euro reef es5-2 feedback

[Shlou]

anyone have one of these yet? any feedback on it? how does it compare to the bigger euroreefs?

[Jeremy B.]

Vendors are not going to be receiving the skimmers for another week or two so you probably won't get much feedback on them yet. I'm not sure if ER actually had people doing a beta test with them or not.

[Lunchbucket]

there is beta test pics on their web site

Lunchbucket

[JFish]

They only list it as being suitable for 40+ gallon tank. I would think it could handle a lot more than that...I was thinking this might be a reasonable skimmer for my schools 2- 75 gallon tanks...it is a lot cheaper than anything else I have seen and you know you get a lot out of a euro-reef. Anyone think it would be too small for a 75 gallon?... I was also looking into a MR-1 for each tank...It is hard to look for skimmers when you know the school wont put a lot of money up.

Just wondering what you all think...I think a sure answer will come up once a few people have them and can testify to it's performance.

[Shlou]

i was thinking "40+" meant it could handle a 40 gallon or larger tank, not just a 40 gal tank.

it's what i plan to use on my 75 gal.

[wakesetter]

actually they already sent out over 100 of them to certain vendors. I ordered one today and should have it Wed. I will install it this week and let you know how it works next week.

[DaveC]

Custom Aquatic's is having a sale on that skimmer with the pump
for $198.00

DaveC

[Lunchbucket]

wakesetter - yes they sent out 160 skimmers to 72 different distributers last week so not all of them have arrived yet like mine to premiumaquatics.com in IN. shouls be there today or soon.

it is rated for 40gallons PLUS. i am sure this could handle a lot they just haven't put a range on it...never mind the ranges usually don't mean crap. i wouldn't hesitate to put the ES5-2 or a MR-1 on a 75gal.

Dave - yeah Custom Aquatic has them listed for 198. but if you look anywhere else even the Euro Reef website the retail is like 198...wouldn't call that a sale ;)

i will post pics of mine when i get it too. should be late next week early the week after that.

i am putting mine on a 20gal SPS tank. what is everyone else putting thiers on?? if you have a 75gal tank why not go w/ the CS6-1??

go here for the pics etc (http://www.euro-reef.com)

Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

well i just ordered my ES5-2 from premium aquatics. acording to their site they have four left.

i would like to have waited for some reviews on it before buying it but i guess this time i'm your guina pig, so i'll post back here when i get it and let u know how its working for me.

in response to lunchbucket:
i was considering a CS6-1 but decided against it for 2 reasons. first, cost. i know to some the $100 diffrence isn't that much, but my reef definately runs on a limited budget. and seccond, space! i'm using an old wet/dry i picked up for 50 bucks as my sump, and the CS6-1's footprint is about an inch too big to fit in there.

[tangman99]

I really want to know how big of a tank this will work on. I have a 90 gallon and have been ready to replace my Berlin Turbo Skimmer for quite some time.

Tangman

[58isgreat]

I think that for a 90 you would be better off with a CS6-1 or a CS6-2 even. I have the CS6-1 on a 75 and wish I would have gotten the two. It does an excellent job, but I don't like to be on the high side of what a skimmer can handle.

[tangman99]

Originally posted by 58isgreat
I think that for a 90 you would be better off with a CS6-1 or a CS6-2 even. I have the CS6-1 on a 75 and wish I would have gotten the two. It does an excellent job, but I don't like to be on the high side of what a skimmer can handle.

Yeah, I'm thinking that myself, but the cost of the new one is very attractive.

Tangman

[Lunchbucket]

i agree totally 58isgreat.

well mine will be here tuesday so we will see!!

1st person to get theirs please post details!!

