H&S vs Bubble King Mini

[hiepatitis]

I am in the market for a new skimmer. My options are the H&S A200-1260 or the Bubble King Mini 180. Any advice?

[CruzinKim]

Although I don't own either one, I believe that H&S is one of the best skimmers that one can get for any tank. Quality construction, 2 year warranty, and a proven product. Although the full size BK is a proven product, the mini BKs are too new to the market. Hate to be a thousand dollar guinea pig.

[mavgi]

IMO go with the H&S .

[DeltecRules]

Originally posted by hiepatitis
I am in the market for a new skimmer. My options are the H&S A200-1260 or the Bubble King Mini 180. Any advice?

Take the H&S A200-1260. I absolutely love it. I had a Mini BK 200 before and it didn't perform as it should. I had a defective pump, plastic shavings still on the pinwheel and lack of customer service and technical support from premiumaquatics. All I wanted was a replacement pump but instead Jeremy from PA decided to test my skimmer and made it public here on reefcentral trying to prove I was some kind of liar. Said it was working great!! Which was BS. What great customer service to treat someone after spending thousands of dollars on many products from PA. There were also other folks who were having problems with there BK mini 200 who PM'd me who didn't want to make it public. You also have to remmeber the replacement pump if anything goes wrong with your mini after the warranty is $730!! The H&S replacement pump is a standard eheim 1260. If you need to replace the whole H&S pump its $350. But if you need to replace just the eheim and not the needle wheel and the venturi and other fittings its the cost of a standard eheim 1260!

Here is my H&S A200-1260 in action

[DeltecRules]

And here is the Mini BK 200 which was clearly defective. And no I don't have a low bioload and don't have power issues like some people claim. I ran this skimmer the same amount of time as the H&S A200-1260. My tank really suffered too

[Macimage]

DeltecRules,

What is your experience between the Deltec and H & S?

Thanks!
Joyce

[reef / aholic]

H&S A200-1260 is a external skimmer that is rated for up to 300g and is a recirculating skimmer.

Pump: Eheim 1260/65w - $300.00 replacement
Diameter: 8"
Height: 29"
Footprint: 9"x15"


BK Mini 180 is a internal skimmer rated for up to 200g and is a non-recirculating skimmer.

Pump: RD Mini Air 800/28w - $730.00 replacement
Diameter: 7"
Height: 21 3/4"
Footprint: 8 1/4" x 8 1/4"

These skimmer are not even apple to apple in comparison, more like kiwi to eggplant!!!

[Reef Sponger]

Money wasn't an object for me when I bought my H&S A150 and I would do it again, even over Deltec or Bubbleking. It is just the best built and performance skimmer I've used to date and I had my share of different skimmers. In comparing apples to applies:

Deltec Eheim 1260 replacement plump $550
H&S Eheim 1260 replacement pump $350

Deltec Eheim replacement needlewheel impeller $250
H&S Eheim replacement needlewheel impeller $140

Deltec Aquabee 2001 replacement pump $375
H&S Aquabee 2001 replacement pump $200

Deltec warranty 1 year
H&S warranty 2 years

Performance, everyone says is very similar. But my gut feeling is that no one wants to rock the boat. I'm looking at my A150 compared to Deltec APF600 and with the slightly larger body size and neck diameter size, it's got to have the Deltec beat, plus no microbubbles ever return to the tank from the skimmer.

[Macimage]

Edit: I need to read Reefsponger's reply before posting, as he posted while I was typing.

Joyce

[Macimage]

Thanks! I have been leaning towards one of the in sump H & S skimmers.

Time for a stupid question. How does a recirculating skimmer work versus one that is non-recirculating?

Also, with the in sump H & S, can I plumb it with a gravity feed? I've seen in sumps plumbed 3 ways and don't know which would be the best way to set it up. I saw that they can be dropped in sump and you use the pump supplied to feed the water from the sump. I saw examples of a gravity feed and I guess the supplied pump would circulate the water inside the skimmer. And I also saw a Reeflow plumbed with a larger external pump feeding it that was also feeding the returns and chiller.

Thanks for all the help.

Joyce

[Reef Sponger]

Joyce,
BTW, I'm a she. LOL In sump only skimmers are plug n play. You take it out of the box, run it in warm vinegar solution for about an hour and then place it into your sump and fire it up.

What you describe above is a recirculating skimmer, where you have total control over your skimmer in how you want to set it. You can feed by a separate pump or directly from your overflow. I have a recirculating skimmer and I like it much better than all the non-recirculating skimmers that I've owned in the past. You don't have to be concern about having a constant sump waterlevel as it is immune to any changes within the sump, you can install the skimmer in sump or outside of the sump, and you have 3 separate controls to adjust your skimmer for the desired type of skimmate instead on only 2 controls with the in sump models.

If money & space is not a challenge for you, go with the recirculating H&S skimmer.

[USC-fan]

Get the recirculating, no reason to get an in-sump skimmer....

[Lumamae]

Originally posted by hiepatitis
I am in the market for a new skimmer. My options are the H&S A200-1260 or the Bubble King Mini 180. Any advice?

I would go with H&S over a miniBK. If it was a full size BK, then that would be debateable. Check with KMA, they are local to us and probably most knowledegeable around on skimmers. Also, how about the new ATB, they're local to us as well.

