SWC Xtreme Cone 250A Protein Skimmer w/ Askoll Pump

[stonecold]

Hi,

Thinking about buying the above skimmer. Does anyone have one? If so, please share your personal experiences about this model. Pros and cons?

Thank you!

[biger]

I have one I'm thinking about selling. It is pretty big so I had to run it externally. It ran fine externally but I had a small fan blowing on the askoll pump to keep it cool. I think they are best to run insump if u have the room. I am not using mine because I leave for work a week at a time and I got tired of shutting it down for a week and running it for a week.

[stonecold]

Due to limited space with my sump and stand size I will be running this skimmer externally. I was advised by the vendor that sells this that it can be run either externally, but was not advised that I would need a fan to cool the Askoll pump.

As bigger stated and a thread that I read after posting this, I am beginning to believe that this skimmer is best suited internally? Any thoughts from any other owners? What would happened if I run this externally w/o a fan?

[richierich2000]

I have a 300 with that pump it is great 96 scfm of air!!!! I am not sure if I would run it externally

[crashrat]

Check out the MSX club http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1614133&page=41

[biger]

I think the Askoll pump would get hot if ran externally without a fan. With a fan no problem, and I just used a small quiet fan but I would not try it without some kind of fan.

[sjm817]

AFAIK, that skimmer is not meant to be run external.

[A sea K]

If the Askoll runs that hot externally I wonder how much heat it will add to a tank.
Something I did NOT think about when I was considering the 250A as my next skimmer. I've taken precautions to run my tank without a chiller and have managed to so but it almost sounds like the Askoll would be just enough to start tipping the scales.

[richierich2000]

the MSX1A has the Askoll pump and can be ran in or out. the output is reduced some not sure if that has anything to do with it not running hot. my 300 has a new port drilled for 1" pipe and the others capped off you will have to make a union to fit the input of the askoll it is not 1" more like 23 mm

[cobbobby]

Here's a thought about running it external. Could you drop it in a rubbermaid and just add some fw to cover the pump? Since it would be a similar footprint that should work right. Not that its ideal, but should work.

[sjm817]

http://saltwaterconnection.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=38
11 inch diameter 25 inch height 140 mm(5.5) inch neck
Single pump
A 1 piece seemless conical protein skimmer. This is an Industry first! We are proud to be the leaders in skimmer technology. There are no seems on this cone body to leak.
The ORIGINAL Xtreme protein skimmer!
Comes with an Italian made Askoll 1500 pump. Custom enlarged injection moulded volute,venturi and pinwheel.
An integrated removable bubble plate to help reduce turbulence within the protein skimmer.
Extra-wide necks in the design to allow for more air flow.
Wedge pipe output allows you to adjust the skimmer and have fine control of the water level.
Custom injection moulded pin wheel impeller for perfect balence.
Custom injection moulded volute and venturi. Every single one is the same! No milled volutes for tolerence issues. This is an industry first! We are proud to be the leaders in skimmer technology.
Up to 70scfh of air pull using custom pin wheel impeller. These are real numbers not hyped numbers.
Power factor of up to .53 The best in the industry!
Draws less than 70 watts of electricity per pump.
Quick release neck on the collection cup - requires 1/2 inch of clearance to remove the cup.
Can be converted to run single pass in sump by unscrewing 2 unions!
Air results can vary depending on individuals’ aquarium setup.
Recommended water depth 6-8 inches.
Can be used in sump or in recirculation mode. <-this is confising. It is recirc in sump, not "or"
Foot Print in inches (L x W x H): 18 x 15 x 24

[crashrat]

http://saltwaterconnection.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=38

With the Askoll pump
Single pump

A 1 piece seemless conical protein skimmer. This is an Industry first! We are proud to be the leaders in skimmer technology. There are no seems on this cone body to leak.

The ORIGINAL Xtreme protein skimmer!


Comes with an Italian made Askoll 1500 pump. Custom enlarged injection moulded volute,venturi and pinwheel.

An integrated removable bubble plate to help reduce turbulence within the protein skimmer.

Extra-wide necks in the design to allow for more air flow.

Wedge pipe output allows you to adjust the skimmer and have fine control of the water level.

Custom injection moulded pin wheel impeller for perfect balence.

Custom injection moulded volute and venturi. Every single one is the same! No milled volutes for tolerence issues. This is an industry first! We are proud to be the leaders in skimmer technology.

Up to 70scfh of air pull using custom pin wheel impeller. These are real numbers not hyped numbers.

Power factor of up to .53 The best in the industry!

Draws less than 70 watts of electricity per pump.

Quick release neck on the collection cup - requires 1/2 inch of clearance to remove the cup.

Can be converted to run single pass in sump by unscrewing 2 unions!

Air results can vary depending on individuals’ aquarium setup.

Recommended water depth 6-8 inches.

Can be used in sump or in recirculation mode.

