Supermarine 250 w/Rd vs 2015 deluxe 250?

[clozzzer]

I own a 250 Supermarine with a Rd pump non controllable. Would it be worth the upgrade to the new deluxe?

[slief]

That's kind of debatable. The Deluxe is a GREAT skimmer. It's better suited for dry skimming than the Supermarin which wet skims better than it dry skims. I run an SM250 on my 480G display and love it. The Deluxe may perform a bit better on your size tank but if you wanted to upgrade your SM250, you could swap the pump out for the RD3 50 watt pump and call it day. That would essentially get your skimmer up to current spec and save a bit of power while allowing more control and easier tuning.

[clozzzer]

What exact pump in the rd3 series would I need? Also, on the bottom of my skimmer cup the drain plug broke off while cleaning and it appears to be a non replaceable part. Any options to fix that?

[slief]

Originally Posted by clozzzer

What exact pump in the rd3 series would I need? Also, on the bottom of my skimmer cup the drain plug broke off while cleaning and it appears to be a non replaceable part. Any options to fix that?

This would be the pump for your skimmer.
http://royalexclusiv.com/Skimmer/Red...-l-h::610.html

As for the drain line, It uses a metric John Guest Fitting. I would remove the stub from the John Guest Fitting and glue it back onto the cup using some Epoxy. Then you should be able to slip the John Guest fitting back over the piece that broke off. That or just epoxy the stub and fitting back to the bottom of the collection cup. Another alternative would be to drill and tap it for a different fitting or even a smaller barbed fitting. The PVC bottom of the collection cup should be really easy to drill and tap.

[clozzzer]

Sometimes I feel I don't support the bioload needed for this skimmer. (Sm250) would the deluxe be better in this case?

[slief]

Originally Posted by clozzzer

Sometimes I feel I don't support the bioload needed for this skimmer. (Sm250) would the deluxe be better in this case?

Catch 22. Both are conservatively rated. For your size display, I would be more inclined to recommend the Supermarin 200 or the Deluxe 200. Either would prove to be more consistent on your tank and more appropriately sized.

Otherwise, you will need to run that SM250 pretty wet to keep it consistent.

[clozzzer]

Does the 200 completely disassemble like the 2015 deluxe 250?

[slief]

Originally Posted by clozzzer

Does the 200 completely disassemble like the 2015 deluxe 250?

Yep.. They all come apart just like their big brothers.

Here is the Deluxe manual. I think the new Deluxe 200 has some subtle differences that aren't shown in the manual but if you look at the parts document below this one, you can see those differences as the bottom is held on slightly different than shown in the manual.
http://royalexclusiv.com/images/cont...enance_eng.pdf

The parts list for the newer Deluxe:
http://royalexclusiv.com/images/cont..._spare_eng.pdf


And the SM manual:

http://royalexclusiv.com/images/cont...enance_eng.pdf

[clozzzer]

One last thing, I have noticed that if I don't clean the cup out often, like every few days, buildup forms on the inside of the cup and substantially stops skimmate from boiling over in the collection cup. Maybe I am running it to dry. Yes or no?

[slief]

Originally Posted by clozzzer

One last thing, I have noticed that if I don't clean the cup out often, like every few days, buildup forms on the inside of the cup and substantially stops skimmate from boiling over in the collection cup. Maybe I am running it to dry. Yes or no?

Running it more wet will help that. Best is to get a skimmer neck cleaner. Some gunk in the neck shouldn't prevent the skim from making it to the cup. What you are likely seeing is the result of drier skim coupled with inconsistent production due to your skimmer possibly being oversized for your load. That is generally when you see good production for a couple days then it will slow down for a few days or more before it starts to produce. Skimming more wet will help keep it more consistent as will the neck cleaner.

For a 250 sized skimmer you would use a 250mm sized SCH and a 200 sized skimmer uses a 200 sized SCH. They keep the neck nice and clean which then keeps the skimmer performing much more consistently. I run one on my SM250 and love it. I never have to remove my collection cup to clean the neck.