What would you get? Skimz SM 121, SWC160, Nac6A, Nac7 or NAC9?
 

If you had a 66 gal tank (SPS dominated with three mid size (3") fish) what would you get, if you had to choose between these skimmers and why? Also i am trying to find out the size of the neck of the cone Nac7 skimmer, does anyone know ?

It is stated that Nac7 Cone skimmer is 9" at the bottom but what are they at the neck in inches? Almost looks like the chamber of the Nac7 is similar diameter at the top as Nac 6A and if so the these two should have very similar performance in terms of contact time and air to water mix ratio especially due to the fact that these two have the same water pump atman ph2500.

And yet Nac7 is rated for more gallons.

I'd like to overskim so this is decided, but still wonder what others think.
thank you.:smile:

Nac6A
.
NAC7
.
SWC160

Or
SKIMZ SM 121

I checked mine: 4" across the neck. (NAC 7).

Any reason why you're decision is limited to Bubble Magus?

500 l/h air intake, small footprint, price, easy to clean, silent pump

If money is an issue, get A nac6. For the $50 more I would get a nac7, cone skimmers are much more efficient.

If footprint is important, the nac6 will fit in more places than the nac7

I love my NAC7 from BWA.
Pulled out sooo much stuff that it astonishes me every couple of days!
Another plus: it is heck of a lot more easy on the wallet than most full-sized skimmer.

how much are these two (NAC7 & NAC 6A) at your store?
What would a shipping to Vancouver cost?
do they come with pin wheel or mesh impeller ?
what is the neck diameter of the NAC6?
220volts or 110V?
thx.

swc 160 cone

I looked it up and it looks a lot like a Nac7. Even pump is the same.
Is SWC 160 cone cheeper? who makes it?

I saw that OA was west coast distributor for SWC for just a short time. Was kinda wondering why they aren't anymore.
I need a new skimmer for 110 gallon rebuild and thought about both SWC and Bubble Magus but am having second thoughts about both.

Look at Skimz

Is there a reason why you are having 2nd thoughts?
thx

Would like to talk to OA first, but does seem odd that they were The distributor for only a very short time. As for Bubble magus, just haven't seen alot of very positive feedback lately.
There is a Eshoppe 100 and a Coralife 125 right now with the system and I know that I am not going to be happy with either one.I have a little time yet before making the decision. But the more feedback the better.
Do you use either one?

OC sells them and i few people i know run the 160 cone and have nothing but good things to say about it.

I have a nac-7 would only switch for a skimmer king.

+1 on the SWC skimmers. I have a 230 and this thing is sweet!

Ive got the SWC 180 cone and it's great! Skims really well, comes preassembled, bottom come off for super easy cleaning, silent pump, plus it's canadian company!

Who is OC? is there a web site?
thx

Oceanic Corals. The site seems to be down at the moment though

http://www.oceaniccorals.com/

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=133

OC also sells Bubble Magus I believe.


Chris

This site is down for whatever reason...
i wonder how much OC charge for NAC7?
its 170+48 shipping from china= $ 218

Hi,

Our website is undergoing restructuring at the moment and will be back up soon, but to answer your question we have shifted our focus on selling SWC as the owner is a Canadian company and in my opinion the build is equal if not better then the BM counter part.

To compete with the BM NAC-7 skimmer, SWC has the BMK-150 as seen here.

http://www.saltwaterconnection.com/i...roducts_id=148

Our price is $230 and we have them in stock. Pricing on the manufacturers website does not include shipping yet so we are very competitive in pricing.

We do have a demo unit available to view as well as a working model in our invert system.

We are located in Aldergrove. 27266 Fraser Highway Aldergrove. 604-625-2268.

Hope to see you soon.

Cheers,

Paul

Build quality probably equal to Skimz (my Askoll pump kicks the crap out of the Skimz pump) or better. Definitely better than Bubble Magus.

:thumb:

I also agree with this deduction. The Askoll pumps are awesome and the skimmer has a real small footprint to boot.

Paul

So looks like it came down to a choice between
SWC 160 and Bubble Magus NAC7

both skimmers have same Atman2500 pump, same shape (cone), same air intake.
The only difference is SWC has air intake control but you would want to run at full air anyway.

