skimz sn143 review

[christopherjudd]

just got my new skimz monster mini sn143 model today.

upon opening the box i found most of the parts bag has been opened already.i dont know if someone opened it already or this is how skimz packaged the parts (if it is, thats terrible). any other skimz owners had this issue too?

i have sent an email to bulk reef supply customer service to protect me if any issues comes up. good thing is no parts are missing.

as far as build quality, seems ok, i would not say that it is great. the acrylic seems thin if i compare it to my cadlights pls 50 elite skimmer. but i would not say its bad either (paid 150 for the skimmer brand new from brs). so for the price, i guess it is ok.

i am having a hard time securing the collection cup, the cup with o ring around it is really tight, any tips?

so far i have not fired up the pump. so no idea yet how this new dc pump performs.

i plan on firing up this skimmer tomorrow so keep posted!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/christopherjudd/IMAG11681.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/christopherjudd/media/IMAG11681.jpg.html)

[nchin3]

Having reservations about getting this skimmer now. Thanks for the post.

[williec54]

The bag's that came with mine were not open alway's put a little Vaseline on O ring on cup,I had no problem"s .My 143 worked great 8 hour's after being in sump.People I know who also bought SN 143 are very happy with there's.Skim's great at 3/4 RPM.Hope this help's

[christopherjudd]

Thanks, what size of tank is it on?

[mpekoske]

just got mine in the sump this morning but am having issues getting the water level in the skimmer high enough... almost have the gate completely closed... anyone that has this skimmer do you have it mostly closed or open? mines 75g tank with 30g sump

[christopherjudd]

What is the water level in the sump?

[mpekoske]

8 inches

[christopherjudd]

On the manual, they said make sure the gate is fully open before starting the skimmer. Did you do that? I have not used mine yet so ill keep you updated later

[williec54]

As you can see skimmer body is full of foam.I just cleaned the cup out.Skimmer sit's in 8 " of water and close gate as much as you need to get water up to top of neck.The pump is not pulling as much water as it is air .My vertex omega 130 pulled to much water so I sold it.This pump to skimmer is well balanced .Set the controller to 5.Hope this help's

[mpekoske]

willie i noticed in the pictures you are not using the air silencer... is there a reason?

[williec54]

It's big and I needed the room also my gate valve is very closed I noticed but close it as much as you need.I ran this skimmer in vinegar for 5 hour's.Hope this help's.Willie

[davidfrances]

Good luck with this product. I own several Skimz skimmers, and the plastic surrounding the impeller magnet has a tendency to crack after a few months, causing the pump to seize up. Getting warranty service is difficult. Mine tend to last about 6 months at most.

[christopherjudd]

Good luck with this product. I own several Skimz skimmers, and the plastic surrounding the impeller magnet has a tendency to crack after a few months, causing the pump to seize up. Getting warranty service is difficult. Mine tend to last about 6 months at most.

Where did you get yours?

[davidfrances]

Aqua Cave. Very poor customer service.

[christopherjudd]

Aqua Cave. Very poor customer service.

I hope i dont have issues with brs

[christopherjudd]

Ok time for an update. Skimmer has been doing well. I left the skimmer on a bucket running for two days. Now i have it on my sump breaking in nicely. Very minimal micro bubbles on my dt ( no baffle sump). Water level if say is about 7 inches, manufacturer recommeds 8. Ill check and see if it will make a difference

[BTimmons85]

Just got my SN143 today. The Skimz website and BRS both say that this skimmer is suitable for tanks up to 900L. The skimmer body says for tanks up to 550L. I'm wondering is that a heavily or lightly stocked 550? My volume is right around 530L. what do you with experience think?

[williec54]

I tried skimmer in 8" and lower and higher and it worked better in 8".

[christopherjudd]

I tried skimmer in 8" and lower and higher and it worked better in 8".

Cool im actually scheduled for water change today. I will be increasing my sump volume. Is 8 in roughly at the flowery thing around the skimmer body?

[williec54]

Yes it is and if you look at there small manual your see that is where they indicate the water should be at.

[Mr. Comer]

How's the skimmer working out? I'm about ready to buy one in the next couple of days.

