A.E. Tech Reef Devil skimmer? ? good/bad ?

[Slingshot]

Looking to start a new reef tank live rock/fish/corals/anenomies etc. I was wondering if anybody had experience using this skimmer. Was your experience good or bad?

http://superskimmer.com/reef_devil.htm

My tank will consist of the following:
AGA 90gal.
AGA model 3 sump.
Mag 9.5 pump
wavemaker w/ 3 powerheads

Any suggestions?

[Paulairduck]

I used it and never had any luck with it, all it did is overflow. If you do purchase it, make sure you get the overflow cup that shut's down the skimmer. I would suggest a needlewheel skimmer, the reef octopus or the new RS euro reef

[Slingshot]

Thanks. Anybody else have any similar or better experience?

Dave

[Slingshot]

TTT

[Tommyh]

have one and love it...i use the quiet one 3000 to run it and it skims like mad.....all in your preference

[jmait769]

Slingshot - I too have the Reef Devil and I love it. It is a downdraft skimmer which some say is “old school”. I have it setup external and I recently upgraded to a Mag 7 pump verses the Catalina CA 1800 pump (POS IMO) that comes with it. I highly recommend upgrading the pump to the Mag-7. Here is a pic of mine:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n172/jmait769/Sump03.jpg

HTH

Jay

[Slingshot]

Does it require a lot of tweaking? Is it a pain in the a$$ cleaning?

Dave

[jrmx635]

I had one and now I went needlewheel asmg3 because of all the hype.
I wish I still had my reefdevil.
I have had all the etss skimmers from the 800 down and they kick but.
The downdraft is way mor powerful.
I have never had one overflow.That one can't be set right and once you set it up right you know how long it takes to fill.
You set um and forget um.
get the mag 7 for it and you will be impressed.
the needlewheel smells up my whole room too.I never had that on etss

[jmait769]

Dave – Since mine is external the only tweaking is to set the gate valve for bubble control. With the Mag 7 the valve is wide open. With it external it is important that the water level in the first chamber of the sump stays at a constant level. That really is about it.

Cleaning is just like any other skimmer. Probably the hardest part is cleaning the neck of the skimmer and I just use a paper towel and wipe it out every time I clean the cup.

HTH

Jay

[badgerlaw]

I have one with a Mag 7 and since I have upgraded it it is absolutely awesome. With the upgrade in about a week I get 3 cups of the nastiest looking waste that is so dark that you can't see through it.

I agree with the auto waste collector however becareful of the one from this manufacturer, the dimensions are wrong. I dont think they have one that will work with the reef devil, the collection port is above the drain line. I went with a Precision marine and love it.

[badgerlaw]

Oh, by the way the compact size of the skimmer is also a plus. Given the small foot print it fits in places where other similar spec'd skimmers would not fit.

[JagerEinheit]

got an older school RD 3 on a mag 9.5 with some added bioballs. does just fine. few points at least with mine that are helpful to work with.


1. shut the skimmer off while feeding, rearranging the tank, hangds in the tank dosing addatives etc etc. the surface tension is broken by the oils in your hands and in supplements so the skimmer slows or shuts down for a bit (1 hour or less usually) but if you cut the skimmer off then turn it back on once your done or the feeding is, it works without pause.

2. the gate valve adjustment is FINE very FINE. a little change can illict a very large swing. its best to run it wide open at first to break it in, then set the water level at the base of the large tube
( sometimes closing off the air inlet helps a bit to get it started but when you cap off the air the water level rises a bit, so you may need to still fine tune it) once you start tuning it and think you have it right, leave it for an hour or so and come back. the skimmer takes a few minutes to really settle in to the new level and begin producing. if your level isnt right that is where most flooding incidents come from.

3. cleaning the neck can be difficult, i use an old crest spin brush thats battery operated while the skimmer is running to pull gunk off the walls and it gets into the cup. otherwise whiping it down is great. just dont wash the skimmer itself or you ruin the efficiency until it rebreaks in.

other than these tweaks and or issues, its a model skimmer, its no more work than a needlewheel really once its broken in, and as a side benefit the sheer amount of air being added to the water saturates your oxygen requirements for the tank. also good for effluent from reactors etc to blow off the CO2 in the water.

take it slow and steady and youll be a very happy aquarist.