Hahaha!! The Stand Alone Doser is the bomb and super easy to program...but the Profilux and Mitras??? Ugh...!

Thank you to everyone who has voted for this tank journal thread this month! It is much appreciated. Considering I haven't paid for this tank yet (and it's costing me more than my mortgage payment) it would be great to win! :eek: :doh:

I'm just curious.... Do you think the thin profile of the overflow weir will be enough room for the return plumbing/elbows etc?

So I made a minor modification to the design of the tank. It's now getting a one piece Starphire eurobrace all polished up. I decided I am going to have an open top.

Ya you bet. There won't be any elbows in there anyway. 3" wide is plenty of room for my hands.

That will look sexy!

Sooo...what's in that Royal Exclusiv bag anyway??

Bubble King Double Cone 180 with RD3 Speedy DC pump.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...SPS/BK%202.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...9%20SPS/BK.jpg

Nice skimmer 😄

The basic design of this skimmer seems like a lot of others. The big difference seems to be in the pumps they use. Is there really that much difference in performance and reliability? It does look nice though. :biggrin:

Pumps are expensive to replace

That's why I'm putting it up against the ATB. :D

Yeah, they are about $670 plus taxes to replace. The Speedy seems to be quite reliable though, so that's good. I'm certainly not into replacing a $700+ pump. If that happens I'm pretty sure the ATB will move in for good. :lol:

Here's some technical information about the skimmers:

ATB 840 Small (out of production)
Footprint with pump: 14 x 8"
Height: 21"
Body base diameter: 8″
Neck diameter: 3.75"
Pump: Eheim 1260
Water flow: 645 gph (without air), 264 gph (with air)
Max air draw: Up to 900 L/hr
Power consumption: 65 watts
Manufacturer tank rating: Up to 249 gallons

Bubble King Double Cone +RD3 Speedy
Footprint with pump: 14 x 11.5"
Height: 21"
Body base diameter: 8"
Neck diameter: 3.9"
Pump: Red Dragon 3 Speedy DC
Water flow: 1320 gph (without air), 793 gph (with air)
Max air draw: 1500 L/hr
Power consumption: 50 watts
Manufacturer tank rating: Up to 132 gallons

On paper, the Bubble King definitely leads the race. Especially with that whopping 1500 liters per hour air draw using only 50 watts of power. I like the small neck diameters on both skimmers - this was a significant factor for me since it's tricky to find a good skimmer for small water volume.

The skimmer bodies are VERY similar - the BK has a wine bottle shape and the ATB has a true cone shape. The bubble plate design is very similar - the wine bottle shape of the BK allows a slighter larger distance from the body wall to the top of the bubble plate component, where the ATB is slightly narrower at this point. They are the same height. The same base diameter. The BK shortens the body height in favor of a taller collection cup, thus the ATB has a taller body height. The standpipe on the BK is 1/4" larger than the standpipe on the ATB - likely to allow the significantly larger water volume to pass through. On the BK the outlet is positioned lower, where the ATB is slightly up the body wall - maybe there will be less microbubbles leaving the BK. The most significant difference is the pump - a $200 pump and a $700 pump.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...SPS/BK%205.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...SPS/BK%204.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...SPS/BK%203.jpg

I will be fabricating a steel stand for the tank. I was going to do it today, but found the steel supply stores closed yesterday. :bad-word:

As per discussion here, I will be building it out of 1" square tube with 0.15" wall thickness (provided this is a common size that I can find). I'll put some small 45 degree braces in most of the corners to help with any wobble.

The finishing of the stand will be 3/4" plywood panels that I will finish with an enamel acrylic white paint on the inside, and the outside will be finished with an oil-based high gloss spray in a dark gray to match our lower kitchen cabinets.

The plywood panels will be attached using magnets so they are easily removable for maintenance. Seeing as the sump area will be very limited for space, the removable panels will help with access - especially in the electrical area. There will be a divider to make a "dry side" to protect the electrical from the "wet side" of the sump.

Wow you're going to do all the welding yourself? That's impressive. Pictures!

I should have explained that a bit better...hubby has a welder. I can weld, but I haven't done it enough to be any good. I'll probably just do the grinding and painting of it. :D

Why the BK over a Vertex Omega?

I don't think the Omega has anything on the ATB, so the Omega never really interested me. I considered the Vertex Alpha, and even pursued that option for awhile, but I couldn't pass up the good deal on the BK that was purchased when the Canadian Dollar was still strong. :D

Besides, I wanted to start a journal on RC and no one will read it if you don't have a BK. :neutral: I'm joking (kind of...lol).

