12-2 rc euro reef

[A Reef Scene]

I'm thhinking of getting this skimmer for a 375 reef. What are any problems with this skinner? And is there a better skimmer in the same price range?

[invincible569]

A reef scene, what is the price of this skimmer?

[A Reef Scene]

There is a imac deal I think it it 899.99 befor shipping

[invincible569]

I have a Euro Reef and you cant go wrong. I have had it for a while now and it works really good. Just as long as you maintain it, you will be ok. Thats not a bad price either.

[adobo]

Euro reef skimmers are generally good skimmers. They utilize pumps that are fitted with needle wheel impellers to generate a tremendous amount of bubbles in a reaction chamber. This is a technique that is borrowed from two german made skimmers, H&S and Deltec.


The question at this point is, what else is available for the same kind of money (plus or minus a few dollars)? Well, believe it or not, for this kind of money, you can get into an H&S which personally I like better than Euro Reef.

Reason 1 to check out H&S: Experience and Performance

H&S has been doing needle wheel and recirculating or external skimmers longer than ER. It seems to me that they have figured out the optimal combination of air injection and chamber size. For that reason, you will notice that the H&S line is more streamlined offering only a small set of models to fit the needs of most systems.

Reason 2: Pumps made in Germany

H&S specifically offers two external models for around $1000. First is the a200-2xf2001 . That model uses two aquabee pumps (made in germany) that are able to draw about 500 lph of air each. Second is the a200-1260 . That skimmer is exactly the same as the previous H&S I mentioned except instead of using dual aquabee pumps, it uses a single eheim. The eheim in that configuration I believe is able to draw about 900 lph of air.

For comparison, the CS 12-2RC (which in the future I think will be called the cs 12-30RC) is fitted with two dolphin sp-3s(made in china). In this particular combination, they anticipate the pumps to draw a total of 900 lph of air.

The dolphin pumps are generally okay but spending $1000, it's nice to have precision built equipment. I personally own both an ER and an H&S. The H&S comes with an aquabee and the ER comes with a sedra 3500 (exactly the same pump as the dolphin except with a different label). The aquabee makes the sedra look like a toy.

Reason 3: Craftsmanship
The H&S line of skimmers are built like a tank. They reinforce areas where there are potential weak points. ER is doing a better job of that now but are still a little behind in my opinion. For example, they mount their pumps using rubber seals whereas H&S uses PVC bands that wrap around the skimmer to reinforce the attachment between the pump and the skimmer.

As I said before, ER builds a good skimmer. But before you make your purchase, I urge you to shop H&S. You might find that the extra money to get into a high end german skimmer might be worthwhile.

The distributor for the U.S. is www.finsreef.com. Call Brian and talk to him if you want more info about H&S. He is a really good guy (though he has a nasty habit of extracting money out of my wallet. He got me for almost $1000 just in the past two weeks alone).

Ted

[Orion76]

Ok Brian, you owe Ted some money

[adobo]

You think I might have a second career in the making??

Ted

[Orion76]

You think I might have a second career in the making??

I recommend info-mercials

[adobo]

And if you buy now, we'll throw in some....

[A Reef Scene]

thanks for the great info

[CAReefer]

I have the CR12-2 that I added a 3rd recirc pump on. I am using the older style sedra 5000's. Honestly, I feel this skimmer isn't terribly efficient, thus adding the 3rd pump and more heat to my tank. I run a total of 250 gallons. If it were me, I wouldn't go with another ER. JMHPO.

CAReefer

[A Reef Scene]

Would the deltec apf851 be a better choice?

[Aged Salt]

While checking out the Deltec, be sure to call Brian as Ted mentioned, for H&S are well-made & well-designed skimmers. Bob

[adobo]

Deltec makes a really good product. The ap851 in many ways is similar to the the h&s a200-1260 (use the same eheim pump, use the same reaction chamber volume). I have a preference for H&S skimmers though either one in my opinion is an excellent choice.

Before you make the decision, be sure to talk to both Doug at Deltec and Brian at Finsreef. Each should be able to describe their offerings in better detail.

Ted

[Orion76]

Ted, who do I call for an Ab Master and should I go with the Ab Master Pro or the Ab Master Extreme?