colin779
Well-known member
My new skimmer finally arrived today. I bought the SWC 160 Extreme Cone. Now if only i wasn't at work so i could go home and get it running.
New Skimmer!
- Thread starter colin779
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Peppie
Well-known member
I hate it when work gets in the way of my hobby.
LOL That skimmer was a PITA to get broken in. It has been running a little more than a month now in my system and is finally able to be set to maintain a level and is pulling some really nice skim out. Overall I am very happy with it! I hope you enjoy it.
Skimmy
SKIM FU
the key is to give it a bath in hot water or hot water/vinegar to rinse off production oils...
that usually kick starts the skimmer a little for you. but yes, any skimmer will take at least a week to start acting
normally.
that usually kick starts the skimmer a little for you. but yes, any skimmer will take at least a week to start acting
normally.
Once it breaks in, you'll wonder why it took you so long to get one! I am running the MiniS cone, on my 200 Deep Dimension and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! However, it's always had some restart issues.
Myteemouse
NOTHING
PICS or it didn't happen 
the6goat6man6
Well-known member
I have a 180, it seemed to work great right out of the box. I did wait 2mths for customs to release it, does that count, LOL.
colin779
Well-known member
So far it has been working pretty well, its probably not even broken in and over the weekend pulled more out then my old skimmer did in two weeks. I'll post a picture when i get home today.
Two months for customs??? Holy crap. I ordered it through my LFS (i usually give him the opportunity to have the business so he put the order in for me) and we waited for almost a month, then he called them again and it was dropped at UPS the next day... Almost like they got the order and the money and just forgot to ship it.... Only took a week to make it from Canada to his shop via UPS ground.
Two months for customs??? Holy crap. I ordered it through my LFS (i usually give him the opportunity to have the business so he put the order in for me) and we waited for almost a month, then he called them again and it was dropped at UPS the next day... Almost like they got the order and the money and just forgot to ship it.... Only took a week to make it from Canada to his shop via UPS ground.
jgalvin
Well-known member
the atman 2500 pump broke on mine. i was having the same restart issues, but even using the pull out and put in trick, it would sputter, like an old car. it was only 2 months old, so the pump was replaced under warranty. net love the SWC skimmer, design, works great, but not much confidence in the chinese atman pump.
colin779
Well-known member
Here's a picture from last night. Its been running since Friday night.
Skimmy
SKIM FU
the atmann(via aqua) pumps are actually pretty decent pumps.... yes they are a cheaper chinese manufactured pump, but they have a low failure rate when you compare them to resun, otp, sedra pumps which are all lower end popular skimmer pumps.
plus, pumps, no matter the brand, (even red dragon $700 skimmer pumps) will fail, it's how the manufacturer/distributer deals with the failure that is more important.
plus, pumps, no matter the brand, (even red dragon $700 skimmer pumps) will fail, it's how the manufacturer/distributer deals with the failure that is more important.
colin779
Well-known member
Agreed, customer service is very important. I figure for all the failures you hear about there's probably 500 that didn't fail if not more. People without issues tend to not leave feedback. So far i am extremely pleased with the skimmer. I can't even hear it running unless i open the cabinet door.
jgalvin
Well-known member
the distributor who sold me the SWC said he's had many returns of the atman pump due to failure (something to do with the magnet). its been replaced (great service/support from distributor) and the skimmer is working fine now, but i do not have the same confidence in the atman pump as a tunze or eheim.
Holidayz
Member
I have the 180 and it skimm great. However, the Sicce psk 2500 pump kind of noisy and having a hard time finding a better replacement pump due to the tight fit. Other than that, a great skimmer.
the6goat6man6
Well-known member
Yeah, but for some reason Customs had a whole pallet of SWC skimmers sitting on their dock. Check, recheck, recheck, I was getting P/O but what can you do. For some reason they decided to mess with the Load that had my skimmer in it. But it was worth the wait, love it.
Clownfish Em
Member
skimmer gurus, I could use some help deciding on a new skimmer. I have asked a couple of people who are quite trustworthy and have narrowed it down to a few choices. Since I would need to partly disassemble the sumps I only want to do this once, so a little overkill would be ok.
The fine print: 200 gal reef tank with 6 medium sized fish (yellow Tang, etc). 8 bulb T5 HO light. Undersized, but apparently effective refugium.
Currently using 2 ancient cylindrical skimmers in 2 under-tank sumps.
Sumps are 11x11 and 11x16 with about 23in of headroom.
Price range: about $375
We are looking at A) SWC 180 (??Xtreme??) with 2500 Sicce pump for $375
B) Reef Octopus NWB 200 (2010 MODEL) $275-nice price for last years model
C)SWC mini S Xtreme with Sicce pump for $379
D) None of the above.....
Conical skimmers ARE the way to go, right?
Bonus Question: Does your choice in skimmers need any add-ons for improved air intake, etc?
Thanks for your time!!
The fine print: 200 gal reef tank with 6 medium sized fish (yellow Tang, etc). 8 bulb T5 HO light. Undersized, but apparently effective refugium.
Currently using 2 ancient cylindrical skimmers in 2 under-tank sumps.
Sumps are 11x11 and 11x16 with about 23in of headroom.
Price range: about $375
We are looking at A) SWC 180 (??Xtreme??) with 2500 Sicce pump for $375
B) Reef Octopus NWB 200 (2010 MODEL) $275-nice price for last years model
C)SWC mini S Xtreme with Sicce pump for $379
D) None of the above.....
Conical skimmers ARE the way to go, right?
Bonus Question: Does your choice in skimmers need any add-ons for improved air intake, etc?
Thanks for your time!!
the6goat6man6
Well-known member
SWC Extreme cone 180, works awesome, small foot print due to the pump being mounted inside the skimmer body. Awesome unit, Thanks Skimmy:clap2:
the6goat6man6
Well-known member
Sorry, with that 8 bulb t-5 unit, couldn't you find some LEDs for less. They have come a long way, and are a little more affordable. Especially when you consider new bulbs every 6-9mths!
I actually got my LEDs cheaper than any other option for lighting and I don't have to spend extra money on bulbs
I actually got my LEDs cheaper than any other option for lighting and I don't have to spend extra money on bulbs
Clownfish Em
Member
Hey Goat, where were you a year ago when we were mulling that one over???? Only kidding. Actually, we have had these for about a year. They were highly recommended by the LFS who has given us pretty much 100% good advice in retrospect. We have some LPS and SPS corals and so far, we are quite pleased with how things are doing (with the exception of ridding the tank of green hair algea- but even that is getting better now that we are using RO/DI water). When we get the bill for replacing 8 bulbs, which I am sure will be soon, I may be changing my tune.....
