I tipped it on the side and got the stuff on the sides, and then the other side, now it looks like new! I even forgot about the cracked area which I welded back together ages ago (that's how you know it's a good fix, it never needs to be fixed again!).

But yeah I need a skimmer I can take apart because I could have gotten away with a lot less muriatic acid to clean it. And for those wondering why muratic acid, it's actually a cheaper alternative to white vinegar, you just have to be a whole lot more careful with it, no making salad dressing with it!

And if anyone wants a recently cleaned Bubble Master 250, with 2- Sicce PSK pumps, I'll let it go reasonably cheap! (it is a skimmer made for larger tanks)
 
You notice little things like that when you have something for a while. I've liked our new Bubble Magus Curve 5 better than the Reef Octopus 150SSS which we had before for a few reasons, but easier opening/cleaning of the skimmer body is one of them.

The Reef Octopus had long plastic screws holding the base plate to the neck of the skimmer, but it was a pain to get them fully unscrewed without stripping them. The Curve 5 has clips so you only need to loosen the screws slightly before you can rotate the clips and separate the body. It's a small thing, but definitely makes it easier to clean.

How often do folks clean out their skimmers? I shoot for every 2-3 months. I find more buildup/problems in the pump and needle-wheel than I do in the skimmer body or bubble plate - but definitely an area for snails, algae, and mineral deposits to build up without a vinegar bath several times a year.
 
How often... well I had that skimmer probably going on 6 years or so. So at least once every 6 years :D

Pumps are another matter, those should be cleaned either quarterly or bi-annually whether you think you need to or not. Then there are other parts like venturi hoses which depending upon the pump model might need to clean out more often, as mentioned in another thread.
 
Weird, I almost never have to clean mine. Maybe every 3 years. Usual problem for me is salt buildup in the air intake.
Although I do not run mine 24/7. It takes a few hours off each day in the evening because the hum annoys me
when going to sleep.
 
How big is your tank? There was a vertex alpha 250 on RC for like $525 but it was at least a week ago. I don't know if it's still there.
 
Currently 270 gallons, but there might be an upgrade to a similar size (or slightly larger) in the slightly near future.

But I think the 300 gallons is the "lightly stocked" rating, which currently would work great but I prefer a "heavily stocked" rating even if I'm not quite there. I want to say the BM250 is 200-500gallons rating (500 being the "lightly stocked" option) but it's an old discontinued skimmer so take those ratings with a grain of salt.
 
I might be interested in your skimmer. How's it handling your heavily stocked 270 & how noisy is it? @gimmito @Ibn would Mike's ATi have the capacity for my planned 260 with SPS & fish stocking levels?
 
Last edited:
The ATI BM 250 is a beast of a skimmer especially with the psk pumps, possibly some new mesh, and granted that you can sit it in the right amount of water. The drawback that I see with the skimmer is the mesh, which needs to be replaced as needed on a 6-12 month cycle, and the fact that it's a dated skimmer utilizing an older design with parts that doesn't come apart for cleaning or servicing.
 
Yeah I removed the mesh and replaced the impellers with needle wheels simply because those are more robust and for my applications any loss via mesh modding was minor. Still do have the impellers for the mesh minus the actual mesh.
 
Ugh, I hate those specialty parts. One reason I am still running my AquaC. All it needs is a mag5 pump. Though granted, my current AquaC I don't think is enough to keep up with the 180 I'm running, full of fish-poo machines.

V
 
An Alpha 300 probably would be badass, although it does depend, the original Alphas were made by Royal Exclusiv, later on they sourced a "cheaper" alternative. Plus two pumps is what I'm trying to get away from... but if the price was right :D
 
Benaminh said:
I might be interested in your skimmer. How's it handling your heavily stocked 270 & how noisy is it? @gimmito @Ibn would Mike's ATi have the capacity for my planned 260 with SPS & fish stocking levels?
Click to expand...

Yes, it will handle it just fine IMO plus the skimmer's neck is wide enough to stick your hand and give it a good clean if needed. I think ATI did a great job with the 200 and 250 BM's; simple design and good pumps that if they go out (calcium build up around the ceramic shaft) all you need is to get a spare Quiet One as I found the difference is the fancy blue dress; swap your volute and put the pin/mesh thing on and you are good to go.
 
sfsuphysics said:
An Alpha 300 probably would be badass, although it does depend, the original Alphas were made by Royal Exclusiv, later on they sourced a "cheaper" alternative. Plus two pumps is what I'm trying to get away from... but if the price was right :D
Click to expand...

Is this the real deal?

007.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top