SWC vs. RO

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

NaTe R

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
400
Location
Yakima Wa
i m also considering the Bubble king Alpha cone 170 but i keep hearing people say there hard to dial in and get stablized. Plus i know no one who owns one to check it out.

+the price is kinda steep for somthing that dosnt review well
 
i am adding a larger sump and a 20gal tank connected to the system soon is what i mean by that
 
no reading is fundamental lol well atleast not for me I know what others will say and that would be the swc I think also this would be a better choice since I believe they ahev figured out the sicce start up issues and Mark AKA skimmie is a local vendor and possibly will have one in stock. I have never owned a SWC skimmer I think they skim too wet for my personal taste I like a dry stinky cup of gloop.

but if bubble king fits your budget thats what I would opt for. solid skimmer and solid pump I have a diy Bubble King Mini 160 not hooked up yet but I know I will love this one lol Troylee and also Mojo built this one. most all my skimmers troyLee has built me.
 
well, i do think the full cone design of the SWC 180 is better than the new octo, but that is the new sicce pump on the RO that is suppose to be better than the psk 2500, but as mentioned, SWC has designed the start up issues out of the psk2500, and it gets slightly more air injection.
so yes, all in all i think the SWC full cone skimmer is better design and more power.
 
Last edited:
I may be wrong but I think that both of these will be maxed trying to keep up with 180 gallons, 10 fish, and SPS. Of the two, I would lean towards the 180 cone but I'd seriously consider moving up to either the RO Extreme XS 250 or SWC Extreme 250 Cone. Yes, it will cost more to move up but I would rather have a little headroom to handle my bioload and the ability to add a few more fish. I've got a 180G with probably 230-240 gallons total volume, 6 fish, 10-11 SPS and a skimmer rated to 400G.

Mike
 
so the psk 1000 is an updated pump?

i saw that the swc had the 2500 and the ro had the 1000 rated at the same bioloads and was a little confused by this because just assuming that a 2500 is a slightly bigger pump than the 1000 but thats not the case?

lvsuckerfish- have you herd the rumors that the cone bubble kings have the dialing in issues?

Skimmy (mark) - do you agree with mike should i think about going bigger than the 180?
 
Good thread (NaTe R) I'm moving up to a 180 as well, and was wondering the exact same thing. Tagging along on this one, Matt.
 
i hear ya cad. i know reef octopuss is like a made in china thing so who knows if there ratings are even realistic. Plus the two skimmer metioned above were both rated about the same but have the same brand name pump but diffrent numbers its confusing for a guy who has no LFS to check out anthing or local reefers who may use diffrent equipments.

thanks again guys for your advise/opinions
 
I may be upgrading my 250 SWC to a cone soon..
What would be the best SWC cone?? I would prefer one pump instead of two. I have a total of 210 gallons of water but HEAVY (soon to be heavier) bio-load
 
Hmm, good topic.
I have been looking for others opinion on this cone theory. I am still not sold on it being better then a straight skimmer.
My thinking is that they will actually inhibit the rising foam and narrow it down. Let me explain;
So here is this chamber with all these bubbles gathering nutrients on there surface. The bubbles are being forced up, when you restrict that upward flow the bubbles are getting more narrow in the column, some are forced up and others are now being forced down.
It is these bubbles that are being forced down and away from the collection cup that I worry about because they have a greater chance of being returned to the aquarium and carrying now with them, the nutrients we are trying so hard to remove.
 
But couldn't the cone act like a jet engine, by increasing the flow (pressure) forcing more bubbles out the top and into the cup?
 
You don't want that Nate :) Better to buy one that comes with a warranty ;) But TY for the kind words :D
Hello Cap! Since I am getting familiar with all the members here again let me welcome you to RF :)
I see how you would think that. But that is not how skimmers work. If they did we would have some serious top off issue! LOL!
If you have ever watched a cone skimmer you can see the bubbles running down the sides. Actually all skimmers do this.
I'm not trying to push a way of thinking about cone skimmers, just trying to understand them better. Most of my friends that use probiotics are running cone skimmer BTW and they have some of the most spectacular reefs I have ever seen.
I am just looking for on hand, out of the box thinking.
 
