Skimz SK181 Review

[apexifd]

bought this to replace my Vertex IN-100 which works quite well but, I probably have more bio load for what it can handle. So, here's comes Skimz SK181.

time for some pictures.
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/0982c950.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/d05f7cc4.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/95d575a5.jpg

I use vinegar bath for few hours and rinse off using tap water.

here are some youtube video

first run

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFS36Hxyqos

5 hours later

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaSurwF_Zz8

at this point I am extremely satisfy on how it performs, I am now looking forward on tuning this skimmer. Currently, water outlet and air adjustment valve are fully open.

[gucci17]

I have the sk181 but haven't put it to use yet.

Just curious, how high is your water level in the skimmer section of your sump? I think 8"-10" is recommended right?

My water level in my skimmer compartment is around 7". I'm worried I may need to make a taller sump.

[apexifd]

I have it at about 8" mark. seems to work good so far.

[Myka]

How's the Skimz treating you?

[apexifd]

How's the Skimz treating you?

it works quite well.. comparing to the vertex In-100 which was replaced by the skimz. Vertex skimmed wet, while Skimz is dry!! a lot darker skimate.

Yes, I am happy with the skimmer, and there suppose to be a upgrade version needle wheel coming up soon. So I am looking forward to it.

Also, I think the pump is the same dimension as the Eheim compat pump which is also made by Eden. So, I might look into getting a bigger pump later. Yet, I will need to do more research to verify this.

when I get a chance I will get post more picture.

[Myka]

Awesome, thanks!

[gregzz4]

Are you able to post some new pics this morning?
Thx

[gregzz4]

NM about the pics for my benefit.
I am buying r.a.s.hensons. I'll be able to see it running tomorrow.
Talked myself into not cheaping out on such a vital piece of equip :mrgreen:

[apexifd]

I have decided to put in a bigger pump into my SK181. and I went with Eden 140.


comparing the 2 pump
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/b671fd64.jpg
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/37fcb2c3.jpg

fitted in the new pump
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/5d5fbce3.jpg
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/2fc0bc56.jpg
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss67/apexifd/12842d3c.jpg

[gregzz4]

What made you decide to get the bigger pump?

[apexifd]

What made you decide to get the bigger pump?

I needed to get another pump for other reason, while I was shopping for pump, I came across Eden 140 at the good price which was only a little bit more than the smaller 135.

Being said, SK181 was originally equipped with ES2800 pump(still said that on skimmer body.) I believe the change was done when they made the 110V model(Skimz only had 220V model last year.)

I personally believed ES2000 was originally Eden 135 which was rated for 2000Lph of flow, while ES2800 is Eden 140 at 2800Lph of flow. At least thats my theory.

I wanted to try see what the skimmer can do when it's fitted with pump that it was originally designed for, and I needed a pump what will do 500gph. So the decision was made to convert the ES2000 back to regular water pump and Eden 140 to a skimmer pump.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with original pump, but I like to try with new thing in this hobby.

[phi delt reefer]

very interested to see how this turns out.

i am in the market for a new skimmer.

[Bill@IA]

What kind of needle impeller assembly came with the Eden 140??

[apexifd]

What kind of needle impeller assembly came with the Eden 140??

I just swap over the needle wheel from ES2000. 2 pumps has exactly same dimension.

[phi delt reefer]

where did u source the 110v version of the pump?

has the impeller on the stock pump rusted out on you yet?

[apexifd]

where did u source the 110v version of the pump?

has the impeller on the stock pump rusted out on you yet?

not a single trace of rust on the shaft and magnet.

Eheim Compact + is re-branded Eden. Eden will be hard to get her North America, but quite easy to get in Asia. Eden version is cheaper than the Eheim version. You are paying less for the name.

[gregzz4]

Looks like you transfered the whole face of the ES to the Eden.
Is this true? It just fits?
Where did you buy the new pump?

Definately want some feedback on how it performs.
Just in case my pump ever quits....

[apexifd]

Looks like you transfered the whole face of the ES to the Eden.
Is this true? It just fits?
Where did you buy the new pump?

Definately want some feedback on how it performs.
Just in case my pump ever quits....

This should be the same as ES2000 without the needle wheel.

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/em-pc2000/Eheim+Compact%2B+Pump+2000.html

everything fits without any modification. the Eden version is hard to get here since there's no authorized dealer, or Eheim won't allow that. I am not to sure about it.

I had the wife brought me the pump when she was on holiday in asia.

if anyone interested I can see if I can get a shipment in.

[gregzz4]

Thanks for that
Only concern I would have is the Eheim is 31watts and the ES is supposed to be only 12watts

[apexifd]

Thanks for that
Only concern I would have is the Eheim is 31watts and the ES is supposed to be only 12watts

well.. I am quite sure if ES is fitted to regular impeller, it will use 31 watts. With the needle wheel, the pump is moving less water, hence less power consumption.

[gregzz4]

Ya that makes sense.

If you really want to know how much power it uses, all you need is a clamp meter and a line splitter.

I bought a Fluke 334 (http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/electrical-test-tools/clamp-meters/fluke-334.htm?PID=70325) and an Extech 480172 (http://www.active123.com/eng/storeSection/redirect.cfm?sectionID=b2c/style/productDetails.cfm&itemID=480172&itemcategorylevel1=&itemcategorylevel2=). You can also make a line splitter with an extension cord by cutting a slit in the cord, but I don't know if you'll get a true reading that way.

Really handy if you want to know how much power you're using. My clamp meter is overkill for the price. Any cheap one will do ya.
All you do is multiply the reading; Amps X Voltage.
Test your house's voltage where the unit is plugged in to get a true usage calculation.

