Arkayology's Rimless 40g

[jedimasterben]

I've got the Bubble Magus 3.0 and experiencing the same issue. Crap around the neck, nothing in the cup. I wonder if it will change with the added two fish I'm getting?

 

Good luck with the SCA!

Only if you feed more. The fish in the tank don't matter for anything, they process so little of what they eat anyway that you can take them almost completely out of the equation.

[Arkayology]

Received the new skimmer today and dropped it in the sump after running it in some water and wiping it off. First impressions of the SCA-301: it is small, probably 2/3 the size of my aquamaxx c-01. It is breaking in right now so i can't comment on the production of skimmate yet. It is bubbling so that is a good sign.

 

When I was cleaning my aquamaxx skimmer I broke one of the bottom legs.... I now know how people who have broken the skimmer base did it. I wasn't even using that much pressure.

[neuwave]

Received the new skimmer today and dropped it in the sump after running it in some water and wiping it off. First impressions of the SCA-301: it is small, probably 2/3 the size of my aquamaxx c-01. It is breaking in right now so i can't comment on the production of skimmate yet. It is bubbling so that is a good sign.

 

When I was cleaning my aquamaxx skimmer I broke one of the bottom legs.... I now know how people who have broken the skimmer base did it. I wasn't even using that much pressure.

 

Things break, no worries. I've seen many reef equipment snap. But no worries, you got a new skimmer on the way.

[niQo]

That is one impressive FTS! Well done!

[Arkayology]

 

Things break, no worries. I've seen many reef equipment snap. But no worries, you got a new skimmer on the way.

Yeah, the new skimmer is in the tank. I am just worried about resale value. I contacted MD to see if it falls under warranty or not.

 

That is one impressive FTS! Well done!

Thank you.

[Arkayology]

No foam head formed as of yet, though it has not been set up for even a day yet. I have heard mixed reviews on how long it takes to break in; some same 3 days and some say 3 weeks. I guess I will have to be patient.

 

I'm tying to decide what I should do with the aquamaxx c0-1. I could keep for a larger tank in the future, but I have no space to store it... hmmm

[Arkayology]

I get to have a conversation with the aquamaxx warranty people about the difference between "manufacturing defects" and "misuse, neglect, alterations or improper handling/transport/maintenance/installation." I don't think I am going to win this, but I feel like a product should stand up to normal wear and tear; it's not like I dropped the skimmer and it broke, I was simply just holding it.

 

I guess I am getting some weld-on to fix the base on my own; the sad thing is I think it will be stronger with the weld-on than however aquamaxx attached the legs to the base. Too bad because I really liked the function of the skimmer, but I feel like the base may be a weak point. At least this won't effect how the skimmer functions in any way.

[metrokat]

I used a SCA-301 skimmer for 2 years - great skimmer. Yet I broke it multiple times so Indy the SCA isn't problem free either, just be prepared for it.

 

The most common break is the venturi (i think that's what it's called) the air intake tube and how it is attached to the blue pump intake part is very flimsy. When you twist that part on and off for cleaning - be VERY careful in not touching the tubing attachment area. However don't worry - if you do break it, SCA sends you a replacement for free.

 

I also broke one of the legs of the skimmer.

[Arkayology]

I used a SCA-301 skimmer for 2 years - great skimmer. Yet I broke it multiple times so Indy the SCA isn't problem free either, just be prepared for it.

 

The most common break is the venturi (i think that's what it's called) the air intake tube and how it is attached to the blue pump intake part is very flimsy. When you twist that part on and off for cleaning - be VERY careful in not touching the tubing attachment area. However don't worry - if you do break it, SCA sends you a replacement for free.

 

I also broke one of the legs of the skimmer.

Thanks for the heads up. This is the first time that I have actually broken a piece of reef equipment (I know, 5 years and this is the first time? I guess I should feel lucky). How long did your SCA 301 take to break in? Water depth? I have the water depth at about an inch above the bubble plate (~8 inches?) and tuned to just below the cup right now around #3. I'm hoping I see a foam head form soon.

[Arce]

I bought a sca used on here. Got it and the legs were broken and so was the air connection. Contacted sca and got a whole new one minus the pump and cup. Been working like a champ since.

[metrokat]

Thanks for the heads up. This is the first time that I have actually broken a piece of reef equipment (I know, 5 years and this is the first time? I guess I should feel lucky). How long did your SCA 301 take to break in? Water depth? I have fine about an inch about the bubble plate (~8 inches?) and tuned to just below the cup right now around #3. I'm hoping I see a foam head form soon.

I bought mine used so it was ready to party soon as i got it.

[Arkayology]

Some foam head forming, not much in the cup yet. It looks like it is breaking in OK. Lots of microbubbles still. I haven't modded the pump pipe yet. Might that help with the microbubbles? I'm not sure they will go away on there own.

[Arkayology]

Update on the SCA-301: It is chugging along. The microbubbles have gotten better but they are still around, though nothing makes it into the DT thankfully. I have a drain line hooked up and this thing is dialing in very well; much better than I expected actually. I am still getting a wet skim, but it has gone from a light yellow to a dark yellow in just a week; the skimmate stinks which is always a good sign. I am almost sure that the aquamaxx co-1 was too much skimmer for my tank now. I have some weld-on coming this week to fix the leg and then I will post it for sale.