[davidfrances]

Good luck with Skimz. This is what their impellers will look like after a few months - when they seize up and stop working:

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3B3%3A2%3Enu%3D9858%3E648%3E25%3A%3EWSNRCG%3D37%3A953969234% 3Bnu0mrj

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv35893%3Enu%3D9858%3E648%3E25%3A%3EWSNRCG%3D37%3A953968%3B34%3B nu0mrj

http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36959%3Enu%3D9858%3E648%3E25%3A%3EWSNRCG%3D37%3A953968%3A34%3B nu0mrj

[Mr. Comer]

I think I may stay with Reef Octopus. A RO 110 internal is only a couple more bucks.

[BTimmons85]

Time will tell. So far I'mhttp://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a615/btimmons85/Mobile%20Uploads/94CACED4-978B-47F4-B907-EB173DD0E3A1_zpsevfht2ah.jpg (http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/btimmons85/media/Mobile%20Uploads/94CACED4-978B-47F4-B907-EB173DD0E3A1_zpsevfht2ah.jpg.html) safisfied with mine. The skimmate this thing produces is unreal compared to my previous Red Sea C-Skim 1800. Night and day difference. This has been a set it and walk away deal. This is my skimmate:

[christopherjudd]

Time will tell. So far I'mhttp://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a615/btimmons85/Mobile%20Uploads/94CACED4-978B-47F4-B907-EB173DD0E3A1_zpsevfht2ah.jpg (http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/btimmons85/media/Mobile%20Uploads/94CACED4-978B-47F4-B907-EB173DD0E3A1_zpsevfht2ah.jpg.html) safisfied with mine. The skimmate this thing produces is unreal compared to my previous Red Sea C-Skim 1800. Night and day difference. This has been a set it and walk away deal. This is my skimmate:

What'd the water level on that? Haven't really tuned mine yet

[BTimmons85]

Right around 8 inches or so. The water is just barely cresting that flowery ring on the outside.

[BTimmons85]

I rescaled my tank two days ago and the skimmer ended up being off. Having trouble getting it dialed in again. Can't get dry foam

[Steveg229]

I am thinking about ordering one once they are back in stock. Are you happy with them so far? Just saw that the replacement impellers are only $20 for these...so if they work good I am willing to give one of these a shot.

[knap_123]

How's this skimmer still doing? I'm undecided d'etre en this and sca 302

[BTimmons85]

I got mine dialed in again tonight. I had knocked my ATO switch up a notch and then corrected it but never accounted for the drop in salinity. I suspect that's why my skimmer went on the fritz. I've only had this skimmer a week and a half or so but I have been pretty impressed with it. I looked at the 302 as well but I thought this might have a little more power. For the price I think it's pretty solid.

[knap_123]

Awesome, post a pic or vid of the skim and in action if you get a chance.

[christopherjudd]

just an update, so far so good. skimmer been running well. I still have not had a chance to fine tune the skimmer though

[Jade5051]

What'd the water level on that? Haven't really tuned mine yet

How long did it take to collect this much skimmate?

[zpak]

Any updates? I am thinking about getting the SN143 for 75 gallon. Do you think the sn143 is too oversized for a 75 gallon?

[tallmichael]

Any updates? I am thinking about getting the SN143 for 75 gallon. Do you think the sn143 is too oversized for a 75 gallon?

I just ordered the SN143 from BRS. They are back in stock

[tallmichael]

I am thinking about ordering one once they are back in stock. Are you happy with them so far? Just saw that the replacement impellers are only $20 for these...so if they work good I am willing to give one of these a shot.

They are back in stock at BRS, just ordered mine.

[Rot26]

After 8 months, my Skimz SN143 had the pump die. I've emailed BRS to get a replacement. Hopefully the next one will work longer.

[twreefer]

I have found the collection cup is IMPOSSIBLE to remove. If I try any harder there will be a cracked cup and black nasty water all over me and my sump, and it will be my dime to replace it.