Hmm, good topic.
I have been looking for others opinion on this cone theory. I am still not sold on it being better then a straight skimmer.
My thinking is that they will actually inhibit the rising foam and narrow it down. Let me explain;
So here is this chamber with all these bubbles gathering nutrients on there surface. The bubbles are being forced up, when you restrict that upward flow the bubbles are getting more narrow in the column, some are forced up and others are now being forced down.
It is these bubbles that are being forced down and away from the collection cup that I worry about because they have a greater chance of being returned to the aquarium and carrying now with them, the nutrients we are trying so hard to remove.

how did you come to this theory as both have to get through the neck. The cone makes a easier transition to and through the neck to make its way to the collection cup. yes straight shot up the a blunt not stop but will use for this case to the neck of the skimmer were as a cone as a gradual transition from the body up to the neck. that is how I understand the cones to be more efficient over cylinder body skimmers.
 
so the psk 1000 is an updated pump?

i saw that the swc had the 2500 and the ro had the 1000 rated at the same bioloads and was a little confused by this because just assuming that a 2500 is a slightly bigger pump than the 1000 but thats not the case?

lvsuckerfish- have you herd the rumors that the cone bubble kings have the dialing in issues?

Skimmy (mark) - do you agree with mike should i think about going bigger than the 180?

well, i think 1000-1200lph air injection is plenty for a 180 as long as you are running carbon, and preferable a fuge as well.
I may be upgrading my 250 SWC to a cone soon..
What would be the best SWC cone?? I would prefer one pump instead of two. I have a total of 210 gallons of water but HEAVY (soon to be heavier) bio-load

swc does have a new cone skimmer,
the new SWC 230 cone with askoll pump, 60 scfh at 50 watts, pump in the body, should be about $500 or so.
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/10/21/swc-230-improved-swc-300a-releasing-time-christmas/



Hmm, good topic.
I have been looking for others opinion on this cone theory. I am still not sold on it being better then a straight skimmer.
My thinking is that they will actually inhibit the rising foam and narrow it down. Let me explain;
So here is this chamber with all these bubbles gathering nutrients on there surface. The bubbles are being forced up, when you restrict that upward flow the bubbles are getting more narrow in the column, some are forced up and others are now being forced down.
It is these bubbles that are being forced down and away from the collection cup that I worry about because they have a greater chance of being returned to the aquarium and carrying now with them, the nutrients we are trying so hard to remove.

im guessing u dont own a cone skimmer... :)
yes, they do skim better infact, and yes they tend to be more efficent.
a good cone skimmer is not going to have bubbles forced "down" the reaction chamber, that is what the bubble plate is for , to alleviate the turbulence allowing the air to travel up at a slower rate, but ultimately i think that is a moot point, because most skimmers inject process water at the bottom, the water and air moves to the top of the skimmer, then the process water has to fight all the bubbles going up to get to the exit, meaning that there is going to be more dwell in the reaction chamber, and that the water molecules are going to get caught in the air and probably travel up again a few times befor they exit. the trick is having a pump, bubble plate, reaction chamber, and neck size that all match eachother properly, so a good cone skimmer will anticipate these in the design and choosing of pump, less expensive or poorly designed cone skimmers might not consider those items so much...
 
Thanks skimmerwisperer! That is what I wanted to read. And no, I have not owned one yet and have been thinking on the concept from what I read online. Thanks for the input. :)
 
I picked up an SWC 200 from mark the other day, already happy with it. Its been running a couple hours now, and its already on the cusp of being broken in( I was expecting it to take another 20). The bubbles are right on the edge of that desired frothiness.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top