 

So far I would recommend this little skimmer to anyone who has a small (<50g) tank that is moderately stocked. It is cheap and appears to do it's job without much headache. Only time will tell if the cheap Atman pump will work for the long haul or not, but at least it is easy to replace.

 

Also, I should have something coming on a product I was asked to review. It's called the "Flexi-plug", which is a bluetooth controlled timer switch for aquarium equipment (or anything else). It's a cool little device.

[Alex B]

Tank looks great Ark!

[Arkayology]

Growth spurt in thank tank - alk has dropped back to 7dkh. I think I found out why my Joe the Coral isn't happy. I guess I have to begin upping my Alk dosage yet again. What is crazy is that my Cal had stayed the same level with the Alk drop.

 

Tank looks great Ark!

Thanks man. Your tank isn't looking too shabby either.

[TheKleinReef]

That happens to me too. Alk will drop with a growth spurt but ca stays relatively the same. But I've never had too much trouble with the growth spurts.... Yet.

*knocks on wood.

[metrokat]

Update on the SCA-301: It is chugging along. The microbubbles have gotten better but they are still around, though nothing makes it into the DT thankfully. I have a drain line hooked up and this thing is dialing in very well; much better than I expected actually. I am still getting a wet skim, but it has gone from a light yellow to a dark yellow in just a week; the skimmate stinks which is always a good sign. I am almost sure that the aquamaxx co-1 was too much skimmer for my tank now. I have some weld-on coming this week to fix the leg and then I will post it for sale.

 

So far I would recommend this little skimmer to anyone who has a small (<50g) tank that is moderately stocked. It is cheap and appears to do it's job without much headache. Only time will tell if the cheap Atman pump will work for the long haul or not, but at least it is easy to replace.

 

Also, I should have something coming on a product I was asked to review. It's called the "Flexi-plug", which is a bluetooth controlled timer switch for aquarium equipment (or anything else). It's a cool little device.

The stock skimmer pump is great. Towards the last month of life in the old tank the skimmer wasn't skimming correctly. And since the body was broken i tossed it all and kept the pumps which now mix my salt water. For about 3 months though I was running the RSM and the new tank so the skimmer pumps with their suction legs acted as the powerheads in the old RSM.

[Arkayology]

The stock skimmer pump is great. Towards the last month of life in the old tank the skimmer wasn't skimming correctly. And since the body was broken i tossed it all and kept the pumps which now mix my salt water. For about 3 months though I was running the RSM and the new tank so the skimmer pumps with their suction legs acted as the powerheads in the old RSM.

Good to know that the skimmer pump will keep going. I had an SWC160 on my 60g cube and the Atman pump on it crapped out on me. I was wary to try another. Why wasn't the skimmer working well near the end? Was the body damaged?

[Nanofreak79]

Looking good bro. I had the sca301 and 302 both were awesome skimmers. The micro bubbles will go away. I personally thought the SCA-301 performed better, or pulled darker skim than its big brother.

[picoreef78]

I am now having trouble with my Cad Lights PLS 100.

 

I had to go back to the gen 2 as I think the gen 3 was over skimming, even raising it up 2 inches I just could not get it to give me a nice dark skim mate.

 

I am going to have to look into the SCA models. Let me know how it works for you in the long run.

[Arkayology]

Looking good bro. I had the sca301 and 302 both were awesome skimmers. The micro bubbles will go away. I personally thought the SCA-301 performed better, or pulled darker skim than its big brother.

Good to know that it will get better. So far this thing is a little beast.

 

I am now having trouble with my Cad Lights PLS 100.

 

I had to go back to the gen 2 as I think the gen 3 was over skimming, even raising it up 2 inches I just could not get it to give me a nice dark skim mate.

 

I am going to have to look into the SCA models. Let me know how it works for you in the long run.

So far I have some good things to say about the SCA-301. It is small, cheap, and does indeed pull some skimmate. I am still dialing it in, but I am confident that I can get some dark skimmate out of it. I would say go for it if you have some cash to play with and want to try something out. Since this is pretty much the exact skimmer as the Bubble Magus models, I wasn't too worried that it wouldn't get the job done as the BM are well known for doing a good job.

 

There are a few things I am not over the moon about. There is not a really good way to secure the pump to the base of the skimmer; it just kinda fits in to the bottom hole but can fall out if you are not careful. Then there are the microbubbles, but they have gotten better and I am told they should mostly go away sooner or later.

[Arkayology]

I did a review a product called the Flexi Plug: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/361701-flexi-plug-bluetooth-controlled-programmable-timer-outlet/

[reefernanoman]

Now that my dissertation grant has been submitted for review, and my conference is over with, I finally had some time in between grading student papers to take a pic of the tank! It is doing well other than I had to chop the Joe the Coral at the base and am starting over with it. I still have no idea why it slowly STN'd, but that's how it goes. Some corals are growing like weeds and others are still coming around, but everything is showing growth at some level.

 

I'll just move this to the current page...

She's a beauty!

[Arkayology]

She's a beauty!

Thank you! I do what I can with what I have.

[reefernanoman]

Thank you! I do what I can with what I have.

Well, whatever you have is working really well apparently