[Macimage]

Ooops, sorry about that Reef Sponger.

So, the recirculating are only available as external skimmers? I installed a large sump under the stand and now I really don't have room for an external skimmer. I'd like the most efficient in sump setup.

There have been so many advancements in the past fews years since I set up my last reef tank that it's a bit confusing.

Thanks again,
Joyce

[Lumamae]

macimage,
you can install a recirculating (external) in sump, there's no reason that you couldn't do that. so you have a choice of in sump installation or out of sump installation, most flexible. i think what RS is saying is that if you don't have enough room in your sump for the recirculating skimmer, then you can go with an in sump only model as they are usually smaller footprint.

we should probably get back to the original topic of the original poster.

[Reef Sponger]

Originally posted by Macimage
Ooops, sorry about that Reef Sponger.

So, the recirculating are only available as external skimmers? I installed a large sump under the stand and now I really don't have room for an external skimmer. I'd like the most efficient in sump setup.

There have been so many advancements in the past fews years since I set up my last reef tank that it's a bit confusing.

Thanks again,
Joyce

Currently, there are very few in sump models that are recirculating. Usually recirculating is attributed to external model skimmers. Also, but not always, the recirculating skimmer has a larger footprint and more height to the skimmer, but you get better performance from them. So, if you have enough space in your sump for a recirculating skimmer, get that. If not, then look at the in sump only skimmers. Check out KM Associates as that's where I bought my last 2 skimmers and they're quite knowledgeable about all the different skimmer lines. Great customer service on top of the knowledge, no exceptions on the great customer service.

[hiepatitis]

Lumamae,

I am also looking at the ATB cone skimmers which look very appealing but I'm afraid to blow that much money on a new line against the proven H&S. I don't want to get caught up in all the hype.

[Reef Sponger]

I definitely know what you mean by hype. This is why I didn't buy a Bubblemaster until it's been out awhile and all the bugs worked out. Looks like ATB is going through the same, working out the bugs with the USA version of the Eheim pumps because electrical spins the impeller so strong that the pumps are overpowering the skimmer body size.

So, if you don't want to be a guinea pig for ATB, I wouldn't suggest being one for the mini-BKs either. On both, wait awhile to see what it does.

[DeltecRules]

Originally posted by Macimage
DeltecRules,

What is your experience between the Deltec and H & S?

Thanks!
Joyce

Well I have owned both. I have owned the Deltec MCE600 Hang on skimmer which is the best Hang on skimmer. Small compact, pump built in skimmer body, ran on 11 watts of power and sucked alot of crude out of the water.
Here are some pics of it.

[DeltecRules]

I also owned the Deltec AP600 sold it and bought a used APF600 for my frag tank. The AP600 was very powerful for its size. It pulled out alot of crude in my system.
AP600 in action

[ReefSalt]

I have had the chance to play with a Mini BK and I was not impressed ,given its a sharp looking skimmer with good craftsmanship.When I sold my H&S A300,I was going to use the money and buy a BK Mini ,But I decided to go with the H&S A250 instead dont regret it one bit.

As for Deltec well its definetly not a well constructed product when it comes to material used ,the BK and H&S wins hands down here.

So I would recommend the H&S model over the others with there proven track record and fair prices.

[Macimage]

First, thanks for Hiepatitas for letting me lead their thread a bit off topic.

Lumamae-Thank you. I did not know I could purchase an external skimmer and run it in my sump. Would the external H & S run in the sump be better than their in sump skimmer?

DeltecRules-Yes, I just sold my two MCE600's. I was wondering about the Deltec APF600 vs. the H&S A200-1260 that I see in your profile.

Ok, it seems an external skimmer placed in my sump is the way to go. I will call K & M next week.

Thanks to everyone,
Joyce

[USC-fan]

Originally posted by Macimage
Ooops, sorry about that Reef Sponger.

So, the recirculating are only available as external skimmers? I installed a large sump under the stand and now I really don't have room for an external skimmer. I'd like the most efficient in sump setup.

There have been so many advancements in the past fews years since I set up my last reef tank that it's a bit confusing.

Thanks again,
Joyce

Most recirculating can be run insump.

[spooda420]

I recently bought a H&S 250x2 1260s, I love it. never ran the BK but this one is great. I was leaning toward a deltec, but after talking to some guys in teh reef club they steered me toward the H&S...

a truly great skimmer

[DeltecRules]

Just to add, I love both of the skimmer brands. They perform top notch. I will say this, people keep claiming H&S are built better than Deltecs but thats not true. They are made out of the same material and Deltecs are not FLIMSY made. I banged and dropped both of my deltec skimmers while doing routine cleaning and I never seen any cracks or damage from either.

Deltec charges more for there pumps to protect against DIY'ers who want to use their pumps on there own skimmer bodies. Deltecs pumps are also supposedly modified beyond what H&S does to there pumps. Another difference is that Deltecs pumps are lower on skimmer body than H&S places their pumps. But they both draw the same air. I have owned two aquabee 2000 powered skimmers and never had any problems at all. The APF600 is running great without any problems at all either.

They produce the same air and lots of nasty nog. You will be happy with either of them.

Price difference between both single eheim models
H&S A200-1260 runs $1299
Deltec AP851 runs $1190

Take your pick!!