soldier0117
Member
Out of the Berlin X2 and the Nautilus TE which is better?
Red Sea Berlin X2 vs. Kent Nautilus TE
- Thread starter soldier0117
- Start date
devil dog
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2591751
Well neither are terribly good... if I had to choose between those exact two I'd pick the Berlin. That said, I quit using Berlin skimmers some time ago due to poor performance.
Was it the pump or the skimmer that had poor performance?
http:///forum/post/2591751
Well neither are terribly good... if I had to choose between those exact two I'd pick the Berlin. That said, I quit using Berlin skimmers some time ago due to poor performance.
Was it the pump or the skimmer that had poor performance?
soldier0117
Member
If you don't like those, what else would you pick that is comparably priced? Also just so you know this for a school water quality project and the tank is roughly a 200 gallon tub that was built by other student. It uses a DIY filter setup so far with a trash can with a up-flowing current and foam to filter particles and a tall tube full of bio-balls and air-stones for bio filtration. The fish in it are large Tilapia.
scsinet
Active Member
Why were my school projects never this cool?
Given the circumstances, I can see where price is an issue, but also given the fish, efficient skimming will be a necessity.
Honestly the one I'd consider is the MRC MR-1. It'll set you back about $275, which is probably about $100 higher than the others.
BUT, if you can possibly swing it, it's worth it, and you will absolutely be able to sell the skimmer on that famous bidding site or craig's site and get back most of your money when your project is over. MRC skimmers are coveted so you won't have any trouble.
By the same token, look on those sites for used MRC units.
Another option you may consider is to see if you have a local reef club. Reef club members are usually pretty hard_core (read: they have lots of extra stuff lying around) and love to see education about the hobby being done. If you joined the club for a nominal fee, you'll probably find someone that will lend you a nice skimmer for nothing to use for your project.
If none of these appeal to you, I'll reluctantly point you towards the coralife super skimmer. I'm not a fan of these skimmers because they tend to have problems with microbubbles in their effluent, but for a huge tank full of Tilapia, I doubt it will be a big issue.
Given the circumstances, I can see where price is an issue, but also given the fish, efficient skimming will be a necessity.
Honestly the one I'd consider is the MRC MR-1. It'll set you back about $275, which is probably about $100 higher than the others.
BUT, if you can possibly swing it, it's worth it, and you will absolutely be able to sell the skimmer on that famous bidding site or craig's site and get back most of your money when your project is over. MRC skimmers are coveted so you won't have any trouble.
By the same token, look on those sites for used MRC units.
Another option you may consider is to see if you have a local reef club. Reef club members are usually pretty hard_core (read: they have lots of extra stuff lying around) and love to see education about the hobby being done. If you joined the club for a nominal fee, you'll probably find someone that will lend you a nice skimmer for nothing to use for your project.
If none of these appeal to you, I'll reluctantly point you towards the coralife super skimmer. I'm not a fan of these skimmers because they tend to have problems with microbubbles in their effluent, but for a huge tank full of Tilapia, I doubt it will be a big issue.
soldier0117
Member
Thank you for replies so far. About the Coralife skimmer: I have a CSS 65 for my 55 gallon at home and it does ok but to be honest I'm sick of it. The setup I have just found annoying lately. Just for the sake of opinions though what do you think of an Aqua C EV series? Lastly the part of the project involving the skimmer is comparing the water quality of a tilapia tank with it vs. a tilapia tank without it.
scsinet
Active Member
Ahhh... well then obviously you want the best skimming possible to underscore the improvement that can be reaped.
If you can get the AquaC, it's a fine skimmer. I suggested the MRC because I think they are tad cheaper.
I do not own an AquaC skimmer myself, but I've not heard of ANYONE who has had an EV who has not be pleased. I have built some EV clones, and even though I put no real R/D into it and just built them by the seat of my pants, they've worked great.
If you can get the AquaC, it's a fine skimmer. I suggested the MRC because I think they are tad cheaper.
I do not own an AquaC skimmer myself, but I've not heard of ANYONE who has had an EV who has not be pleased. I have built some EV clones, and even though I put no real R/D into it and just built them by the seat of my pants, they've worked great.
soldier0117
Member
What is the best type of skimmer such as co-current, counter current, venturi, turbo, or beckett? Just curious.
scsinet
Active Member
Well "Best" is a loose term because people rate them differently. Noise, power consumption, foam production, price are all factors. Efficiency is one of the most mentioned factors, but you can look at the data in different ways and draw different conclusions.
Counter and co-current are traits of any skimmer. Depending on how it pushes water through versus the foam makes it counter current or co current. Any skimmer will be one or the other.
The most efficient I believe to be recirculating. The disadvantage of them is that they are expensive and require both a pump for the skimmer's operation and a pump to push water through them.
Counter and co-current are traits of any skimmer. Depending on how it pushes water through versus the foam makes it counter current or co current. Any skimmer will be one or the other.
The most efficient I believe to be recirculating. The disadvantage of them is that they are expensive and require both a pump for the skimmer's operation and a pump to push water through them.