NAC7 is aprox. 220$ shipped
SWC 160 is $274+tax= $307

Just wondering if i am missing something here?

thank you.

I wasn't aware that this had been proven so definitively re: cone skimmers. My impression was that recent research is showing no significant difference between cone and cylindircal skimmers.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

Wow, this is a very good read, an eye opener and grounding for sure. Brings all the hype about "new" and "latest &greatest" right down.

LOL i might just boost up a flow a little on my large DIY downdraft air driven skimmer and be on par with BK on TOC removal ! LOL, because my skimmer is driven by a huge air pump, and 2 air stones last up to 6 month. A waist cup wash on it takes less time to clean then on my Deltec MCE600

SWC 160 it kept up with my 150 gal tank that i had with a30 gal sump,
alot better made
and alot easier to dial in
you can run in high and low water
dead silent
small foot print.


if you haven't yet PM Doug on can reef he had he is selling his he has down graded and does not need a skimmer. probably get a good price for it.

Who is Doug?

pm coming

According to the article, you will probably get the same or better results - and at a fraction of the cost! Also, air driven skimmers have the reputation (whether accurate or not is up for debate) of being easier on the planktonic organisms we (and our inverts) love.

Is yours the Extreme or the cone model?
I am debating between these two a Vortex 180 and a SKIMZ SM 121 MONZTER
on a 80 gallon with 30 gallon sump.

Here is what i like about skimz sm 121:
Technical Data:

* Skimmer pump: 1 Skimz ES2000 needle wheel - MADE IN ITALY
* Power consumption: 12W
* Air intake: 540 l/h
Looking at the picture it is clear that skimz pump is out of the air mixing chamber and that design feature is better then BM NAC's or SWC. Their pumps are all inside mixing chamber ant that will reduce water/air contact time as well as capacity of the skimmer. If you look at all these (NAC's and SWC ) pictures and videos you will see that area around the pump is never filled with bubbles so this space is wasted. In Skimz,circ pump is below that mixing chamber (which makes the unit slightly higher but that is OK if it fits in )
.

Also looks like mesh wheels getting plugged up with debris and are worn out in short time, so needle-wheel is better choice for reliability long term. Other then that its very similar to Babble Magus NAC6 skimmer. I have been on this subject for a few month now. Watched and red about all of whats available on the web.
My thinking is that i want skimmer with largest possible water/air mixing chamber to fit in my sump, with most amount of air coming in and at lowest power consumption.
Must be silent, pump and or impellers must be available here (for replacement parts) and has to be at $250 price range or less for a new one at my door.

ya that skimz skimmer is a wicked looking skimmer

Can you please check what is the height of the rising tube from bubble diffuser plate to the bottom of the collection cup neck?
I am considering this skimmer and would like to know what is the size of the mixing chamber.
Also what is the diameter just above bubble diffuser?

There is a new skimmer on the block 2011 Marine color CPS-150 that is very similar to NAC7 but they changed a water effluent tube, made it few inches higher which will make it more consistent in regards to a water level and more stable. looks very similar to a HERO line skimmers.

Thank you so much.

I recently got a SWC 120 Cone for my nano because of the impressively tiny footprint, and I'm quite impressed with it. I pulled my EuroReef RS-180 off my 90 reef (w about 15 in the sump), and put the SWC in there just to check it out. The SWC pulls about 2/3 the skimmate (at similar coloration) that the RS-180 pulls, and the SWC is deadly silent. Believe it or not I can hear the Tunze 6055 in my tank switching from high flow to low flow over everything else in the tank now, and i'm sure you guys know how quiet that is.

SWC rates this 120 Cone for 90 gallons at a light bioload, 70 for medium, and 55 for heavy. I would say that isn't too bad for manufacturer recommendations. My tank is medium-light and the skimmer isn't quite enough to keep up, although I'm rather picky.

I was wanting to replace my EuroReef with a Bubble King, but now I think I'm going to use a SWC 160 or 180 Cone instead because of performance and silence. Unless of course I find a screaming deal on a Bubble King that I just can't pass up.