acrylic51
Active Member
This post isn't to start and argument of any type.......I found this information while researching skimmers and such, and feel it might be useful to some of you in a tug of war with the skimmer decision....I know I was it took me roughly 6 months, and then still kept changing my mind for various reasons....
The information comes from and article in FAMA magazine one of my favorites and the author of the article is Dan Theisen.
This article will look at two types of high-efficient skimmers that utilize completely different means to create foam. One uses a pump with a secial impeller caled a "needle wheel" to churn air and water into a fine mixture. the other uses a combination of a strong pump and aspecial type of injector to mix airr and water. These injectors are often referred to as "Becketts" after the company that is a major manufacturer of these items....
There are numberous companies manufacturing "Beckett skimmers" including Myreefcreations, Precision Marine, Lifereef. For the needle wheel skimmers BubbleKing, Deltec, ASM, and EuroReef. These style skimmers have been widely used in Europe for a while nw, and the first company to produce and sell them in the United States is EuroReef. They are the largest manufacturer of these skimmers.
There are other types of skimmers that don't use a needle wheel, or a beckett injector. Some of the ventui, downdraft, High-Speed Aeration, and other injector based skimmers are very effective at removing waste.
Both Beckett based skimmers and needle wheels are capable of producing large quantities of dark smelly skimmate.....I know what you are thinking...which one has more raw skimming power? The Beckett skimmers have he edge.
A needle wheel skimmer puts the venturi valve before the intake of the pump. As opposd to the exhaust where it is traditionally located. This allows boh water and air to be drawn into the pump where it is chopped up by the impeller. the real key to this filter is the specalized impeller. The needle wheel impeller is covered in needles. As the impeller spins, the needles break up the incoming air into tiny mirobubbles. It is thes million of tiny bubbles that make for such and effective skimmer......
the Beckett injector is basically a turbo charged venturi. Waer is pushed up and around a ball. This creaes a pressure differential that allows air to be drawn in through multiple small holes. (a standard venturi does not use a ball,and only has one air inlet). These foaming heads were designed to aerate ponds, but have been adapted to run protein skimmers. The Beckett skimmer uses a pressure rated pump to push water through the injector and into an acrylic box that acts s the reaction chamber. A baffle inside the box directs the bbbles upward where they create anice foam inside the riser tubes.
As perviously state, both types of skimmers are highly effective at removing waste from your sytem. If you talk to people who have owned both most will tell you a Beckett skimmr has a pretty good edge when it comes to raw power. Having seen both in operation I would certainly concur. The Becketts seem to produce a taller head of foam in the riser, and more skimmate in the collection cup.
The information comes from and article in FAMA magazine one of my favorites and the author of the article is Dan Theisen.
This article will look at two types of high-efficient skimmers that utilize completely different means to create foam. One uses a pump with a secial impeller caled a "needle wheel" to churn air and water into a fine mixture. the other uses a combination of a strong pump and aspecial type of injector to mix airr and water. These injectors are often referred to as "Becketts" after the company that is a major manufacturer of these items....
There are numberous companies manufacturing "Beckett skimmers" including Myreefcreations, Precision Marine, Lifereef. For the needle wheel skimmers BubbleKing, Deltec, ASM, and EuroReef. These style skimmers have been widely used in Europe for a while nw, and the first company to produce and sell them in the United States is EuroReef. They are the largest manufacturer of these skimmers.
There are other types of skimmers that don't use a needle wheel, or a beckett injector. Some of the ventui, downdraft, High-Speed Aeration, and other injector based skimmers are very effective at removing waste.
Both Beckett based skimmers and needle wheels are capable of producing large quantities of dark smelly skimmate.....I know what you are thinking...which one has more raw skimming power? The Beckett skimmers have he edge.
A needle wheel skimmer puts the venturi valve before the intake of the pump. As opposd to the exhaust where it is traditionally located. This allows boh water and air to be drawn into the pump where it is chopped up by the impeller. the real key to this filter is the specalized impeller. The needle wheel impeller is covered in needles. As the impeller spins, the needles break up the incoming air into tiny mirobubbles. It is thes million of tiny bubbles that make for such and effective skimmer......
the Beckett injector is basically a turbo charged venturi. Waer is pushed up and around a ball. This creaes a pressure differential that allows air to be drawn in through multiple small holes. (a standard venturi does not use a ball,and only has one air inlet). These foaming heads were designed to aerate ponds, but have been adapted to run protein skimmers. The Beckett skimmer uses a pressure rated pump to push water through the injector and into an acrylic box that acts s the reaction chamber. A baffle inside the box directs the bbbles upward where they create anice foam inside the riser tubes.
As perviously state, both types of skimmers are highly effective at removing waste from your sytem. If you talk to people who have owned both most will tell you a Beckett skimmr has a pretty good edge when it comes to raw power. Having seen both in operation I would certainly concur. The Becketts seem to produce a taller head of foam in the riser, and more skimmate in the collection cup.
