Bubble King Mini Skimmer Club

[albfelix]

Well I know that there is a Bubble King Skimmer Club but I decided to open one for just the Mini ones including the 160, 180 and 200 series.

I currently own a 200

The craftsmanship of this skimmer is uncomperable to any other brand out there.


Mini, not quiet mini compared to it's size with other skimmers. Here is side by side with an H&S External A150-F2001 Skimmer


Also it is very quiet. I have owned a lot of skimmers and this is by far the quietest one.

Skimmer just plugged in for the first time

[albfelix]

After 5 days of skimming. Skimmer takes up to 1 week or a little bit more to fully be broken in according to the Manufactor's User Manual







The skimmate tends to look clearer in color in the bubble king collection cup compared to other Skimmer brands. I guess since they uses higher quality matterials, bigger collection cup and a very bright white pvc matterial. I poured some Bubble King Skimate on the H&S collection cup for comparison and it did look much darker there.


Guys please post photos of your Minis and opionios regarding these skimmers.

[albfelix]

Oh also it tends to create a much funkier smell compared to H&S

[mr294]

I'm seriously considering the mini 160. Definitely looking forward to seeing some responses to this thread

[JCTewks]

I'm not here to bash...so please don't take this post as that

How much distance is there betwwn the bubble plate and the neck transition (and also from the bubble plate to the top of the neck) ? To me it looks like there is not much room height-wise in the reaction chamber. I know that they were trying to make a small footprint skimmer, but it looks like there is a good 8-10" wasted where the skimmer sits in the bottom.

[albfelix]

I will do some measurements when I get home tonight. The distance between the first bubble plate where the bubbles are injected from the pump is more then half of the skimmer body (not including collection cup). Don't forget also the width of the skimmer. That 8-10" you are refereing is not waste, it's exactly how big the pump is and plus you get 0 micro bubbles back in sump. Compared to my H&S, it's the same thing, more than half of the H&S is just filled with water and no bubbles.

[JCTewks]

But if the pump were not inside of the skimmer, you would have double the reaction chamber What is the airdraw and watts on that? Also, what is the tank size rating on the 200?

[albfelix]

on mini 200 is 38 watts/hour and 135-265 Gallons Tank

[dphins]

Does anybody else run a bk mini?

[chadfarmer]

Originally posted by dphins
Does anybody else run a bk mini?

you have mine silly

[ATB USA]

you guys are too funny

[dphins]

Other then me and the one albfelix runs, does anybody else run one? Can anybody get the mini to skim nasty mud or just wet skimmate?

[jpa14]

I have a mini 200 on my 150 reef. When i first got the skimmer i had a hard time getting it to skim once i raised the level in my sump to 8-9 inches of water the skimmer worked better then i was able to keep a constant water level ( i use a litermeter 3) and now the skimmate is very dark and i have to clean out the skimmer every 5 days to get the mud off the side of the cup. i also run the water level in my skimmer right where the cup and body meet. it seems like the skimmer is working better every week.

[jpa14]

I have a mini 200 on my 150 reef. When i first got the skimmer i had a hard time getting it to skim once i raised the level in my sump to 8-9 inches of water the skimmer worked better then i was able to keep a constant water level ( i use a litermeter 3) and now the skimmate is very dark and i have to clean out the skimmer every 5 days to get the mud off the side of the cup. i also run the water level in my skimmer right where the cup and body meet. it seems like the skimmer is working better every week.

[jpa14]

sorry for the double post the most important thing i can say is you need to keep a constant water level or this skimmer will not work the way it should

[dphins]

I have an ato, so that's not a problem. My sump water is 8" deep.

[albfelix]

jpa14 can you post some photos. I can't get any dry skimmate, only wet so far

Originally posted by jpa14
sorry for the double post the most important thing i can say is you need to keep a constant water level or this skimmer will not work the way it should

[jpa14]

i just cleaned it yesterday i will post a pic i a few day's.

dphins does your sump stay at 8'' or does it go to 7.5 then your ato kicks in? my litermeter keeps it at the same level which is very impotant have you tried 8.5'' once i have my water level in the skimmer set i will not play with it. i don't know what size tank your skimming or what your load.

[albfelix]

jpa14 is yours sensitive when you feed the fish?

[jpa14]

yes, when i feed it will stop skimming or the foam will just drop. after a while it will start skimming again but i don't touch the skimmer

[d4a2n0k]

Ive been running a BK Mini 160 for a few months now. I upgraded from an H&S 110-2001 which wasnt performing for me. So far I'm very impressed with its performance. As mentioned above, its silent and the build quality is incredible. It looks like it came off an assembly line. I especially like how you can take the neck off to clean the skimmer cup. It has a nice little o-ring to seal them together.

I'm surprised there are not more threads on these skimmers. Besides the thread in the Premium Aquatics forum, there hasnt been much talk about them....

[albfelix]

am I the only Bubble King Mini owner who happens to own also a digital camera?!?! Come on guys post some photos and don't be lazy!!

[dphins]

Four days worth of skimmate. I think it's time to dump the cup.

[albfelix]

anyone succeded to skim dry with these minis? i have only seen wet skimate so far

[uhuru]

I would give it a good month to break in especially if this is a new tank. I just set mine up last night (new tank) here it is less than 24 hrs later.