Lunchbucket

[golfish]

They look like a pretty good deal for the smaller tanks. I see ReefFanatic has em instock for 198.00

[Lunchbucket]

well lets see what it will do on a 20H :D

yeah premium is selling for 198 i believe too

Lunchbucket

[wakesetter]

I should have one here today

[Lunchbucket]

wakesetter YOU SUCK!! LOL i want mine here today.

when did you order it and where from??

please please please get a ton of pics and let us know what you think right off hand. ER's beta pics SUCK...i want more!! i want my skimmer here today :(

Lunchbucket

[wakesetter]

I got it today and even though its not for my tank I think I will put it on tonight until Monday to see how it works since I am currently without a skimmer. (sold mine and haven't gotten around to ordering a new one yet) I will get some pics of it

[Lunchbucket]

PICS PICS PICS PICS PICS

thanks
Lunchbucket

ps you such since you got it 1st ;) post as much info and review as you can thanks again!

[seahawkjohnny]

let me know how the 5 series works..I have been thinking about going with one, and replacing my Remora

[Lunchbucket]

wake any updates please :D

Lunchbucket

[Pomacanthus1]

I'm gonna tag along on this thread. I also really want to see some pics!

I'll probably be ordering one slightly after Xmas.:D

[Lunchbucket]

don't worry i will post TONS of pics on tues when i get mine and put up updates daily. i am a camera freak and would like to inform others of how this brand new little guy works

Lunchbucket

[Lunchbucket]

alright every one asked for it!!! i'll step up and post pics!!!
Euro-Reef ES5-2 on my 20H install 12 10 02 (http://www.lunchbucket.org/euro-reef.htm)

there you are ask anything you want.

UPS delivered it at noon so i was happy it wasn't 5pm like they sometimes do!!

yippie this made my day!!!!
Lunchbucket

[JFish]

Wow...that was fast,

The skimmer looks pretty cool. Are the actual dimensions of it 9x9 as stated on their website? It doesn't look like it has a sqaured base. Let us know how it works after a couple days and a couple of weeks use.

thanks for sharing,

[reefingagain]

lunch
thanks for the pics - looks pretty impressive
update us once it start skimming

[Lunchbucket]

it isn't a solid 9x9base. it is 9x9 at the WIDEST points (the outlet tube and the pump) other than that it is 5"

oh don't worry i will post updates...i am a pic and equipment freak :D

Lunchbucket

[Pomacanthus1]

Very cool pics. Thanks! It must have been torture, taking all those pics and not just setting it up and turning it on right away.;)

[Lunchbucket]

Pomacanthus1, it was HELL!! LOL

all better now though...just have to wait for it to break in now :(:(

Lunchbucket

[Little Reefer Boy]

Just tagging along for updates :)

[Lunchbucket]

well about 12hrs later...no foam.

the bubbles are tiny then get bigger and bigger and rise up the tube in a big bubble form and not foam. just curious if it is breaking in or what....then it all falls back donw to just tiny bubbles. very very wet and big bubbles not foam....very wierd never seen anything like it on a skimmer!!

Lunchbucket

[Mimbler1]

Lunchbucket,
It seems like people have very different experiences on break-in of Euroreefs. I had very clean water, and kept my old Lifereef skimmer running when I installed my CS12-2, and it took a couple of weeks for it to break in. It's been performing awesomely ever since.

Some people get theirs to start producing immediately. I don't know if it is because they have more organics to skim, or less manufacturing residue.

I recall someone (I think it was on Reef central), that wound up painting the inside of their Euroreef with skimmate to speed up what was for them a lengthy break in. As I recall, that caused it to break in instantly at that point!
Mike

[Lunchbucket]

thanks a ton.

is that what the 'break in" is described as usually?

i took the cup off yesterday and cleaned it w/ very hot water and a papertowel to try to get the residue off.

i will wait and see. just didn't know if this was normal. my other skimmers haven't done this i guess

Lunchbucket

[Mimbler1]

"is that what the 'break in" is described as usually? "

Yes, although another symptom some report during break in is a release of microbubbles out of the skimmer. I've never seen this myself, just the waiting period for the skimmer to actually produce solid foam,
Mike

[madmozell]

Hey guys!! I just got my ES5-2 as well!! Amazing. It started skimming immediately. I had called the ER people about the "Break in" period and they explained to me that it has alot do with organic levels, salinity ( which should be about 1.026 SG or 35 PPT) and the cleanly ness of the skimmer. If I can get a hold of a digital camera I will try to put up some pics.

