What does a Bubble plate really do?

[Poseidon]

Okay, here is the scoop, I have a MRC MR-2 skimmer, and I would like to replace it with a skimmer that draws fewer then the 180W that this one does. Don't get me wrong, the skimmer does a great job, it is just a bit expensive to run. I am trying to find a replacement skimmer, I am looking at skimmers in the $350-$500 range, and I found the new "Ocean Force" skimmers from MRC. This skimmer looks well built, and I like the pump being located below the skimmer body, it makes for a smaller "cleaner" looking foot print. Anyway, these skimmers have a bubble plate, but it is located directly on top of the pump output, so the water/air mix is pushed directly into the bottom of the plate. Other skimmers, like ATB, ATI, Bubble King, etc.. they all have bubble plates as well, but the water/air mixture is injected on a plane parallel to the plate, not perpendicular to it.

So, back to my question, what does a bubble plate do, and does it matter where the water contacts it?

Thanks!

 

[Curtswearing]

spreads out the flow. It's not required on a skimmer but it makes them a little more efficient.

 

[Poseidon]

So it really doesn't matter from where the flow enters the space below the bubble plate? I read a comment somewhere about "MRC doesn't understand fully what a bubble plate does, because of the way the water is directed into the bottom of the plate." So really, whoever wrote that doesn't understand?

 

[Skimmy]

well, there's a little more to a bubble plate than that....
their main job is to decrease turbulence and make the foam head more stable/productive.

dont even bother with the mrc ocean force...
first of all, i 've never even heard of the pump they are using...
so i dont know if it's a POS or what, and they dont list any of the air/watt draw numbers of the pump, not a good sign...
and yes, their bubble plate does look kinda lame, it shouldnt be shooting through the bottom then right out the top like that, so yes, it's a poor knock off wanna be cool skimmer...
here is the skimmer it's trying to be:
http://www.aquacave.com/octopus-extreme-160-br-protein-skimmer-br-by-coralvue-2199.html
and here is a new cone skimmer from Warner marine with a brand new bubble plate design that is superior to any i have ever seen...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1487970
presumably they will be incorporating this new design on other skimmers as well.

 

[Skimmy]

so what size tank are you trying to skim??

 

[Poseidon]

Thanks for the response! I was hoping to hear from you, Charlie had mentioned you as being the man to talk to when it came to skimmers.

Here are a few pictures of my current setup, it is a 90 gallon tank, with a 100 gallon rubbermaid sump.

FTS:

Sump:

The skimmer I have now has been modified into a recirculation model, and is gravity fed from my overflow. It works well, as you can see by the dirty body, but I would really prefer to reduce watt draw. I also have plans to reduce my sump to a 30 gallon tank, from the 100 gallon tub. Now that I have central air, I don't need as much water volume in the basement for cooling purposes in the summer, and if I reduce the volume some down there, I may be able to drop my heater wattage a bit too.

That Warner Marine skimmer looks VERY nice, have they announced any pricing yet?

 

[Skimmy]

hey, that's a really nice tank!!!

well, suprisingly enough, you can get just about any skimmer with a sicce psk2500 pump on it that is mesh modded to outperform a single beckett injector like what you have...and here's the kicker...
it only consumes 23 watts!!!! that's right, 1200 lph air injection at 23 watts!!

so i would look at the msx extreme 200
http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/c...t_info.html?osCsid=u7oovk2td5258r11jsccmiu592

the warner marine as200 with sedra 9000ho (1100 lph air injection at 45watts mesh modded it gets 1400lph air & less watts)
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=34_452&products_id=2686

the new warner marine K1 skimmer is going to be out very soon, i'll know more soon, as jon from WM lets me know about these things
it actually looks way better than the ATB cone skimmer, which is probably my favorite...until now, the cone just got p0wn3d

 

[CarlaW]

Thank you Mark, I really appreciate your help man, I owe you one!!!!

 

[Skimmy]

im a savant, so however i may be of service is good...

 

[Skimmy]

i cant remember if cnc marine or SWC is the innovator of this design of the octopus extreme, they both make a better version than the octopus version, mainly because of their modification to the venturi. cnc marine went out of business, so this is the next best place to get this skimmer from, these actually work better. CV (octopus) actually copied this design and dont make it as well.
http://saltwaterconnection.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3

and if i had to guess as to the price of the WM K1 cone, im guessing with the new design it's going to be only couple hundered less than the ATB
but well worth the investment to be sure.
there is also the SWC cone skimmer with sicce psk2500 which is awesome to be sure, and less money @ $799 but the warner marine version looks heads and tails above the SWC one.
and im waiting for luke to chime in here any moment....

