Bubble Master Skimmers more info wanted???

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by lvpd186
UCanDoIt - thanks for the comparison info. Since I haven't had the chance to try the other brands used could you also compare the prices as well as what size tank they are designed for? The skimmers from H&S and Deltec were ranked several times as "Best" but I think it would be interesting to see if that "best" rating also comes at a much higher cost.

I'm sure that you can locate pricing on the respective websites. The last 3 skimmer comparison that he did earlier this year was with the Reef Octopus, H&S and Deltec's smallest skimmers that have capacity ratings of about 100g. And the BM150 has similar capacity rating is why we discussed the comparisons. But it is obvious from day one that the BM150 works well, so he will clean the collection cup once and run the BM150 for another few days and then move onto the BM200.

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by lvpd186
Ok, 20min of free time and I'll answer my own question
Here is the break-down that I came up with:

H&S 110 – for 100gal $379.99 (Finsreef)
Deltec AP600 – for 200g (heavy stock 130g.) $614.00 (Deltec)
ATI BM 150 – for 200 to 600l (52g to 158g) $359.00 (Reefgeek)

13watts for BM150
20watts for Deltec
18watts for H&S

ATI BM 150 $20.99 less then H&S
$255 less then Deltec

If the BM is performing as well as the Deltec and the H&S I would say it sounds like a good buy, especially if you are looking at how well it works.

I believe the initial offering price was 10% below $359 for those who pre-ordered, but after the pre-orders which ended 10/31, the revised pricing on the BM150 is $399. Accoring to Kill-a-Watt meter that Ed had on the BM150, it is consuming 17 watts consistently throughout the 2 days on the unit he is testing.

Originally posted by africangrey
New price in effect:

The new prices are as follows.

ATI Bubble Master 150 Protein Skimmer ~ $399
ATI Bubble Master 200 Protein Skimmer ~ $529
ATI Bubble Master 250 Protein Skimmer ~ $749

And they won't extent the 10% off for another month, I really missed out

[MimicTang]

10% was only for the preorder =/

[Creetin]

The Bm 150 is rated for tanks up to 150 gallons, The 200 is rated for 250 gallons, and the 250 is rated for 795 gallons.
US gallons that is.

[Creetin]

I would like for someont to throw a 250 on a huge 500+ gallon system and see what it does. I believe we that do have a 250 are putting them in too small of tanks/loads to get a fair assesment of them.

[jetfixr]

Originally posted by lvpd186
Ok, 20min of free time and I'll answer my own question
Here is the break-down that I came up with:

H&S 110 – for 100gal $379.99 (Finsreef)
Deltec AP600 – for 200g (heavy stock 130g.) $614.00 (Deltec)
ATI BM 150 – for 200 to 600l (52g to 158g) $359.00 (Reefgeek)

13watts for BM150
20watts for Deltec
18watts for H&S

ATI BM 150 $20.99 less then H&S
$255 less then Deltec

If the BM is performing as well as the Deltec and the H&S I would say it sounds like a good buy, especially if you are looking at how well it works.

I have been following this thread since the begining with a good deal of interest (upgrade time for me). With a price tag of $614 I wont be going with the deltec. Looks all 3 of these skimmers perform on par, but the build quality of the H&S is the best of the 3, as good or better then the Deltec. I have heard that the price of the BM150 has went up from $349 to $399. That makes it $20 more then the H&S. The H&S is starting to look like the better value here. Also the H&S is a proven skimmer. After reading this thread the Bubblemaster kinda seems like a "beta" unit, like any new product it looks like they have a few bugs to work out yet.

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by Creetin
The Bm 150 is rated for tanks up to 150 gallons, The 200 is rated for 250 gallons, and the 250 is rated for 795 gallons.
US gallons that is.

The BM150 is being tested on a medium bioload 180g fish only tank. I would not put this on a 150g tank, even if it is light bioload. More appropriate for up to 100g.