Lovin' it though!! Best money I ever spent on my reef.

[Lunchbucket]

what size tank it on? mine is ****in me off :( i hate breakins :D

Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

just got my es5-2 in tonight. its only been set up for a few hours. it started skimming almost immediately but then setled down. it is currently producing lots of wet foam, large bubbles climbing just into the bottom of the collection cup riser tube. i have the water level set very low, and i'm going to give it a day to break in before i attempt to adjust it.

looks great so far tho, the body of the skimmer is milk white with bubbles. i'll post pics when i get the chance to borrow my friend's digital camera again.

seems like euroreef has a few more models planed for the es series, there are 3 checkboxes on the box, one for the es5-1, the es5-2, and the es5-3.

this thing is huge! it just fits into my sump. maybe it just seems big because it dwarfs the small ameriacle airstone skimmer that was on the tank. i'm hoping to see a big improvement with the euro reef, its on a 75 gal.

[Lunchbucket]

shlou - glad you like it too. you beat me to saying that there are 3 more models. i talked to Jeff at euro-reef too about them. then es5-3 is comming out next month late i think and the es5-1 the 2nd quarter of next year so we will se more of these guys. i think he said the -3 is 24" tall w/ a bigger pump but can't remember about the -1

Jeff at Euro-Reef is a great guy. answered my emails fast and took some time out of his busy day to talk to me and answer some ?'s!! great guy!

these things RULE. mine is just starting to foam up now....so about 2-2.5 days break in for me. not bad!!!

post pics when you can and i will do the same!
Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

its working!

came home today and i've already got about 1/3 cup of fairly dark skimmate. the foam is starting to look a lot more like the good, semi-dry stuff. i haven't even really adjusted this thing yet! i raised the water level tube a little before leaving for work this morning but thats it. Very happy with my purchase.

lunchbucket, glad to see its started to break in for you. i think mine has started to work so quickly because my previous skimmer was a little undersized for my tank.

will post pics soon, my friend with the digital was supposed to stop by tonight but no dice.

shlou

[Lunchbucket]

shlou - glad it is going for you!! 1/3 of a cup...wow and that cup is HUGE!! congrats. yeah prolly is working better. i had a super reef devil on mine that took off about 1/2 cup of tea looking stuff so i am sure i won't pull that much off on mine. now i need to get a few more fish!!

see teh update pics (http://www.lunchbucket.org/euro-reef.htm) just a few of it running for 3days and how it was breaking in. i cleaned it over lunch and it foamed IMMEDIATLY!! and was working better than in the pics!!!

pics of anyone elses please!
Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

hey there,

finally took some pics for you guys, you can check them out here:

http://home.attbi.com/~louisdemers/es5-2.htm

the es5-2 is still going strong. best experience i've had with a skimmer, but considering i've only has a sea clone and a cc airstone that's not saying too much. the airstone was pretty good for its size.

shlou

[jersey]

Lunch, try raising the bubble level in the skimmer. The brown gunk should be accumulating higher up. See how it looks on shlou's skimmer?

Bob

[seahawkjohnny]

I was thinking about going with the ES5-2, but i was able to rearrange things in my sump, and I now have enough room to fit a ER6-1, I was almost able to fit a 6-2, but the bigger pump is just a bit too big.....

[Lunchbucket]

jersey - yep did that. i just didn't want to raise it too much at first. now that i did that about 2-3days ago i have about 1/20th of a collection cup of some dark greenish brown stuff. darker than yours shlou. i too am very very pleased now that i got it dialed in right.

once i clean it will have to get the stuff in the reaction chamber that collected when i had the water too low.

i will get more pics on the day i clean, prolly tues since that will be 1wk. will measure the skimmate (in 1/4 cups) and will take pics

this thing ROCKS!
Lunchbucket

[jersey]

I would leave it alone. I clean my skimmer about every 3 months. I use a OXO brand dish brush to clean the collection cup. Don't wipe it dry after cleaning just shake it dry, it will resume skimming quicker.

