Rehype Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 haha sorry if that seemed out of character, i'm just constantly enamored with the hardware going into this tank and i guess i'm having trouble waiting to see what kind of life is going to go into this tank... weird. No worries david i didnt take it that way . Its just this method of calcium/alkalinity replenishment and ultra low nutrient system is all new to me.(Ive had calcium and kalk reactors and ran refugiums in the past) So im just trying to make sure i do everything right as to not risk losing livestock. Im itching to stock the tank with coral but i guess since i have fish its helped to take the edge off Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 So i just wanted to give my own personal Review of Euroreef's nano skimmer. This skimmer has been on the market for some time and can be purchased for most name brand All in ones currently on the market. The model im reviewing is the one designed for the Cadlight 39 Signature. Although i can assure you can expect the same type of performance regardless of the type of All in one you own.So on to the review... Design The euroreef skimmer is a venturi style skimmer.These skimmers are designed to fit in one of the rear chambers of your All in One. It is custom designed to hang off the false wall in the refugium chamber.(This is the slighty shorter wall) The model i had designed was to use two pumps however i find that for now using just one pump is extremely efficient. The reason i decided to use only one pump is because frankly using two is a bit too much.Its pretty hard to control the foam level in the reaction chamber because the second pump just adds too much horsepower. I believe Robert over at euroreef plans to design these models with just one pump from now on. I can assure you from personal experience that one pump is perfect for optimal skimming performance. The skimmer is designed with a bracket that allows you to easily adjust the height of your skimmer. This makes it very easy to adjust the foam level which in turn can control whether you have dry or wet skimmate.IMO this is big reason to choose the euroreef skimmer over its competitors.The bottom of the skimmer is also designed in a way to control how much water is released through the bottom of the skimmer which helps adjust the actual water level in the chamber. The collection cup on the cadlight model is a bit larger than the cup designed for other models but it is a relatively small cup. However i will say the skimmer is so efficient that when running the skimmer dry it will take quite a while for it to actually fill up.The top of the collection cup has a few holes to allow the skimmate to escape if the cup ever filled to the top. I will say it would benefit to have a drain hole like other skimmers have just in case you go on vacation and would like excess skimmate to drain into a bucket. The pump used is a 9 watt resun pump with a custom mesh wheel. This tiny pump is very powerful and pumps a tremendous amount of small bubbles into the reactor. Lastly theres a bubble catch(a piece of foam) at the bottom of the skimmer to catch some of the bubbles released from the skimmer. Performance I allowed this tank to break in over a period of about a month before i would give an honest review. So in a word i will describe this skimmers performance as superb. It takes about 2 weeks before its broken in but its well worth the wait. I adjusted the skimmer to run dry skimmate and have been nothing short of impressed. This skimmer pulls out organics almost simultaneously to when they are introduced The funny thing is im not exaggerating.. As im feeding my tank the skimmer immediately starts pulling out skimmate. I dont think ive ever seen a skimmer as efficient. The mesh wheel design helps to produce extremely small bubbles that help the speedy export of organics from your tank to the collection cup. This of course is done by all protein skimmers but this skimmer does it the fastest IMO The skimmate it produces is very dark. So its definitely pulling out the nasty stuff. The Collection cup hasnt filled too quickly in my experience since im running it very dry but that way it produces the darkest skimmate.(Ill be sure to add a pic later to show this) The other very important thing i wanted to point out in this review would be microbubbles or should i say the lack thereof. This seems to be the biggest nuisance to most reefers in this hobby that use protein skimmers. But i will say after this skimmer had broken in I have 0 microbubbles in my display. I was told by Robert over at Euroreef that the design of the baffle system in All in ones has a direct relationship with the number of microbubbles. He told me the design of the cadlight baffle system as well as the solana inhibits the presence of microbubbles(combined with the skimmers bubble catch) However i have checked with other nano owners of euroreef skimmers owners and they confirmed that microbubbles werent an issue for them either. Maintenance I would recommend to owners and potential owners of a nano euroreef skimmer to allow the proper amount of time for the skimmer to "break in" before you worry that skimmer isnt functioning properly. Secondly From time to time clean out the bubble catch.Take it out and run some some hot water through it to make sure it stays clean and free of debris. Price These skimmers are priced between $130 and $200. Depending on the model of All in one you currently own. Some would say its a bit expensive but i will say in this hobby you get what you pay for. This is one skimmer that pays for itself just in how well it performs. You can order these skimmers directly from Euroreef or from globeaqua Customer Service Ive dealt directly with Robert at Euroreef for questions and support for the skimmer. And i can say hes a real class act. He answered all of my questions promptly,gave direct calls to my cell to help me with any issues and is always open to feedback. I couldnt ask for more. Customer service is a big deal in my book so im glad to say you will be taken care of. Final Thoughts Well i was searching for the best skimmer available for my cadlight and i do honestly feel euroreef answered the call on this one. You get alot of skimmer for the price and it really does a phenomenal job. I hope this review helps any who were on the fence about buying this skimmer or just might have been looking for another alternative. I apologize for the review being so long but i had a few ask me my opinion of this skimmer and i just wanted to be thorough. My rating Performance:10 (I would give it an a 11 if the scale wasnt to 10 ) Design:10 Price:9 Customer Service:10 Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 thanks for the awesome review....I think you just sold them another one...gonna pick up the finnex version next week...tired of waiting for Warner Marine to get their act together. Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Np BB im glad someone was able to benefit from it. Link to comment
lama1006 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I was just searching the forum for skimmer reviews when I came across this thread... and I am so grateful that I did!!! Rehype your organization in that setup is simple beautiful. This post definitely got some wheels turning in my head. I'm certainly gonna tag along with this thread to see how your tank progresses. Thanks a million for sharing Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Your very welcome im glad i could be of help Link to comment