Originally posted by jetfixr
I have been following this thread since the begining with a good deal of interest (upgrade time for me)..... After reading this thread the Bubblemaster kinda seems like a "beta" unit, like any new product it looks like they have a few bugs to work out yet.

IMHO, looks like just some more fine tuning for the USA market. It is a proven product overseas already, but the USA electric current spins the impellors a lot faster, so some refinements still needed.

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by Creetin
I would like for someont to throw a 250 on a huge 500+ gallon system and see what it does. I believe we that do have a 250 are putting them in too small of tanks/loads to get a fair assesment of them.

That's a great idea. I just talked to my aquarium technician's partner who is maintaining a 900g FOWLR tank. He said that if there's room in the sump, Ed can put the BM250 next to the EuroReef that is currently running on the 900g. I hope so. His demo BM250 is coming in at the end of the month.

Here's a link to the 900g FOWLR:

Originally posted by UCanDoIt

[big4george]

Originally posted by Creetin
DOAH! yes i meant BUBBLE MASTER! Sorry oliver i dont know what i was thinking. LOL

Hahn it was a MRC, Pretty much the same design as the aquac, and barr aquatic. So they all must have bad designs?

No wonder you call yourself Creetin! Why don't you add the ETSS downdraft skimmer to your list of "pretty much the same design"? They make tall skimmers too. I assume that's what you mean, right? Cause if they make tall skimmers they must be "pretty much the same design"?

It's pretty well known that MRC produces cheap beckett skimmers with at best a mediocre design and average quality. They are trying for low price not high performance and quality. That said, many becketts (particularly MRC) require a modicum of skill to set up and maintain. I bet you didn't have a waste collector either. Any creetin knows that becketts ought to be run with a water tight waste collector to autoshutdown if they try to overflow. If you had a proper waste collector on a properly set up beckett - even an MRC - you would never have had an overflow.

Geez, when I open my mouth and prove to all listening that I don't know what I'm talking about I hope it isn't in front of such a large audience.

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by Oliver P.
..... All white plates on our BM are made of cast (not extruded) acrylic. This is one of the most expensive material you can use. The reason why we use this matrerial is very simple. Cast acrylic has an excellent surface quality (much better than cheaper PVC) and it is much easier to clean it because of its smoother surface.

Regarding the break down of the foam in the skimmer it is important to know, that this is more a chemical question and not mechanical. Give the BM more time to break in and the BM will react in the same way like other skimmers do or better.

Thanks,
Oliver

I had to discuss with Ed once more to clarify his statement and make sure I did not misrepresent what he said:

3. Construction:
Body, Base & Collection Cup
BM150 Fair - thin wall acrylic
base plate removable, small & doesn't balance well, recommend slightly bigger retangular or triangular base plate and double the thickness

The base plate isn't very steady as it seems that the skimmer can fall over easily. Maybe instead of a circular design, a triangular design base plate will be steadier, or a larger rectangular design. Also, everytime he has lifted the collection cup lid off, the skimmer body lifts off the base plate just a little bit, which breaks the foam for a few minutes, so if the base plate was double the thickness and the skimmer body sits deeper into the base plate, it will also be steadier. I hope that I have clarified things a little bit.

And yes, the breakdown of foam is not related to mechnical function of the skimmer at all. This is just an observation early in the testing and will improve with time. BTW, the rubber feet was a great idea, it absorbs a lot of the vibration and keeps the pump humming noise reduced. Also, the skimmer doesn't slide out of place very easily when I saw the BM200.

[bond007069]

.

[Creetin]

Originally posted by big4george
No wonder you call yourself Creetin! Why don't you add the ETSS downdraft skimmer to your list of "pretty much the same design"? They make tall skimmers too. I assume that's what you mean, right? Cause if they make tall skimmers they must be "pretty much the same design"?

