Choosing between Bubble King and Bubble Magus mini skimmer
 

I was looking at either a Mini Bubble King 180 or 200 or else the equivalent Bubble Magus skimmer for my 120.

The only difference I can see is the pump, Red Dragon on the Bubble King vs. Aquabee on the Bubble Magus.

Any thoughts on this?

i would go with the bubble king, i have heard awesome things about them. i don't really like the look of the Bubble Magus. they don't show a picture of exactly how the collection cup attaches and detaches, and i find that's one part of skimmers i care about the most.

The Aquabee pumps are high quality, IME. Deltec uses them on some of their skimmers, and I've been very impressed.

I wouldn't waist the money on a Bubble Magus, just a cheap knock-off that won't be around for long. Look at the Bubble Master for example, a very good skimmer at the time with great reviews, then pumps start to fail after a year and replacement parts are next to impossible to get as the product line has been dropped by distributors. Now most people wouldn't even consider the BM but the bubble kings stay strong, they aren't going anywhere and the craftsmanship and quality is second to none.

how so?
 

Sphelps
Can you elaborate how you formed the basis of your analysis? Have you had the opportunity to inspect a Magus product in person?

I've seen and inspected the 160 Bubble Magus in person and I strongly disagree with you on this.
Firstly the pump is one of higher quality made in Germany and one of the more reliable pumps in the market. Its dead quiet and its also being used by Deltec whose skimmers' pumps have not failed after a year. I stood in front of this skimmer and I could not tell when it was turned on and turned off.

Secondly, the acrylic joints on these skimmers are very well done. Solid seams in groved joints without any bubbles.

Thirdly, the thickness of the 6" body acrylic is thicker than the acrylic on the 8" Euroreef RS250.

I was highly skeptical in the Magus's quality and construction until I had the opportunity to inspect one - obviously it changed my opinion drastically.

NOW if money is of no concern, I would definitely get the Bubble King. Why buy a Toyota when I can buy a Lexus? But if I cannot afford a Lexus, I would not hesitate to get a Toyota...... I mean Bubble Magus.

I have never used or seen a Bubble Magus, but I currently have a Bubble King 300 and absolutely love it. They also are dead quiet and pull out so much skimmate, it's unreal. I would never go back to any other skimmer again after purchasing this Bubble King.

As stated above, the price point is higher on these, which made me second guess before I purchased it, but after forking out all that money I am very satisfied with every last penny I put in to it.

I like Chin's response. Openminded ,thorough and backed up by what he has seen.

Where does one even buy a Bubble Magus, I only see them on ebay and only see 220V versions of the pump? (although I'm only checking ebay.ca not ebay.com)

www.bubble-magus.com

Sorry link doesn't work anymore

This place sells them.


http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers

Yeah I had tried that first site and it didn't work for me either, that's why I asked, figured there must be another spot somewhere. Thanks for the other link!

http://www.bubble-magus.com/en/product.asp

try this link for the manufacturer's website in english

So I'm still trying to figure out if the BK will be any better at skimming the the BM.

No doubt they are both good skimmers.

I will happily pay more for better skimming.

Has anyone used both skimmers?

I haven't actually had the chance to inspect the skimmer myself but have you seen a BK, the collection cup lid weighs close to 5 lbs by itself, I really can't see it being of the same quality, either way that was not really my point. I was simply stating that things aren't always what they seem and price always reflects quality. The Bubble Masters had similar reviews and yes the Magus could very well be better but since they are still new to the market you really don't know how the product will perform over time and how the company will stand behind the product if at all. Reputation has to be earned and the Magus as it stands has very little while the King is still King. In the end it's what everyone wants anyways.

Oh and the Toyota and Lexus comparison, way off, unless Royal Exclusive makes the Magus as a cheaper alternative. It's closer to Honda and Hyundai, in which case, like most people, I'll take the Honda.

I've communicated with the guys selling them in the US (nuocean) and they've been very responsive to my enquiries. I haven't yet bought one, but I was impressed by how hard they try. I think the one concern I have would be the current lack of availability on what nuocean has in stock. They seem to be waiting a long time for stock.

Just my 2 cents though.

OK I have read lots of threads about this and I am inclined to get the Bubble King Mini 180. It costs about three times as much however the advantages seem to be better pump as well as local support (both dealer and distributor are local) and less headache/tweaking factor.

However from everything I have read if I were on a tighter budget I would definitely get the Bubble Magus.

I take that back, it's not even close. The aqua-bee pump is comparable to ehiem at best not even close to the red dragon which has a custom housing and stand, titanium shaft, and lifetime bearing warranty. Just look at the airflow specs and power consumption. The Magus is probably comparable to a Euro Reef or Deltec not Bubble King.

Quite honestly, I've seen a BK mini in action, and I'd rather spend my money on beer. I bought a used Euroreef CS8-3 for $300ish and love it. It skims great, and IMO, better than the BK mini.
Of course, the BK might be a better tax write off for a business and/or for really short stands, but I'll use my extra money for frags.

Tony,
These guys I bought my wavebox from in Singapore sell the Bubble Magus. Super fast shipping and there was no duty or taxes.
http://www.fish-street.com/cart/bubble_magus_1

As I understand, if you want the North American voltage pumps you need to buy from NuOcean, ordering from Singapore gets you a 220V pump.

