MTC HSA Skimmers-??

[howman]

hi
i have an opportunity to purchase an MTC HSA 2000 skimmer for my new 180g set up --90g sump and 30g refugium.

what is the word/verdict on these skimmers? are they top shelf?
any feedback is appreciated.

howard

[anthem]

Good skimmer but have been discontinued. The new HSA3000 is a better skimmer. It has two shorter columns than the HSa3000 which has one larger column. The larger column (larger reaction tube) works better than two smaller ones. it is also the older design where the beckett injector goes through the middle of the skimmer and is almost impossible to take apart to clean. In terms of skimming ability - very very good.

Ed

[howman]

anthem
i looked at marinetechnical.com website, there is no hsa3000, they are only showing the hsa2000, and it has the tube down the middle

currently, i have a myreefcreations mr1 which is good, but not big enough for new system

do you have an mtc, how bad are they to clean, also, i heard they were noisy

howard

[anthem]

They haven't updated their website in ages. They do have an HSA3000 which has been out for quite awhile. The 3000 is a big improvement over the 2000, as I just don't think the dual reaction chamber is a good way to do it. I think Andy has figured that out as well as he now makes a larger single column unit rather than a dual. I have a MR-3 from Andy and the larger column definitely makes a huge difference in skimmer performance. You should look carefully at the MTC, it works great as everybody copies them, but it is the first initial design with the injector tube down the middle of the skimmer. It is a real pain. I had an older smaller HSA which I liked the performance, but hated the way it was built. The PM, Myreef, and ReefConcepts are all better in that regard. That being said, I believe all the new MTC's have the injector column outside now, so they have gotten with the times :-).

Ed

[howman]

anthem
thanks for the info
the hsa2000 i was offered is used....for $200-300
andy has offered to make my riser column higher, maybe i should just go that route or i can get this monster hsa2000

any recommendations?

howard

[gas4544]

Last fall I bought one of the new HSA 1000's for my new 170-gallon tank. The injector tube is located outside of the reactor chamber and the injector can be removed and cleaned.

[howman]

gas & anthem

thanks for the help
i am looking at their website--and the injector is inside
is yours different


the website has not been updated in 2+ years

however, i am also looking at this month's edition of FAMA (fresh water and marine aquarium) on page 91 and it looks the same as the one on marinetechnical.com.....is yours different

in fact FAMA only has the HSA 1000 and HSA 2000 in their advertisement.

howard

[sabodish]

howman...
i purchased one of the new hsa 1000's last year, with the injector on the outside...it works perfectly...it is set up on my 400 gallon reef and pulls a full skimmate cup of gunk every week....i dont have any experience with the older ones with the injector in the middle, but it does look like that could be a pain to clean...

great skimmer if you can get your hands on the newer model....buy it used, i think the $650 i paid new for mine was a little much, but didnt have many options a year ago.
-mike

[anthem]

All the new MTC's have the injector on the outside. Even their advertisement is old, and I'm not sure why they want to have old info out there. Very possibly since most people contemplating buying a skimmer are not going to consider where the injector column is placed.

I don't believe they even make the 2000 anymore. It is a decent skimmer, basically a 2xHSA1000. Between the options that you have, the bigger column is an excellent idea. You can't really complain about the performance of the 2000, just that its the older tech and a real pain in the *** to clean.

Ed

[Mike W]

I had a HSA 1000 for quite some time. It worked OK for me. Not great but OK. Replaced it with Euroreef CS8-2 due to cleaning pain in the ***. Euroreef skimmer- AWESOME!

[sabodish]

hey guys..
in the convos i had with mtc, they flat out told me they will not be updting their website because once they put a pic up of their new skimmers people immediately start copying them...while i believe in business terms this is good sense, i for one, will not buy anythign that i dont see first...if you call these guys, they are more than helpful in answering any questions you have
-mike

[gas4544]

The MTC guys told me the same thing that they told sabodish - people will copy their new design if MTC posts new pictures on their website. He also said that they have plenty of orders to keep them busy and is not too concerned about having an updated picture on their website.

[3moons1star]

Well I have to respond because it seems the other responses were based on here say. I did purchase a 2000 from MTC and did pay $1100. for the unit. It is the primary skimmer on a 700G+ system. It is driven by a iwaki100 and it IS a very good skimmer.

If you could buy for $200-300 hundred and can't build your own, than it would be a good purchase, although I think overkill for a 170G.

Taking the injectors apart is an over rated excercise in my opinion. Removing the top of the collection cup and blowing out with an air compressor cleans the units just fine.

All of that being said, if I were in need of another I would just build it. It is a very basic unit which would be very easy to build. I also own several euroreefs, including the large one and feel the same way. Unless I can buy a used one that will cost justify not spending the time to build, I would only build from now on.

[anthem]

3moons, I've spoken to them extensively of their product, and know pretty much why they don't update their site (although advertising old product is beyond me as well). I think they do have a very good product and it was a smart move to go with the external injector. I also own PM's XL2 skimmer, a MyReef MR-3 and skimmers bigger/better than those, so I'm not blowing smoke when i say that they do make good skimmers.

So, I'd be careful of who you are accusing of 'hearsay'. You can report your use of it, but I wouldn't downplay other's report of it(both positive and negative). There were only three real responses here, sabodish owns one, batman used to own one, and I used to own one. I would hardly call that 'hearsay', and more firsthand reporting.

Ed