So far the ES5-1 appears to be a great little skimmer.

[Lunchbucket]

you mean clean the reaction chamber once every 3 months. i assume you clean the cup every week

yeah i ahve a round foam coffee cup brush that works great for skimmers!!

does anyones freak out when you 1st start it up after cleaning it? like foam up so much it runs over?? mine did last time i cleaned it but i dried it so maybe that is different.

how long you had yours jersey. it is the es5-2. the -1 won't come out for a couple months yet...can't wait to see what that one is like too

Lunchbucket

[jersey]

I have a CS6-1. I've been using it for about 7 months. The collection cup gets cleaned serveral times a week.

The new line of skimmers should capture a large part of the market. Less money, same great performance, what else could you ask for?

All the great comments in this thread will surely generate a lot of sales. The disgusting collection cup pics won't hurt either. :D

[Lunchbucket]

yeah i hear what you are saying jersey.

i am gonna post some collection cup pics later this afternoon. it needs to be cleaned after about 4-5days of actual dial in skimming. gonna measure the skimmate and get pics of stuff.

will post later, for now...off to work
Lunchbucket

[Lunchbucket]

alright, you ready for my 3days of nasty STUFF!!?? weak stomachs beware!!!

http://www.lunchbucket.org/images/20H%20pics/Euro-Reef/12%2016%2002%20skimmate/DSCF0025.JPG

that is just a teaser. go here (at the bottom of the page) and see my todays update, 3 days of NASTY!! (http://www.lunchbucket.org/euro-reef.htm) now you decide if you should buy one of these bad boys....that is an EASY YES!!

Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

wow, that is pretty dark lunch. mine has begun to slow down and the skimmate has darkened up, don't know if its quite that dark yet tho.

[pjr]

Does anyone have thoughts regarding if the 5-2 will work well on a 100g reef?

[seahawkjohnny]

I think it is too small, I would go with a 6 series...probably 6-2...this is the smallest that comes with the 5000 pump, I have a 6-1 on a 20 gal display w/ a 10 gal sump.....I was thinking about going with the 6-2 but my sump was too small

[Lunchbucket]

i would NOT do a ES5-2 on a 100gal. 75gal would be pushing it IMO. i would do a cs6-2 as seahawkjohnny recommended. yeah it is quite a bit more but DON"T skimp on a skimmer

Lunchbucket

[Shlou]

it may be pushing it, but i have no complaints with my 5-2 so far. now that its been broken in for a while it produces a cup every 4 days. i thought the thing would slow down but it hasn't. and the skim reeks! smells worse than the normal stuff i've smelt....

[seahawkjohnny]

the reason it hasnt slowed down is that the skimmer is undersized, once your skimmer catches up to the DOC levels, there wont be as much to pull out, my skimmer at first pulled dark skimmate, but now is more of a green tea look, but the water is VERY clear.....

[Shlou]

I'm running my es on a 75, not a 100. I wouldn't reccomend it for a 100 gal. But the skimmer is always undersized isn't it? I don't think an es is undersized for a 75, but i would have rather gone with the cs (would not fit in sump) just to go along with the more is better philosophy.

all said and done, the es has given me quite a bit of bang for the buck. been running for about a month now and still skimming strong (better than any other $200 skimmer i've seen), but i do expect it to level off at some point. i should mention that my results with it may be tainted tho... i had a chromis go missing a couple of weeks ago that could be spiking it.

[Lunchbucket]

mine has leveled off quite considerably...so i have tuned it down to try to get a dryer foam. we will see

Lunchbucket

[ReefRelated]

I saw one just after they were released and I would say that this is a great skimmer for the money. It really isn't that far off from the CS-6 series skimmer. I guarantee this thing is under rated, you can do more than 40 gallons with this skimmer.

