Deltec TS1060/Protein Skimmers 7/30/12
Hi Crew,
I was wondering if you had any experience with this brand/model?
<I have not but I have never heard any negative feedback about Deltec Skimmers.  It's best to post this question on one or more of the saltwater forums.
James (Salty Dog)>
Cheers
Ranjith

Deltec MCE600, skimmer mod. q.  7/6/12
Hi,
<Hello Rico>
May I ask if it is possible to change the AB pump inside Deltec MCE600 skimmer to Tunze Hydroformer silence to increase performance?
<The MCE600 is a pretty good skimmer out of the box.  If the Tunze Hydroformer could be adapted to the Deltec, I don't believe any improved performance would justify the cost.>
Would a model Eheim 1260 with needle wheel impeller "external-ize" the skimmer?
<I do not know this, but skimmers are generally designed around a given water flow.  The Eheim or Tunze may put out too much flow.>
Are there any mods available for MCE600 to improve performance?
<I'm not aware of any.>
Thank you.
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Best Wishes,
Rico
Re Deltec MCE600, Deltec skimmer, pump noise... & small marine sys...  7/11/12
Dear James,
<Rico>
Thank you for your prompt response.
<You're welcome.>
I have rattling and loud humming sound with my MCE600 pump. I have tried to acid bath it for 48 hours, cleaned it, had it checked by the store where I bought from. From what they said, grommet, impeller and shaft all looks fine.
<I would contact Deltec for their input.>
Hence, I was thinking, instead of paying a lot of money to totally replace the pump, I might as well get a pump with higher airflow volume. I could just place it inside the skimmer without connect it to inlet and using a feeder pump to pump water into the inlet, effectively converting it into an external recirculating skimmer, or I could just use an external skimmer pump to pump into the inlet direct.
<Again, I would contact Deltec for their advice.  I'm not familiar with the innards of that skimmer to give you any meaningful advice.  It's possible they may take care of your problem free of charge.>
Do you have any recommendations?
<No.>
I am also looking into getting a low iron, rimless 60X30X36cm tank. I am undecided as to get the 60p from ADA or a tank with same dimensions from ANS.
May I ask would 60X30X36cm or 36X22X26cm be a better choice?
<Either tank is a little small for a marine tank.>
May I also ask if Teco TR20 or Arctica DBA-250 be too large for a 2ft tank?
I am living in the equator.
<I would say so by a huge margin.  These chillers are for tanks up to 350 gallons and by your centimeter dimensions above, those tanks figure out to a 5 and 10 gallon.  Did you mean inches rather than cm?>
Would Teco or Arctica be a better choice in terms of reliability, efficiency and noise level?
<Couldn't tell you, I'm not familiar with the Teco brand.  I haven't heard any negative feedback about Arctica chillers.>
Sorry for the numerous questions.
<No problem.>
Once again, thank you.
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Best Wishes,
Rico
Re Deltec MCE600 7/11/12
Dear James,
<Rico>
Would ADA or ANS be a better brand for low iron, rimless tank?
<I'm not familiar with either of those brands.>
The unit of measure is correct. May I ask what would happen if I get chiller that is way overrated for my tank?
<You would likely have temperature fluctuations.  Would be cooling that small amount of water faster than the system could react.  A minimum flow through the chiller is required and even with Artica's smallest unit (1/10th HP), a minimum flow of 240gph is required and that is a lot of water flow for a 5 or 10 gallon tank.  For your application consider the product in the link below but it requires the tank or a filter box to be drilled to accept it and one may not be enough depending on the ambient room temperature of your home.  One unit will drop the temperature 6 to 8 degrees F below ambient room temperature.  See here.
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_code=Minichill>
Thank you.
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Best Wishes,
Rico