It's pretty well known that MRC produces cheap beckett skimmers with at best a mediocre design and average quality. They are trying for low price not high performance and quality. That said, many becketts (particularly MRC) require a modicum of skill to set up and maintain. I bet you didn't have a waste collector either. Any creetin knows that becketts ought to be run with a water tight waste collector to autoshutdown if they try to overflow. If you had a proper waste collector on a properly set up beckett - even an MRC - you would never have had an overflow.

Geez, when I open my mouth and prove to all listening that I don't know what I'm talking about I hope it isn't in front of such a large audience.

FYI i did have a waste collector. So big4george what is your point? I never proclaimed i was an expert, i am a hobbiest. It isnt worth my time to argue with a person like yourself. You clearly are trying to call me out on something or pick a fight.
I could ask why is barr and the rest so superior but i wont i dont care because i will never own one.
Hey i never thought i would ever use the ignore feature till now. What a prime example of someone i would want to ignore.
And i may look like i lumped a bunch of skimmers together, But you sir look like a jerk.

[Maximus]

Creetin, please do not feed the trolls. Remember what happened in Gremlins?

[bond007069]

how about this for troll food

[Maximus]

Bond, James Bond, which skimmer is that?

[Roland Jacques]

Originally posted by UCanDoIt
Normally, when Ed does comparisons, he does run them side by side within the sump. But his goal is not to determine, who makes the best skimmer, but just to see if a skimmer even performs and if it does, how well. Since it is obvious that the BM150 does perform well, he will move onto the BM200 next week. .

Thats to bad. Personaly that the only reason i test skimmers is to see which perform best. build quality... are not near as important to me a performance.

What makes Bubblemaster skimmers worth even talking about is because the reports that they perform so much better than the others. The 150 is not the one that has any fantastic report about it. The BM 200 and BM250 are the ones that need to be compared side by side. I seen some side by sides. that the stuff worth seeing.

The ap 701 and the BM200 would be a better comparision. and even then it really not going to be close, wait untle the 200 breaks in youll be comparing it to the 802.

Creetin, i have a 600 going up right now that has a BM 250 ear marked for it. But you can test better on empty controlled tanks with just skimmate side by side and seperate time tests...

[Maximus]

Progress!

36 hrs of skimming:

60 hrs of skimming:


And the best part about this...No overflowing cup!!!

[LA-Lawman]

ok, the muck is starting. i am seeing the nog get a little darker. from liight brown to a darker brown all within 12hrs. the foam is now steady and i can put my hand in ans such and not loose any skimming. i am gonna snap some pics and get them up here in a minute....

[Maximus]

In all honesty, I always thought the break-in period was a myth. I will eat crow now.

[LA-Lawman]

here are some pics from a few mins ago....







you can see the break in progress over the last few days. it took a solid week to get this kind of nog. i would say by the end of next i will be good to go.

now the volume has never been an issue. it has been the color. so from the initial start i was getting nearly clear liquid.... now it is getting darker. I would love to see the nast green stuff

[UCanDoIt]

This will be emptied and cleaned tomorrow, not sure if I have time to get anymore photos until sometime next week. Anyone know why he greenish brown skimmate? The top of the neck inside the collection is a very dark brown coffee grain and you can kind of see it in the photo.

[Maximus]

Looks good guys and gals!

[LA-Lawman]

is that tank fed plankton or rotifers? man that stuff is green.

[UCanDoIt]

Originally posted by LA-Lawman
is that tank fed plankton or rotifers? man that stuff is green.

No, I posted what was fed earlier.

Originally posted by UCanDoIt
..... The pellet food is 1/2 Spectrum & 1/2 Spirulina and is fed twice daily. He doses twice a week with Kent Marine Essential Elements, Marine Zoe and Marine Vitamin C. The Prime Rib frozen cubes has a variety of frozen cubes within it, Formula 1, Formula 2, etc. is fed usually once a week. So, no idea what causes the greenish brown coloring.

[Maximus]

Yum, prime rib!! The fish eat better than me!