For the past 5 years I've been using the same protein skimmer, my trusty Reef Octopus Diablo 160xs - it's a beast, it's bulletproof, and it served me extremely well. Over the years I've always wanted to try something new, I flaunted with the idea of running the KZ skimmer when I switched over to Zeovit, and I have for many years lusted over the Royal Exclusive Bubble King range.
When it comes to successful reefing, a good skimmer sits very near to the top of my list of must haves. The Diablo was oversized for my previous tank, but I loved it because I could feed heavily and it would keep my water quality pristine.
As an upgrade I landed on the Deltec 600ix.
Design
As someone who appreciates good design, I have to say that the skimmer itself is beautiful both in design and craftsmanship. The quality of the fittings is fantastic, and the small touches like the white Aquabee (AC) pump just make for a beautiful product overall.
* The one thing that could be improved is the addition of a drain on the skimmer's cup. As someone who travels for up to a month at a time, this is extremely useful to me. I'll see how I can DIY a fix in the coming months as it should be a simple fix.
Performance
While looks are important, skimmers aren't just there to look good, we need them to keep our water quality perfect so that the creatures calling our tanks home are happy and healthy. So how does it stack up?
It's been a few weeks now since I added the Deltec to my aquarium and so far I am impressed, it seems more gentle than my Diablo, but not in a way that makes me feel it's doing any less job. It has big foamy soft bubbles and a slightly wetter skim than I tend to go for but my corals seem really happy, so it's doing its job.
And the most significant change compared to the Reef Octopus - the noise. It's quiet, it's so quiet I cannot hear it when I'm sitting at my desk 1 meter away from it. I find myself making sure it's on because I'm so used to the gentle hum of the Diablo. Haha.
All in all, I'm pleased with the switch so far.
* Deltec were kind enough to send me both the AC and DC to pumps to try out, so I will be doing a comparison of them in the coming months as I have some time to test each pump.
by Shaun Lombard for ReefHacks.
What's your favourite skimmer?
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Happy Reefing!