I get zero microbubbles out of my BK. You should see similar results I hope.

You have a BK? Cool, I'll follow this thread now!! ;)

I hope so! :)

Oh Brad, you're such a snob. :twised: I'm glad my build is up to snuff for you. What else should I buy? I should probably replace my old school grey GHL doser for a snazzy new white GHL doser because it would look better. :wink:

Fancy tank - check!
BK skimmer - check!
ATI lights - check!
GHL shizz - check!
Lots of GHL shizz - nope
Tidy white sump area - workin on it.
RD return pump - uh, no. Aw, I'm off the cool list now. :(

Or, you could get a real doser and do away with GHL stuff entirely!! :)

Yeah, I guess Vertex Libras are gaining popularity with the "in crowd". Plus, they are white.

You need an Abyzz to be on the cool list ;)

But in all honesty, I doesn't matter if you spend $30K on your equipment. It's what's in the tank that will win votes :) That's when your tank will shine!

Ya, I kinda forgot about the Abyzz. My cheap Eheim will have to do. :lol:

I agree 100%. There is a small part of me that loves the under-equipped tank that blows your socks off. These last few posts have been 99% sarcasm (just in case you or someone else didn't realize that haha). When you have all the fancy equipment and your corals suck, you really have no excuse. :lol:

I sure hope so, otherwise this is all for naught! :eek:

Yes, all sarcasm on my part. I like a minimally equipped tank full of awesome SPS. I have a BK because it was 300 bucks. I have a Jebao doser en route. My carbon hangs in a mesh bag. In the end, I prefer to see a nice FTS with mature colonies, and don't care what's underneath the stand.

Pretty much. All about results. :D

I think everyone knows it was sarcasm lol!

Well, except the GHL part :P

hey...
I heard there was a bubble king on this thread over at RC and thought I would come and check it out...

Ha you couldnt pay me to buy an omega lol I love vertex products but hated this skimmer and I'm not the only one lol

I'm not a bk fan either fwiw :p

:/

To each their own. I have six of them and have sold 50 or so. No complaints other than the initial impeller issues when they were first released.

BK is great until you need a warranty. Trust me, as someone who sold them at ground zero, I gleefully wish ill upon Klaus for being a complete moron when it comes to business responsibility. No, I take that back, he's just a complete moron overall. Great craftsmanship and design, terrible everything else.

But yah, uhhh, ♥ build threads n stuff..

Yeah i've also sold 50 if not more and got complaints out the wazoo , ask Jen how many I had to warranty lol because of that I don't own 6 lol

I'd prob choose an omega over a bk (now adays) though as owning a bk can also be quite the headache like you said come warranty time :)

Let's just admit it. There's no warranty :) My BK was cheap and runs on a cheap Laguna pump, so I'm happy, but wouldn't buy a new one ever. :razz:

Ok, lol... As long as the last part is clear :P

I ordered up the glass for the sump - I wish I had a wholesale account! That adds up fast. That will be ready Friday.

I'm going to pick up the steel tomorrow. It turns out they don't carry anything thicker than 0.125 in the 1" tube, so I'm going with that. Hopefully with the bracing it will hold together! It's cheap too - well, compared to the glass.

1/8" wall will definitely be strong enough for your build
Are you welding it yourself ?

I'm going to give it a go later today (hopefully I manage to fall asleep again soon here lol). I'll be winging it with no instruction. All I know is hubby said to turn the welder to "high" for the thickness, leave a 1/16" gap for the welds, tack it all first, square it up, then weld. I know how to use an oxyacetylene cutting torch and I was shown how to use a MIG welder once about 6 years ago. I imagine there will be lots of pidgeon splatter to grind off. :lol:

Wish me luck! Hopefully I don't weld my skin too much.

You're good to go.
Practice on scrap if you have any leftover. Keep the wire speed low and you'll get less splatter. Slow and steady :wink:

Oh ya, I think he said there's a dial for wire feed speed. I will take your advice.

I just talked to Dave, and they are starting to build the tank today. :D

I was hoping for a 2" eurobrace, but it has to be 3" wide to put through the polisher. Should be fine. Also, the back chamber needs to be 4" wide to accommodate the bulkheads so they aren't drilled too close to the edge. Sadly, my tank will no longer be a 69, it will be a 64. So sad.

Need me to edit the title?