[apexifd]

Quick update.. it's definely skimming a lot better, I am getting more than before...

[Motorfranco]

I have the same tank size as yours,just wondering if sk181 is a little bit oversized? You don't worry about stripped the water too much for a Sps tank?
Anyway I ordered one already,cos my cabinet is only 22" inches tall,sk181 is the perfect size skimmer for me,just a little bit concerned about over skimed.

[apexifd]

I have the same tank size as yours,just wondering if sk181 is a little bit oversized? You don't worry about stripped the water too much for a Sps tank?
Anyway I ordered one already,cos my cabinet is only 22" inches tall,sk181 is the perfect size skimmer for me,just a little bit concerned about over skimed.

it's rated for 300 gallon with light bio load... so realistic number should be 1/2 of that. 150gallon for $500 skimmer sounds about right.

Having the extra skimming power lets me feed the the fish more often, and broadcast feed corals at night.

[gregzz4]

I replaced the stock impeller today in my SK181 with the upgraded one to stop the re-start issues
So far I'm happy with it

Only issue I have is that I can no longer rid myself of the pump humming noise by unplugging and replugging the pump until it goes away

I'm going to mess around with the pump some more to see if I can make it quieter

[gregzz4]

The noise I heard from my pump back in June went away pretty quickly after replacing the impeller ...

I believe the OP has since sold his unit so I want to add some info for others looking through this thread

I've had this unit running for 7 months with a light bio-load on my 75g, with a total of 110g water
Since I bought it, I've installed the upgraded impeller
The new impeller resolves the re-start issues with older production releases
This is the impeller that came with the unit I bought that was sold around May 2011, and had re-start issues

Note how the tips are uniformed

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SK181OriginalImpeller.jpg

This is the upgrade impeller that stops a re-start issue
Note the changes in the tip design

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SK181NewImpeller2.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SK181NewImpeller1.jpg


http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SK181NewImpeller3.jpg


I've not been disappointed with this skimmer's performance, but I made one mistake with my sump
My DT drains to my skimmer section, before my filter socks. This causes the skimmer to become dirty enough to impede it's performance
Today, after wondering why my skimmer would only run 9 turns on the gate valve ( instead of 10 ) without overflowing, I cleaned out all the detritus etc and it's back to pulling as it should
I did not find anything inside, so suffice it to say this unit is sensitive to buildup

I am very happy with it and have no plans to replace it, unless I come across a very cheap Vertex Alpha Cone :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Next time I'll get a pic of how much nog it collects, but here it is about an hour after a cup cleaning

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01614.jpg

[Aqua-Digital]

SK181's can be upgraded to CSC-150 using Sicce PSK1000 pumps we will have new bases available next year to retrofit.

[gregzz4]

Kinda off track here, but I'll bite

I asked you about the upgrade earlier this year when you first mentioned it, but you did not respond ...

What is involved in the upgrade ... is it just a matter of replacing the base, besides the pump ?
Is the pump complete, or are old parts re-used ?
And hows availability for replacement parts ?
And, of course, what's the upgrade cost ?

All good things to know if I ever would like to replace my Skimz ES2000 (Eheim 2000) pump, but I'm happy with it for now
I can pick up a new pump locally so, for now, I will stay away from a Sicce as no local to me vendors carry them

[Aqua-Digital]

What is involved in the upgrade ... is it just a matter of replacing the base, besides the pump ?
Just base and Pump is required

Is the pump complete, or are old parts re-used ?
The PSK1000 pump is supplied complete with new volute

And hows availability for replacement parts ?
Excellent, unlike Eden, all Sicce spares are available through us and they have a base in the USA (Sicce USA)

And, of course, what's the upgrade cost ?
Not sure yet, but affordable

I will stay away from a Sicce as no local to me vendors carry them.
There are NO Eden dealers in the whole of North America, but you have Sicce available right here ;) any local dealer has access to spares

Of course there is no reason to upgrade all the time you are happy with the Eden pump, but for those that wish to upgrade to gain the performance jump they will have an option to do so

[gregzz4]

Great answers, except for ...

I will stay away from a Sicce as no local to me vendors carry them.
There are NO Eden dealers in the whole of North America, but you have Sicce available right here ;) any local dealer has access to spares

What I was eluding to here is I can buy an Eheim pump body locally, if mine fails, and transfer the volute and impeller

[Aqua-Digital]

Not the same body sorry, as I understand it they only share the same motor block internally.

http://cdn.bulkreefsupply.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/336x290/5f177bf57faef1e99ae3f2f2e320fef0/3/0/300215-Eheim-Compact-2000-Aquarium-Pump-b_1.jpg

[gregzz4]

Hmmm, you may have something there
I was assuming the Eheim would work because the OP used an Eden pump

I have an Eheim 2000 running my chiller. I'll have to compare it to the ES next time I strip down the skimmer
Being stubborn, I may find a way to make it fit :rolleyes:

So, is there a vendor closer to us West Coasters than Concept ?

[Aqua-Digital]

would be great if you could.

One of the biggest reasons we went OEM with Skimz only using their bodies was due to the pump, we found the sicce far outperformed and we did not have warranty issues.

So the SK became the CSC and as they say the rest is history ;)

when we get the mod kits in I will offer up one to you for evaluating the differences.

[gregzz4]

Sounds good to me :wink:
Anything to improve nog production would be a plus

[gregzz4]

Quick update on nog production
75g DT, 110g total volume and a light bio-load

This was 1 hour after a cup cleaning

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01614.jpg

This is 4 days worth
Keep in mind I was feeding frozen twice daily due to a finicky fish, so production was down significantly

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01616.jpg

It'll be nice to see what improvement there is with the new CSC retrokit when it's available