When this works, it works GREAT! However, it seems incredibly inconsistent in performance, and I have had it suddenly start gushing over the top on many occasions (without anything added to water or any other understandable external reason to cause it). Now that is a mess when that happens. This skimmer has made me so glad that I decided to put down a PVC shower liner in the bottom of my cabinet under my sump. :) I have found that I need to run the pump pretty low to keep that from happening. Of course in that case it doesn't really rise enough to fill the cup (except when it decides to be a water pump instead of a skimmer) and the inside neck is covered in black gunk. So I run it low on about a 3, it's occasional water spikes are contained, and when it stinks so much I need to empty I just turn the pump up to 10 to force the water over into the cup and kind of rinse the neck out. Since the cup is absolutely impossible to remove, I remove the drain plug to empty it into a cup, clean what I can in the cup with a napkin, and start it up again. Not perfect by any means, but I will get by... I will survive. (Every silver lining's got a touch of grey.)

Even with all that, it is light years better than a Reef Octopus 110 INT. I don't know enough curse words to write a review on that POS.

[DamonG]

I have found the collection cup is IMPOSSIBLE to remove. If I try any harder there will be a cracked cup and black nasty water all over me and my sump, and it will be my dime to replace it.

When this works, it works GREAT! However, it seems incredibly inconsistent in performance, and I have had it suddenly start gushing over the top on many occasions (without anything added to water or any other understandable external reason to cause it). Now that is a mess when that happens. This skimmer has made me so glad that I decided to put down a PVC shower liner in the bottom of my cabinet under my sump. :) I have found that I need to run the pump pretty low to keep that from happening. Of course in that case it doesn't really rise enough to fill the cup (except when it decides to be a water pump instead of a skimmer) and the inside neck is covered in black gunk. So I run it low on about a 3, it's occasional water spikes are contained, and when it stinks so much I need to empty I just turn the pump up to 10 to force the water over into the cup and kind of rinse the neck out. Since the cup is absolutely impossible to remove, I remove the drain plug to empty it into a cup, clean what I can in the cup with a napkin, and start it up again. Not perfect by any means, but I will get by... I will survive. (Every silver lining's got a touch of grey.)

Even with all that, it is light years better than a Reef Octopus 110 INT. I don't know enough curse words to write a review on that POS.
Try running a piece of air line into the holes of the collection cup, then, start a suction with a baby bulb and drain the skim into a jug or container. And for the difficulty getting the cup off, you may need to add some silicon lube on the o ring. On top of that, with my skimz I have owned, the o ring is thick, so you have to basically tighten to snug only(not more) a few times that you take it off and put it back on. And it looses with time.. But don't force it or it will be difficult to impossible to remove..

[BigBlueTang]

I have found the collection cup is IMPOSSIBLE to remove. If I try any harder there will be a cracked cup and black nasty water all over me and my sump, and it will be my dime to replace it.

When this works, it works GREAT! However, it seems incredibly inconsistent in performance, and I have had it suddenly start gushing over the top on many occasions (without anything added to water or any other understandable external reason to cause it). Now that is a mess when that happens. This skimmer has made me so glad that I decided to put down a PVC shower liner in the bottom of my cabinet under my sump. :) I have found that I need to run the pump pretty low to keep that from happening. Of course in that case it doesn't really rise enough to fill the cup (except when it decides to be a water pump instead of a skimmer) and the inside neck is covered in black gunk. So I run it low on about a 3, it's occasional water spikes are contained, and when it stinks so much I need to empty I just turn the pump up to 10 to force the water over into the cup and kind of rinse the neck out. Since the cup is absolutely impossible to remove, I remove the drain plug to empty it into a cup, clean what I can in the cup with a napkin, and start it up again. Not perfect by any means, but I will get by... I will survive. (Every silver lining's got a touch of grey.)

Even with all that, it is light years better than a Reef Octopus 110 INT. I don't know enough curse words to write a review on that POS.


When/where did you buy yours?

I have the same skimmer, and I called BRS about this exact issue. They told me they had lots of problems with the Black Friday shipment they got from skimz.

I returned mine, and now the skimmer cup couldn't be easier to get back on. Extremely pleased with BRS as a whole. And the skimmer is so much more enjoyable.