becact Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Glad to hear you like it! It is pretty crazy the amount of thought Robbert puts into the design of these things, being "just" a nano skimmer and all. I can tell he is a perfectionist. I already sold my stock skimmer Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Glad to hear you like it! It is pretty crazy the amount of thought Robbert puts into the design of these things, being "just" a nano skimmer and all. I can tell he is a perfectionist. I already sold my stock skimmer Yea hes been dealing with skimmers for nearly 20 years Lol i saw you sell it over on RC Link to comment
Kozo Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Hey Rehype can you post the measurements of the skimmer and post some pics of the skimmer in action. Thanks Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hey Rehype can you post the measurements of the skimmer and post some pics of the skimmer in action. Thanks Sure ill post them up later this evening. Check back a bit later.. Link to comment
timdanger Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Sure ill post them up later this evening. Check back a bit later.. i'm interested to see how cad's new bubble-magus skimmer compares to the euro-reef. if they're comparable, it's going to be tough to turn down the great offer eddie is giving us on the bubble-magus. Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Well in all honesty tim if i were cadlight PRO owner id be more inclined to purchase the bubble magus as its is perfectly designed for a sump. However for a true All in one setup i think Euroreef receives top honors. I also wouldnt recommend being the first one to buy the magus it as there may be some issues and you might not want to be the first to experience them Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hey Rehype can you post the measurements of the skimmer and post some pics of the skimmer in action. Thanks Mine 22" X5.5" (with pump)X3" (with pump) The skimmate in the pic is pretty light because at the moment im running the skimmer wet Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 So I finally got my Zeovit kit and my custom zeoreactor. Well ill just give a quick background of what ive done in preparation for running a zeosystem. Ive always ran refugiums in my previous setups but this is a no no when running a zeovit system(Turns out most species of macroalgae cant survive the nutrient poor system) So first the cheato had to go .As a result my nitrates went way up since i feed pretty heavily and have a pretty high bioload. But i figured this would work out since i would be able to monitor the nitrate levels during the dosing period and see how long it takes for them to reach 0.Next i had to get rid of chemipure elite since its recommended to remove any phosphate removers. Then finally in order to fit the zeoreactor behind the false wall i removed one of the dividers. I bought the zeoreactor from another reefer who custom made it for his previous tank. Now on to the actual setup.. I started with first soaking the zeovit stones for a few hours in RO water. I then had to boil RO water and then put activated carbon in the still very hot water and let them sit overnight. I then put about 1/4 of the zeostones in the reactor and put a bag of the carbon on top. The zeoreactor pump is on a timer for 3 hours on and 3 hours off(this leads to an alternating environment of aerobic and anaerobic conditions which promotes increased aspiration of PO4 by the bacteria residing in the material) Now on to the actual dosing..Im dosing 1 drop of Zeobac,1 drop of zeo7 and 0.350ml of zeostart2 daily . I plan to dose 2 drops of zeobac 2 and zeo7 every third day for the next two weeks. I also plan to test the nitrate levels every 3 days to document how long it takes for them to reach 0. Lastly i have one or two frags of sps that look dreadful(brown,low polyp extension) and im going to keep a journal of pictures to document the changes of these particular frags since the use of zeovit. Wish me luck Link to comment
Uhuru Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Mine 22" X5.5" (with pump)X3" (with pump) The skimmate in the pic is pretty light because at the moment im running the skimmer wet look at that milky white column . . . best performing nano skimmer I've seen careful on that zeofood7 Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 best performing nano skimmer I've seen careful on that zeofood7 I totally agree. Will do Link to comment
becact Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Glad to see you've started the zeo! I'll be watching closely to see how it goes . Link to comment
davidr2340 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Glad to see you've started the zeo! I'll be watching closely to see how it goes . Same here! I just bought the Amino Acid concentrate... $$$ Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Glad to see you've started the zeo! I'll be watching closely to see how it goes . Thanks ill keep you posted on the details Link to comment
Kozo Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks for the picture Rehype. If you don't mind I have a couple of more questions. Is the skimmer running 1 pump or 2 in that picture? And what water level is recommended for it? And if you are running only 1 pump, could you tell me why? Thanks again and pls let us see a FTS of the tanks thanks Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Thanks for the picture Rehype. If you don't mind I have a couple of more questions. Is the skimmer running 1 pump or 2 in that picture? And what water level is recommended for it? And if you are running only 1 pump, could you tell me why? Thanks again and pls let us see a FTS of the tanks thanks Its running only one pump in that picture. The water level thats recommended is to the very top of the refugium divider. Im only running one pump because in all honesty two pumps is a bit too much. With both pumps running too much water fills the chamber and causes it to overflow quickly. For that reason Robert is going to onlyt design the signature cad series with one pump.But believe me one pump is more than enough for most setups. Im just greedy FTS coming up soon as i add some frags Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Same here! I just bought the Amino Acid concentrate... $$$ I hope you bought the nano package to save some cash. Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 I managed to get a shot of my eel in my jawfishs' burrow. Ever so often he goes into BJs burrow and hangs out for a bit. Typically Bj goes nuts but ever so often he doesnt seem to mind... (particularly if im feeding the tank ) Link to comment
bdesper311 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Wow, that is a amazing pic. Who would have thought they would get along so well!!! I managed to get a shot of my eel in my jawfishs' burrow. Ever so often he goes into BJs burrow and hangs out for a bit. Typically Bj goes nuts but ever so often he doesnt seem to mind... (particularly if im feeding the tank ) Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 That's... so... cool! Probably the most expensive burrow ever. Link to comment
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