Top Fathom

[jonathan]

Free is my 2nd favorite 4 letter word! Top Fathom skimmers are old technology but they do skim! There will always be bigger, better, faster stronger and the internet will continuously remind us that our stuff is no longer "cool". I enjoy the innovations and new gadgets for the hobby but most of them are really not necessary.

They ARE a PITA to tune.

 

[linda lee]

Learning a lot here... thanks, and keep it coming!!

I was hoping I could at least get away with using this skimmer until I could someday afford better/newer, but if I have to invest a chunk into a pump, maybe it's not the way to go. It'll also be a bugger to pull it out of the cabinet once it's in there, with that tight fit.

I may just have to sweet talk Cameron out of his...

 

[humptrax]

Linda Lee;146935 wrote: I was hoping I could at least get away with using this skimmer until I could someday afford better/newer, but if I have to invest a chunk into a pump, maybe it's not the way to go. It'll also be a bugger to pull it out of the cabinet once it's in there, with that tight fit.

it seems like this skimmer has the exact same problems that the sea clones have. the bubbles probably aren't consistent enough and cause the foam column to collapse.

the good thing about the skimmer is the footprint. it seems pretty tall. i'm willing to bet a few airstones at the bottom of the skimmer will make this into a BEAST.

 

[george]

Cameron;146854 wrote: This seems strange to me... wonder why the pressure would matter.

mufret;146866 wrote: These skimmers will do best when used with a small pressure rated pump. Flow isn't everything in this situation. The restriction of the venturi will cause a pump designed primarily for flow, like the mags, to be very inconsistent. Using these types of pumps, thus results in some of the negative reviews they receive. They are older technology but will "do the job" if setup properly.

Mike said it better than I did. The pressure rated pumps are putting the same gph through a smaller diameter which drives those kinds of venturi better than flow pumps, which is pretty much what Mags are.

Not that you can't run a skimmer off a Mag, but once you get a Mag that has the pressure to get the venturi running right, you have too much overall volume of water and flood the skimmer.

 

[blind1993]

linda go to reeffrontiers.com and pm a guy named skimmerwhisperer he told me the results he had when he moded his and it was amazing.

here is his link

 

[linda lee]

valas;146909 wrote: Free is my 2nd favorite 4 letter word!

There are a lot of 4-letter words that could vie for #1 ..

 

[mred]

Linda,

I had a Model 110 on my 75 gal and then used it on my 150 when I upsized. It did well on the 75g but was not very satisfactory on my 150g. I recently replaced it on the 150g. But would use it again on smaller tanks that are fish only.

I got it about 15 years ago. I did upgrade the venturi and used a Ehiem 1060 (now the 1260 Hobby pump). That pump did well at volume and the venturi did produce effective bubbles.

They do take some time to tune in the first time. It looks like yours has the newer version of return, so it should be fairly consistant once you get the system tweaked.

The venturi does get blocked with salt crust, but it is easy to clean with a tooth pick. You don't have to stop them to do the cleaning. I also used a pipe cleaner in the air intake tube as a muffler. Worked great.

The price is right. Just get a good pump. Ehiem pumps are almost maintenance free and reliable for this type of use.

ed

 

[cameron]

I will work a good deal for you Linda if you want mine... especially if I don't have to clean it. No BS DAS skimmers will run circles around this thing and will keep you skimming VERY well for a long time to come. There are very few skimmers that can compete in this price range.

 

[linda lee]

Cameron;147109 wrote: I will work a good deal for you Linda if you want mine... especially if I don't have to clean it. No BS DAS skimmers will run circles around this thing and will keep you skimming VERY well for a long time to come. There are very few skimmers that can compete in this price range.

Thanks, Cameron. Loren will PM you. If ya'll can work something out, that would be super. If not, I certainly understand as I'm sure you'd like to recoop as much as possible of your investment.

I made two major (at least major to me) livestock purchases this week (that I've yet to pick up) and I'm pretty maxed out, but a skimmer is priority. The more I think about at least trying the TF, the more I think it's a bad idea. We had to jockey the 33g halfway out from under the stand to get the skimmer in there and if it didn't work out, I'd have to disassemble the 'fuge/sump to get it back out. That might be enough to drive me from the hobby!

Really appreciate everyone contributing to this thread. It's been a good skimmer lesson for me.

 

[cameron]

Just let me know... sitting in my garage crying about needing a bath right now.