Skimmer Kings 8 footer again

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Looking forward to this build

What about the Vertex Alpha Cone series ?

Gregg I'm leaning toward a AP902 with self cleaning Head if not it will be a vertex 250 or a 702

[gregzz4]

Not familiar with those models but ...
Either you have access to a used AP902, or you don't know they are soon to be unavailable - unless the sites I checked are not carrying them anymore, but they are still for sale ?

You da Skimmer man, so you'll know better than me what you need

I was kinda hoping you'd try out the Vertex Alphas as I wanna get one one day - the 170 or 200 looks good to me for my setup
One day ...

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Not familiar with those models but ...
Either you have access to a used AP902, or you don't know they are soon to be unavailable - unless the sites I checked are not carrying them anymore, but they are still for sale ?

You da Skimmer man, so you'll know better than me what you need

I was kinda hoping you'd try out the Vertex Alphas as I wanna get one one day - the 170 or 200 looks good to me for my setup
One day ...

i have a Alpha 170 cone that i have. hint hint. i love it
the AP902 and the 702 are discontinued however the use a ehiem pump and you can still buy them. the unit will be used unless i can find a Alpha 250

[Myka]

If you don't get a BK, get a CSC before a Vertex.

I have 3 Vertex (180s and 250s) and they are fussy like EuroReefs. They like to overflow like EuroReefs because the air intakes get plugged like EuroReefs. See a theme? Makes sense since they are designed like EuroReefs. They run great for the first year, then for some reason you end up having to clean the air intake twice a month after that. It seems like I can never get a steady water level in the skimmer because the air intake is always at a different level of plugged-ness. One thing I do like about the Vertex is replacement pumps are easily available. If you're in a real pinch you can order one from J&L with overnight shipping.

Although I haven't seen the CSCs in person they look a lot like SWC cone skimmers, and my SWC cone skimmers are both plug and play, set and forget. The SWCs are great skimmers for the price point, but I will never buy another product from "Jayson the smuggler". I'm interested to see how the CSCs perform in the next few months and see if customer service and replacement pumps prove to be consistent. I might consider replacing all my Vertex skimmers with CSCs.