deltec vs bubblemaster

fmelindy · #1 10-25-2007, 04:36 PM

Any opinions on which is the better skimmer - bubblemaster 200 or deltec ap701? I could get either for around the same price. I have a 94 gallon mixed reef planned with mostly SPS and clams. Which one should I go with (not set up yet)?

untamed · #2 10-25-2007, 04:44 PM

For that kind of money, I would look at the Reeflo Orca 250 Needlewheel.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...y_Code=reefflo

fmelindy · #3 10-25-2007, 05:24 PM

well, that's a lot more expensive (on the order of twice as much) as I could pay for either of the two I mentioned. So any other opinions?

dirtyreefer · #4 10-26-2007, 05:04 AM

Maybe I can help with your decision! Not that I'm being biased or anything

JL's sells a new Deltec AP701 for $1200 + tax, and a BM200 for $600 + tax. If you bought the BM200 and for some reason wanted to sell it and upgrade, you would possibly get $400 for it on the used market. If you bought my Deltec for $750, are you basically getting a $1200 skimmer for $750 (no tax), especially good since it's had less than 1 year of use. If you decided that you wanted to go really big and sell this sucker, I'm pretty sure you could get what you bought it for.

Again, no conflict of interest here!

fmelindy · #5 10-26-2007, 05:11 AM

hmmmm.... that's a good point you have there.....

and I really like the idea of the recirculating skimmer. Another consideration though is noise level. This is a living room system - and in a small condo. Any issues with noise when you had it setup? And how would it compare to the BM (to anyone that knows)?

dirtyreefer · #6 10-26-2007, 05:18 AM

Wholly crap Fred, just waiting by the comp for responses eh?

I guess that's the only excitement us married guys get nowadays huh?

I have no experience with a BM and have no idea how it works (I don't even know if it's in sump?) however a recirculating skimmer is the most efficient skimmer you can get. In sump wastes alot of the pump's energy sucking in the water and getting it into the skimmer body, and then uses the remaining energy to churn bubbles. Recirculating doesn't waste any energy getting water into the skimmer, and focuses 100% on making bubbles.

About noise, when you have the cabinet doors closed, you can't hear a thing. My main problem was the overflow noise (as I didn't use a standpipe), but if you can get the standpipe going with the corner overflow then you'll be laughin.

How is everything else going? Did you get everything setup? I assume you had to change the plumbing as we cut off the under the cabinet piping.