Royal-Exclusiv / Vertex Cone Skimmer Club

[Jeremy B.]

If the wedge pipe is too loose then this user does not have the set screw tightened down. Tell him to look on the back side of the wedge pipe bracket, there is a small white nylong screw. By tightening this down it will tighten up the wedge pipe and not let it move. HTH!

[redmarble]

This is the screw Jeremy is talking about:



But I don't see how they can miss it??

[Big_D]

Another thing he could try is to adjust the wedgepipe bracket itself. The bracket has slots instead of holes and it can be adjusted to put a little tension on the pipe.




D

[ricwilli]

Well he also stated that the skimmer came without the nylon screw and no direction. To be honest I really don't know where he got his from. All I know is that I received mine yesterday and opened it up today and my jaw dropped.

[Jeremy B.]

Originally posted by ricwilli
Well he also stated that the skimmer came without the nylon screw and no direction. To be honest I really don't know where he got his from. All I know is that I received mine yesterday and opened it up today and my jaw dropped.

If he purchased it from Premium Aquatics please tell him to contact me. Thanks!

[OC CJ]

Jeremy, I picked up a 200 from a local shop. Would you like me to post a pic of it here although I didn't get it from you?

Also, the 200 comes with a bigger and smaller diameter nozzle, not the long and short that the 250's come with. I've found that the smaller diameter produces more air. Will you be getting replacement nozzles for these? I'd be interested to see if shortening the small diameter nozzle gives the same results as doing it on the 250 nozzles.

Thanks,
CJ

[larryfl1]

help with skimmer selection

hey all i am setting up a 150 plus sump....

i orginally was going with a vertex in-180...

now i am reconsidering either an alpha or the big in model...

whats everyones thoughts? pros /cons of alpha compared to IN series?

which size model is right for my tank?

thanks

[Jeremy B.]

Originally posted by OC CJ
Jeremy, I picked up a 200 from a local shop. Would you like me to post a pic of it here although I didn't get it from you?

Also, the 200 comes with a bigger and smaller diameter nozzle, not the long and short that the 250's come with. I've found that the smaller diameter produces more air. Will you be getting replacement nozzles for these? I'd be interested to see if shortening the small diameter nozzle gives the same results as doing it on the 250 nozzles.

Thanks,
CJ

Please feel free to post pics and share info about it! I will eventually be getting nozzles, but I dont have a time frame on it yet.

[Jeremy B.]

Originally posted by larryfl1
help with skimmer selection

hey all i am setting up a 150 plus sump....

i orginally was going with a vertex in-180...

now i am reconsidering either an alpha or the big in model...

whats everyones thoughts? pros /cons of alpha compared to IN series?

which size model is right for my tank?

thanks

If you're looking to save money you just can't go wrong with IN-280. The skimmer is extremely efficient, and at $400 it's about the best value out there for systems that are a little larger. If you are wanting to go with a "higher end" skimmer, then take a look at the either the Alpha 170 or Alpha 200. I think you could get by just fine with the Alpha 170 and still have some room to spare with it.

[Wd40]

larryfl1,
I have spoken with Proline and Jeremy (by the way best customer service, and the guy has patience let me tell you.)
both have recommend me the Alpha 170 for my 150 SPS with 40 gallon sump.

[MikeMWindLake]

How do you replace the nozzle in the 200? Do you have to take apart the pump volute or does it just slip out the front?

Thanks

[Jeremy B.]

Changing the nozzles is very easy to do. Pull the venturi off, and push the back of the red nozzle out of the front, it will come right out. Then put the new size in. It takes about 10 seconds to do. HTH!

[Dave's Reef]

Does this procedure work the same for the 250? I've been taking the volute off the do my nozzle changes as I didn't know there was an easier way?

Thanks

[Jeremy B.]

This will work the same for all of the Alpha's, from the 170 to the 300.

[larryfl1]

will the alpha 170 or 200 outperform the vertex in-280??

[MikeMWindLake]

Thanks, great instructions
It is good to know what can come apart. I'd hate to break my new favorite toy.

[Jeremy B.]

Originally posted by larryfl1
will the alpha 170 or 200 outperform the vertex in-280??

I think the IN-280 would be very comparable to an Alpha 170.

[OC CJ]

Here are some pics of my alpha 200 on my 90g. First pic is the day after installation. Next pics were from 10 minutes ago and 5 days on my system so far. I was originally going to go with the 170 but was in need of a skimmer asap and my local store had the 200 sitting there. I couldn't afford to wait another month for the 170 so I figured I'd try out the 200. So far so good. My tank is lightly stocked with only 6 fish and a medium coral load. It took me 3 weeks to pull out this much skimmate with my old ati bm 250.

I'm running the smaller inlet nozzle as well. It's much better than the bigger red one and produces a much denser bubbles. Hope to play around with the length once Jeremy gets replacement nozzles.

[Jeremy B.]

Guys, just to clarify, the red nozzle on the Alpha 200 pulls more air than the small gray nozzle. I had a chance to confirm this yesterday.

We are recommending running the gray nozzle with these skimmers unless the skimmer is undersized and you have a very heavy bioload on your system. Air draw numbers on this skimmer are as follows:

Small Nozzle: 1700LPH @ 9" of water

Larger Nozzle: 2000LPH @ 9" of water

Yes, this was a huge surprise to me too, but it pulls a ton of air!

[rufio173]

Jeremy

I had planned on running my alpha 200 at 10 inches of water, but is it best to place it in 9 inches of water?

How much air does the alpha 200 draw at 10 inches of water with the 2 nozzles?

Cheers,
John

[Jeremy B.]

I'm running at 9" right now. I have not gone to 10" yet, but will over the weekend or first of next week and will report my findings back here. I would imagine the difference in air draw between 9" and 10" is going to be very minimal.

[rufio173]

Thanks Jeremy, I'd really appreciate it if you could get those numbers whenever time allows.

Cheers,
John

[ljr]

Originally posted by Jeremy B.
I am interested in getting some feedback and pictures posted of the Alpha 200 once you guys start receiving them and getting them hooked up! Please post!

Well, not hooked up yet, but here is the Alpha 250 I received today:


And the three tank sump/waterchange system where it will be going (don't worry... the project this weekend is to clean up some electrical work):

[khoivo1]

need a little help decide which skimmer please,,

alpha 250 or 300??

my system is about 300g heavy load fishes,,sps
,thanks

[Jeremy B.]

khoivo,

The Alpha 300 would be ridiculously oversized for that system, even with the heaviest of bioloads. Go with the Alpha 250, you'll be very happy with it!