Wow I wish I saw this earlier, I could have probably changed your mind. First off the BK SM 300 is newer and I've got one sitting on my work bench ready for an install for a customer. That makes me one of the few to actually see this skimmer. It has two pumps but one is much smaller than the other one, it's a little bigger than the 250 but really it's basically the same so I would say go with the 250 over the 300 unless you want to run ozone since the 300 has ozone ports. I could have even taking pictures for you.
Also I can't believe someone would actually want one of those Orcas, seriously bad idea. It uses an external dart pump in a way I would almost guarantee you'll get a seal and bearing failure after about a year or so. Plus the pump uses around 150W compared to less than 50. Don't be fooled by the 120W rating look at the flow charts. The thing is oversized putting more into height than width which makes very little sense, it won't fit under a stand and results in the pump using more power than it needs and will bring in less air due to a higher static pressure. Plus have fun taking that collection cup off with all the plastic screws that will eventually were out, and that plastic looks pretty thin. Not solid construction at all, very similar to a Life-Reef which may have been good at the time but ask anyone that still has one what they think of it. Can you even clean the orca out, or is it one big piece of acrylic glued together, The BKs can be completely dismantled for a full cleaning including the diffuser plate.
For the extra $400 you could have gotten the BK 250, what a shame. The 250 would have lasted you forever and you would have always been happy with it. Maybe it's not too late??
Last edited by sphelps; 10-27-2008 at 04:13 PM.
|