 

[Sascha D]

the tank looks beautiful

 

[Poseidon]

Thanks Mark for the compliment, I like the tank now that it has grown in some, it looked pretty rough when the corals were small.

Thank you VERY much for pointing me in the right direction with the SWC skimmer. Just to confirm, that skimmer, the MSX200, for ONLY $280 including the pump will out perform my MR-2? It sure looks like it, with those power consumption versus air intake numbers. The only concern I have is getting it to fit into a 30 gallon tank that I want to use as a sump, at 11.5" wide, it will be a tight fit to be sure.

I'll hold off on the purchase until I see the cost on that cone, that sure does look like a really good skimmer, very well made for sure!

Charlie, Thanks!

Bojangles, Thank You, it is a work in process.

 

[Skimmy]

hey, jon warner just pm'ed me and told me the K1 cone skimmer is going to street for $699!!
an excellent deal, imo he didnt say when they will hit the streets, but im guessing it will be a week or 2

 

[Poseidon]

Absolutely!!!! I think I may bump my budget figure a bit to allow for that one. I have some things that I have been needing to sell, and this will get me off my butt to do that!

 

[Skimmy]

that skimmer, the MSX200, for ONLY $280 including the pump will out perform my MR-2?

I'll hold off on the purchase until I see the cost on that cone, that sure does look like a really good skimmer, very well made for sure!

yes, the swc extreme 200 will outperform your single beckett injector, consume only 23 watts and cost only $279

if you can wait for/afford the K1 cone, i'd say go for it, yes, it's twice the cost for slightly less power (unless you mesh mod the pump, then exactly the same power) but it's the improved cone design your paying for...if you've never seen a cone skimmer, they are insane!!! cone design is much more productive that a skimmer of the same power without the cone, and that new bubble plate of WM's is better than even a BK bubble plate!!

 

[Poseidon]

I have not seen a cone skimmer in person, but I have a feeling I will soon!

I am going to start planning a sump redo, that way when this skimmer is available I will be ready for it. I may even build a new sump, something a little wider then 12" just to make sure that the skimmer will fit.

 

[luke33]

The BP does a few things. It kills the turbulence and gives a uniform bubble rise and foam head. It also keeps the standpipe micro bubble free which is why most use them these days. The sicce pump only pushes around 350-450gph waterflow, which isn't much at all so turbulence isn't the issue, its micro's.

 

[luke33]

i cant remember if cnc marine or SWC is the innovator of this design of the octopus extreme, they both make a better version than the octopus version, mainly because of their modification to the venturi. cnc marine went out of business, so this is the next best place to get this skimmer from, these actually work better. CV (octopus) actually copied this design and dont make it as well.
http://saltwaterconnection.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3

and if i had to guess as to the price of the WM K1 cone, im guessing with the new design it's going to be only couple hundered less than the ATB
but well worth the investment to be sure.
there is also the SWC cone skimmer with sicce psk2500 which is awesome to be sure, and less money @ $799 but the warner marine version looks heads and tails above the SWC one.
and im waiting for luke to chime in here any moment....

How is the WM cone better than the ATB and SWC? There all fairly close in design. The air in the WM is injected higher than the others giving it less dwell time. It also has the smallest neck out of the three comparable sizes. How tall is it? The atb's 22" and the swc's 24". Were really talking about three different skimmers here. If you compare the medium size atb with all these others were discussing it really depends on the pump it uses. One sicce on either or is going to give you the same results imo. And all three using one sicce will skim a fairly large tank pry a 250g or less. Now if you want the next step up you have two sicce's and i look at it as mid level and could pry handle a 350-450g tank. Now if you want the king pump for cone's you will use the airstar or laguna pump. Now your talkin a 450+ g tank. But the wm cone looks nice, but its not the "best" just the least expensive for now : ) I mean there almost all the same skimmer using the sicce.

 

[freetareef]

hey poseidon...
very nice set up!!! is your ca reactor diy? do you have dolminite in there as well? how long did it take you to figure out your mixture?

 

[Poseidon]

Thanks!

Yes, the reactor is a DIY, based on the DJ88 reactor from RC. I don't have dolomite in there, I use the Gen-X large media, and about 3-4 pounds of SeaChem's Gray Coast "sand". It was an experiment as I have low Magnesium levels in the tank constantly, it has not really worked that well. According to the spec sheets the Gray Coast has a TON of Mg in it, but it also Calcite, so it breaks down at a lower pH, I thought the reactor at 6.8 would pull it out pretty quick, but that has not been the case.