Deltec MCE 300 and Deltec MCE 600 Skimmers

[Raf]

Ok, so I went out and purchased these two skimmers, one is to go on our 90 gallon reef, the other on my 210 FOWLR. Both tanks are lightly to moderately stocked. I know I will eventually have to get another 600 for my 210 but for now my wallet says one will do. So anyways, here are my impressions so far:

Deltec MCE 300:

The price is fairly good for a Deltec but on the higher end for a smaller HOB skimmer. IMO, it is worth it so far.

The looks are good, I prefer the look of this skimmer over the MCE 600 and all it's rivals, namely the Remora PRO which has that honkin HUGE Mag3 pump hanging in the tank. The Deltec HOB's pumps are in the skimmer body, so there is a nice clean look to them.

The set-up was pretty much plug and play as advertised, you had to attach a few tubes and it was ready to mount. These skimmers can be fitted on pretty much and tank so the intake and output plumbing needs to be cut to fit if you want to keep the use of your glass top and have it fit snugly. That was the only time consuming part as I had to get a saw and make two nice cuts to the pipes.

The skimmer fits well on the tank, the degasing plate works very well although it is transparent, so eventually, alagae will cover it, so it may take some maintenance. The skimmer cup design is a little weird but after a while, it is clear how it is meant to work and adjusting the level is not difficult.

The noise level is not that bad, mostly a hising sound from the air intake a bit of rattle from the pump. MUCH quieter that and Prizim!!! and probably quieter that remoras.

In the first day, no real thick foam production but that is to be expected in the break in period. I will update after a weeks use.


Deltec MCE 600:

The price is not cheap for an HOB but again IMO, worth the $$.

This is a weird looking skimmer, very industrial, very odd looking but once you set it up and plug it in, you see how functional it truely is!

The set-up was again fairly easy unless you have to trim the intake and output pipes to custom fit to your glass tops/tank. Once this is done, the set-up is a breeze. The degasing plate works very well just like on the 300. The skimmer cup design works very well, even better than on the 300. After only 2 hours operation, this skimmer was already producing a asuper rich foam unlike nothing I have seen with Remoras and prizims! I was blown away! The overall design of the skimmer is simple and works very well. The only thing that really bugged me(for the 300 as well) is the location of the pump cord and where it comes out of the skimmer body. It pretty much needs to be used with an extension cord as it is just too short for bigger/taller tanks.

The noise again not bad. Perhaps even quieter than the 300. Some hising noise from the air intake.

I will update in a few weeks on skimming production, so far so good.