reefman Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I'm seeing several Jebo skimmers on eBay, supposedly up to 150 gal tanks, for $51 (that's including shipping). After looking at the Deltec skimmers last night for over $400, this looks tempting, but I know sopmething must be wrong. Are these just a piece of junk? Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Jebo has a terrible reputation. In my opinion it is worth it to splurge on your skimmer. Buy bigger than you need so that if you upgrade you already have it. Plus you can't overskim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 This hobby is like any other, you get what you pay for, period. But to play devils advocate, a skimmer is just a clear tube with a pump and some air bubbles. The reason expensive skimmers are such is due to materials and engineering. Cheap skimmers use extruded rather than cast materials. They are press molded not hand assembled. But most importantly the pumps used on cheap skimmers such as: Via aqua, Rio, Cap, etc have thinner layers of epoxy covering the copper coils in the pump head. These thin layers of epoxy can easily crack leaking stray voltage and copper into your aquarium. Just an FYI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Jebo skimmers, yes they are a huge piece of junk. Jebo, while occasionally putting out a decent product, uses very inferior materials and lacks all the research put into the needlewheel driven protein skimmers. They manufacture all their products in China which cuts down cost, but also quality. The skimmer in question uses an offbrand pump, that sucks in air through a venturi. This air is then "injected" into the water column and bubbles are produced. The thing that we don't know, is how much air is injected. Most large skimmer companies spend mucho dinero on R&D to get the most air/water mix into their reaction chambers. Deltec, H&S, and Euroreef ALL use patented needlewheel designs to chop any air going into the skimmer into tiny fine bubbles, increasing surface area thus skimming potential. If you're looking for a skimmer to replace a Prizm, I would go with either the Aqua C Remora Pro, or the Deltec MCE300. The MCE300 is a new product, of which only 25 will be coming into the country in October. It's rated for a 75 gallon tank, uses 6w of electricity, and has a pricepoint of around $255. The Aqua C Remora is also a very capable skimmer with great customer surface just utilizes an entirely different skimming method. It uses what is called "spray injection" I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 PS. The new Deltec HOB skimmer that I saw at macna is available and can handle a 90g tank for $239 http://www.deltecusa.us/proteinskimmers/mce300.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 Thanks everyone. I knew there was a catch, just needed someone to explain it to me. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 JOhn, YOu recommended an AquaC Remora. Would any of the AquaC's be good (like the AquaC EV-180)? Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Coralvue's new HOB looked good yet cheap at macna http://www.coralvue.com/hob.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Stephen, Their customer service at Aqua C is fantastic but their skimmers (other than HOB) are rather old school. I'm not a fan of injection style skimmers as they fluctuate with water tension and are often difficult to dial in. They also use much larger pumps and therefore more electricity to operate. That being said, custom becketts rip out some really great skimmate after they're properly adjusted. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I agree with John about the regular skimmer line from AquaC. I have read one to many post on Reef forums where a desperate person asks why their AquaC runs fine when they look at it but as soon as they go to work, overflow! I really really like my Euroreef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Euro reef may be a great alternative for some/most people. There are some issues with some of their products. First and for most customer service is not very good at all. The company has grown very quickly over the last 2 years, and they have become very busy. It can often take 2 weeks to get a response and thats for vendors! Try calling as a hobbiest. The CS6-2+ (now CS135) is awesome I love it so much sometimes I often talk to it and tell it how beautifull it is and how much I adore it. But the CS8-2 (CS135) is the most overpriced piece of junk on the market. As is their 12" diameter skimmers over 2' tall. Euro-reef was not an option for most aquarists 4 years ago when they all ran on expensive eheim pumps. After switching to sen, sedra, then finally dolphin pumps, people could finally afford these skimmers. All of these skimmers are now discontinued!!! You may be able to get one for a few more months, but then the new model kicks in. All new Euro reefs will be recirc. skimmers with EHEIM pumps, which is great for performance, but I think that we will all see a drastic increase in price. Sorry, i am starting to rant, i'll shut up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 You wrote CS135 twice, what new model is the 8-2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 My bad the CS8-2 is now called the CS165, and it still sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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