Deltec Skimmers: Skimmer Selection in a smaller tank. 10/12/2010
Hi Crew!
<Hi Sam, nice to hear from you again>
Thank you so much for helping with my previous questions, and now I have another for you if you don't mind.
<Certainly.>
I'm in the process of choosing a skimmer for my 30 Gallon FOWLR. It's pretty much between the Deltec MCE300 or MCE600, if you're familiar with those models. I've heard a lot of good things about the 600 and some bad about the 300 but I am concerned about over skimming.
<A needless concern.>
Do you think that would happen with the 600?
<No.>
I may change the FOWLR to a reef tank in the future. Do you think the 300 would be fine for my tank?
<Either should serve you well.>
I have read some of the FAQs on the site re. skimming and Deltec (consensus seem they are good quality) and notice some people prefer overskimming to underskimming.
<I'm firmly in the 'damn the torpedoes and skim the tank to death' camp.>
I know its subjective and is down to personal experience but wanted a more informed opinion!
<Well, I will give you the reasons behind my opinion. I have never seen an instance of over-skimming. You could search the WWM pages and be hard pressed to find definitive proof that over-skimming caused a problem in a tank I do not think it is realistically possible in a home aquarium. We are always going to overfeed our fish and corals, we are always going to skip a water change or two, etc. I say get the largest skimmer your tank can support. and run with it. If it were me in your position, I would go
with the 600.>
Thank you kindly,
<My pleasure as always.>
Sam.
<MikeV>
ps. I recently asked a question re a aluminum stand and well...decided to bite the bullet and get a wooden one!
<Ahh good news. I think you will be happier with it in the long run.>
Thanks a lot for helping in my decision, it was a tough one. (or I should say a financially expensive lesson!)
<You could always get another tank and make that into a freshwater tank, which would be fine with an aluminum stand.> Skimmer Selection...It Need Not Be "That" Expensive! - 12/28/06 Hello there :) <<Howdy>> I'm setting up a coral propagation system on my patio at the place I live.  It'll be roughly 700+ gallons of water. <<Neat!>> Planned corals to culture are xenias and leather corals with some SPS down the road if there is a demand for it. <<I see>> I had a question about a Deltec skimmer that I'd be planning to use. <<Ok>> The model in particular is an AP 1004. <<Pricey...an efficient, quality skimmer...but very pricey>> This is a pretty big model for how much water is in my system, but I plan on at least doubling the volume of water in the system with in the near future. <<Ah, but not "too big" then>> Also I'd like to put a large skimmer on there in case I do happen to do a lot of SPS. <<Mmm, indeed...as well as sufficient "chemical" filtration to deal with the noxious leather corals>> My question is, would buying the Deltec be worth the money? <<Hmm...well Chris, the Deltec is a nice piece of equipment, and owning it will certainly draw hobbyists from afar just to see your $5,000 skimmer.  But as Bob is fond of responding when asked this type of question; "Is there a better way this money could be spent?"  There are other less expensive options that would work just fine in my opinion (Euro-Reef, AquaC, H&S)>> They're awfully expensive and I'm not so sure that it'd be much better than a Euro-Reef skimmer (an RC1000 to be exact). <<Ah yes!  Am much in agreement.  I have an ER CS12-3 on my system and love it.  The only downside to the Euro-Reef skimmers in my opinion is the pumps they generally employ...though I believe they now offer Eheim pumps with some of the newer skimmers or as an upgrade>> Are Deltecs just a REALLY expensive toy or do they really kick that much more ass than other skimmers? <<A valid question...but then, "just how much ass do you need to kick?"  For my money, any of the three previously mentioned manufacturers will "get the job done" very well>> Both these skimmers are pretty similar in design, dare I say exact even. <<Pretty close...agreed>> In all honesty I can't really see a Deltec being THAT much better, however, I have zero experience with this brand.  This kinda brings me to another question...how valid would it be to use an auto-cleaning system on the Deltec? <<An expensive add-on...convenient/nice to have...but hardly a necessity>> I'd assume that it's a great idea and should potentially really increase the skimmers potential. <<Why?  Are you planning to "neglect" the skimmer? [grin]>> This auto-cleaning feature is a fairly large reason why I've been looking at the Deltecs in the first place. <<Ah...I see>> Can you suggest another type of skimmer with a self-cleaning feature or perhaps something I could use on a Euro-Reef RC1000? <<I don't know of any self-cleaning feature available for Euro-Reef skimmers...and the only other manufacturer that immediately comes to mind with this feature is RK2...yet another "very expensive" skimmer>> Thank you for your time!  I REALLY appreciate what you guys <<and gals>> are doing for the hobby...Keeping people informed or at least trying in your own way is important for the hobby to progress :) <<Thank you...indeed we "do try">> Sincerely, Chris from LA <<Regards, EricR in Columbia>>

Re: Was, Euro-Reef vs. Beckett Skimmers, now Deltec...An Opinion - 10/29/06 Hey Eric, <<Hi Ken>> What is your opinion of Deltec skimmers since I am now debating needle wheel skimmers? <<Excellent skimmers>> Also, is this a bad time to switch skimmers while curing live rock, since it will take a new (clean) skimmer a day or so to get up to speed? <<Not a problem at all, in my opinion>> Thanks, Ken <<Cheers, EricR>>

Some Useful 'Skimmer Tuning' Info - 05/23/06 Hey Eric! (Hopefully!), <<Hiya Ross...tis me!>> You might remember all the problems I was having with ozone in my Deltec MCE 600 skimmer that I was running in sump (specifically it was producing no skimmate at all after the addition of ozone). <<Indeed yes, I do recall>> Well, I lowered the sump water level (accidentally!) by an inch, and hey presto, skimmate galore. <<Ahh...okay...for some reason I was under the impression this was a "hang-on" skimmer...must not have been paying attention <grin>.  But what you say makes good sense.  My Euro-Reef skimmer is "designed" for in-sump use and will work at a broad range of water depths but performs "best" within a very narrow range.  No reason to think other sump employed skimmers would not be affected similarly...quite the lucky discovery for you, eh?>> It seems that although the Deltec manual for the MCE 600 states that it can be used in the sump, and is unaffected by changes in water level, that isn't strictly true. <<So it would seem...>> It can be used in the sump, very well, but it IS affected by changes in water level.  If anyone has a similar problem I recommend experimenting with the effective water level (either by placing the skimmer on top of something or altering the water level itself).  Just thought I'd share in case anybody ever has a similar issue. <<Indeed my friend...and thank you for the memory jog>> Many thanks for all your help, Ross. <<And for your contribution as well...Eric Russell>>