Foot Print in inches (L x W x H): 18 x 15 x 24

[sjm817]

I'll see if MSX Jeff can clarify this. The way they have it worded is confusing.

[crashrat]

I'm thinking that the Askoll can be run external but the Sicce can not.

[cobbobby]

Askoll yes, sicce hell no! lol As long as the PF of the askoll is good .49 and up i think it should be fine. I mean if you try and run one external and its got a pf of .4 or below and its burn time! There claimed pf of .53 would allow you to run externally just fine i'd bet without a cooling loop. Does atb external askoll's have a cooling loop?

[stonecold]

I'll see if MSX Jeff can clarify this. The way they have it worded is confusing.

Thank you for everyone's inputs and advises whether this skimmer can be used externally.

SJM817, please let us know what MSX Jeff says.

[sjm817]

The Askoll with the reducer is not .53 PF. Its more like .46?? I asked MSX-Jeff to comment. He usually posts at night. I wouldn't want to see anyone burn up a pump. Its a good idea to be sure.

[cobbobby]

If you run it as recirc you don't need the reducer though as you are controlling the flow through.

[frank40]

i use the 2501a on my 360g sps system in sump with the reducer. the skimmer is a beast, the only issue i had was getting the right water height to skim properly. i finally got it at about 6.5" water level and i have to clean this beast 2 times a week as it produces some nasty smelling nog.

[stonecold]

Looking forward to MSX-Jeff to chime in.

This is what the vendor told me when I inquire whether it can run externally..."The Askoll is just fine being used externally. Bubble King uses the same pumps (labelled as Red Dragon's) externally all of the time. It's the Sicce motor blocks that do not perform very well when ran externally. The version of the SWC 250 that runs the two Sicce's is the SWC 250S2, not the SWC 250A that you're looking at."

[sjm817]

AFAIK, BK puts a cooling loop on external Askolls. I believe ATB and Coralvue do as well, but I would have to look that up.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:JcjSM2AzydFfGM:http://english.royal-exclusiv.de/Meerwasser_Aquarium/produkte/pumpen/red-dragonKalk.jpg

[cobbobby]

I know the hurricone's have a loop but not sure about the atb's. I don't believe they do but would need to look and see.

[cobbobby]

Here ya go, atb external link.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1479863&page=28

No cooling loop there. Not sure if there's any other recirc's out there. What about the new bubble blaster external, does it have a cooling loop?

[cobbobby]

No cooling loop here either. Must just be the pump mod. But obviously we need more input from users : )

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1727974

[sjm817]

Thats a bubble blaster pump, not an Askoll.

[sjm817]

Here ya go, atb external link.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1479863&page=28

No cooling loop there. Not sure if there's any other recirc's out there. What about the new bubble blaster external, does it have a cooling loop?
That looks internal to me and its not an Askoll 1500. Looks like an Askoll 2000 or 2400.

The question is can the SWC Askoll 1500 based pump be run externally. Bubble blaster and other Askoll models really dont have any bearing on this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/FazTeAoMar/IMG_9454.jpg

[biger]

I know it can be ran externally because as I stated B4 I have done it and it worked well with a cooling fan. Now wether u are supposed to run it external or not is a different question.

[stonecold]

I know it can be ran externally because as I stated B4 I have done it and it worked well with a cooling fan. Now wether u are supposed to run it external or not is a different question.

Just trying to understand or know why I would need a fan to cool off the Askoll if its designed to run internally/externally. In their description, it does not state that it will require a cooling fan. Lastly, for the amount of money that I'm going to invest, I want to be sure that I don't have issues with the pump ie burning up and I have to keep on replacing it. I guess I just want to be 100% sure.

[cobbobby]

That looks internal to me and its not an Askoll 1500. Looks like an Askoll 2000 or 2400.

The question is can the SWC Askoll 1500 based pump be run externally. Bubble blaster and other Askoll models really dont have any bearing on this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/FazTeAoMar/IMG_9454.jpg


Your looking at the wrong skimmer man, the one at the bottom of the page is external askoll without a cooling loop. You just posted the first pic ya saw :eek1:

[sjm817]

This one at the bottom? I saw it. That is a Sicce, not an Askoll

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q45/GSMguy/IMG_5395.jpg

[MSX-Jeff]

The MSX/SWC 1A is not recommended for external use. They can be set-up to run in single pass or recirculating, but should be run in sump to assure a long pump life.

Some have run them externally, with the aid of fans, but skimmers run externally are not covered under warranty since they are not designed to do so.

Yes, it is the more aggressive mods that keep this Askoll from being able to run externally like the ATB. IMO, a pump with a PW designed to run 70-75 SCFH is about the max air you can get and still run external.

[sjm817]

Jeff, thanks for the info.

[raynist]

I have a 300 with that pump it is great 96 scfm of air!!!! I am not sure if I would run it externally



It is pulling 96 out of the box? Did you change anything? I am getting 70 scfh on my 2 msx250A's.