I've sent them an email to double check, but you can buy it with no pump.

Wouldn't this issue have come up with the wavebox you ordered, Brian? Or were they able to set you up with 110V pumps?

The wavebox pump is 24v and the controller will handle 220v or 110v I just swapped the power cord with one from an old PC cuz it had a wacky 220v prong.
They say they will adjust the skimmer price without a pump, I should have asked them how much.

Looking at the bubble magus I dont think that they are that great. IMe the only thing that makes the skimmer is the Pump depending on what pump and impeller too MESH seems to kick butt. I love my Bubble master 250 its great pulls huge amounts of skimmate, however i bought it used from my friend on Reef Central. the Sicce pump are great. but are starting to make funny sounds if the power goes off the pumps will just flicker and flicker makes a gringing noise. i bought my shafts for them. The inside of the motor isn't chewed up the impellars are seem to be ok . for being 2 years old this xmas. I may just order them online for 130 ea US and keep the skimmer...

Fish-street also has 110v pumps available for an extra 7 or 8 bucks, and with some versions the pumps are optional. I have ordered the bm100 and it should be here in a few days.....my searches for reviews on these skimmers (from people that actually have them) have been pretty positive so far. Of course no long term reviews yet. I will post my experience with this unit once I get the new tank going.

Alright i've had the chance to take apart and inspect a BK mini 180 and I will say that this this is built like a rock. Very well built and also very quiet - I had to take a look to see if bubbles were actually being made. I have it skimming in vinegar right now to clean it and it can definitely make lots of bubbles!!! Very much in a league of its own in terms of construction and price; really should not be put into a comparison category with the Magus. If I had a budget of $1000-$2000 for a skimmer, I would choose a BK. If my budget was $200-300, i would probably choose a Magus.

You're the lucky dude who got to Jeff's skimmer first I see. That was sold pretty darn fast.

who me????? who's Jeff????? its actually for a friend's tank that I'm setting up but its not stopping me from testing it first...... :)

OK my Mini Bubble King 180 has been running for a couple of days now, I like it so far but I'll have to see how it skims once it has broken in.

So is a honda worth 5 times more than a hyundai?

Not really the point now is it?

Thats exactly my point, even a vette isn't 5 times more than a hyundai. I'm sure the BK is better, I'm sure its alot better, but I very much doubt it is 5 times better. Fact is, its a great time to be buying a skimmer right now, there are alot of very good skimming units (BM, Octo) to be had at a very reasonable price.

I don't really care about these skimmer threads anymore, if you want a cheap Chinese knock off that's fine and you don't need my permission, so just leave me out of it.

So have you received your Bubble Magus skimmer yet?

This is one of the greatest hobbies in the world.

You can get by on the cheap or you can buy the most expensive in both livestock and hardware. There is also everything in between.

Our selection of products is based on what each and everyone of us is able to substantiate in our own minds. The support come from those that can substantiate and justify. The criticism comes from those who can not substantiate or justify.

A few years ago I decided to buy an ASM G5 skimmer. It was a cheaper version of the then front running Euro Reef skimmer. It was all I could justify to spend on a skimmer at the time. My ASM does a great job. Would a Euro Reef do a better job, that I do not know. In my estimation they both do a great job and yet the Euro Reef was about twice the money at the time.

There will always be new products developed for the hobby and there will always be knock offs. Generally speaking though if you were offered a Bubble King for the same price of a Bubble Magus I bet you would take the Bubble King but would it do a substantially better job.

Tom R

Tom R, I totally agree with your comment which I can relate to my situation. I purchased the Bubble Magus 150 several months ago and used it until very recently I replaced it with a BK mini 180. I probably didn't need the upgrade, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to buy a used one. I can say the quality of the build and production of the BK is in a league of their own, but it is also 4 or 5 times the price of a Magus. The magus worked very well for me and I would have no regrets in using it for the long term. The magus produced more skim then my previous skimmer which was more expensive. On another note, I see that a new mesh impeller will be available for the magus in the near future.

For the value, the magus does an excellent job. If you do not have a budget, get a Bubble king.

Gary

I was very close to getting a Bubble Magus.

For me it came down to practically a coin flip.

Having the distributor local and having the vendor known to support their products was a big factor.

My Mini BK 180 is much quieter than my Euro-Reef was, however it is not silent as there is a quiet highpitched hum.

For me I was having some nutrient issues and wanted the best skimmer possible. Also I was concerned that if I didn't blow the money on a skimmer it would just evaporate in the stock market anyway.

If I run a tank in the future that is less nutrient-critical such as a FOWLR or a softie reef, the Bubble Magus would definitely be my first choice. And if I were a student or broke the Bubble Magus would definitely be my first choice.

Anyway the jury is still out on this BK, I will see how happy I am with the skimmate in a couple of weeks.

Since your one of the few than can speak first hand, how's the difference in performance?

I will update in a few days, I have only had the Bubble King running for a couple days.

Actually Steve I love my Bubble Master and yes its a great skimmer, I actually found a place near by to purchase the Sicce Pumps 130 each for the pump and you also get the needle wheel and the Mesh Wheel installed for 130 dollars