[Pomacanthus1]

Finally! My skimmer arrived a few days ago and i just installed it. It really puts my Berlin to shame.:D The ES looks like it's filled with frothy milk, there's just so many bubbles. With my Berlin, you could see through the reaction chamber. It was really quite sad.

I love my new Euro-Reef!:D Best $200 i ever spent.

[Lunchbucket]

Pomacanthus1 - congrats man! you will hvae to post on the break in and the skimmate production. a dang nice skimmer for 200 huh :D i crapped my pants when i saw it and hooked it up. i figured a skimmer this good would be like 300

Lunchbucket

[pjr]

I really wanted to order the 5-2, but as opinion here states, not big enough for the new setup. So, since the 5-3 isn't quite available, I decided on a South Bay 6-1. Looking forward to trying it out soon!

[73ChargerFan]

Now, if only EuroReef would add waste containers to their lineup so the cups wouldn't have to be emptied every other day!

[Pomacanthus1]

Well, my Euro seems to be slowly breaking in. It started producing foam late in the day on friday, but its performance hasn't really improved since. It isn't overflowing with dry foam like i see on so many of the Euro-Reef pictures, and the skimmate is more of a dark yellow, no where near as black or brown as i've seen. Do Euro-Reefs have a long break in period? It's been set-up since Tuesday the 7th.

[Lunchbucket]

should be close to broken in.

what is you gallons? how many fish? do you feed heavy? have you skimmed much before.

these could all effect how much crap you have in the water

Lunchbucket

[Pomacanthus1]

It's a 55g, relatively heavily stocked, and i'd say i feed about average.

I was basically skimmerless for 2 years with a Berlin.

[seahawkjohnny]

Originally posted by Pomacanthus1
Well, my Euro seems to be slowly breaking in. It started producing foam late in the day on friday, but its performance hasn't really improved since. It isn't overflowing with dry foam like i see on so many of the Euro-Reef pictures, and the skimmate is more of a dark yellow, no where near as black or brown as i've seen. Do Euro-Reefs have a long break in period? It's been set-up since Tuesday the 7th.

Pom....

sounds like your foam is too wet....you need to have dryer foam, lower your riser tube, when your foam gets dryer it will get darker, you will have less tank water in the foam, this extra water dillutes the foam..I have the top of the bubbles even with the top of the union....I clean and empty my cup once a week, I get usually 1/2" of skimmate, and its a dark green color

[pjr]

Originally posted by Pomacanthus1
... I was basically skimmerless for 2 years with a Berlin.

LOL!!!!

[peterl23454]

i just ordered from premium aquatics through ebay. went with the es5-3. hopefully it will fit in my sump. i've been thinking of switching to a 15tall for a new sump any way.. any ideas on how to make this work. i've seen some awsome sump designs but some are a lil intimidating.

it will be on a 55 i have a mag12 in the sump now as the return. well my sump is really a wet-dry. maybe i could cut the retaining wall{holds bioballs} and put two bulkheads in{i have a dual 1inch overflow hard plumbed}

any ideas on this

[thefuture]

is the es-5 worth 150 used? what is the diference betweeen the es and cs models. thanks

[roni]

works great. 150 is a decent price. it's what i paid for mine.

[Lunchbucket]

150 is a good price. the ES5-2 is the old model. there should be a description on thier website www.euro-reef.com about what the model differences are. but i won't have the ES i believe...its the old model before they updated

Lunchbucket

[thefuture]

they dont have any infor on the ES series on thier website. any whereelse to look? what is the footprint of es 5. what do you mean when you said "but i wont have the ES i believe....? what do you mean by the old model and what is the diference between the new one. thanks

[Lunchbucket]

sorry the ES is an older model. basically the CS if i remember correctly.

i meant "THEY won't have the ES (info) i believe)"

the ES came out in 03 or 04. it was replaced by the CS in 06 or so. they have done some minor updates. the ES is a GREAT skimmer and will work wonderfully. my brother-in-law has my old ES5-2. it is just like having a 01 Bonneville...a nice car that will work great but an older model then the 05 bonnie.

Lunchbucket