coralvue trying to upsell?

[lordraptor1]

just wondering in general what is wrong with the people at coralvue? i meand according to them they have discontinued sicce ( not that that matters to me much) but they are also trying to upsell me on alot of stuff i inquire about. most recent example is a pump for this diablo DCS-170INT ( yes i figured out the model of skimmer LOL but even then dimension specs dont jive exactly as those on paper). original diablo DC-3500s had max air of 900 L/h ( 31.5 SCFH), which puts the replacement pump i need as a varios 2s which is 900 L/h ( 32 scfh), however, coralvue is trying to push me into a varios 4s or bubbleblaster 3000 both of which are way to big spec wise compared to the original pumps specs and i am also factoring in that the 4s is what comes in the box with a new regal 200 int skimmer which has an 8" reaction chamber ( assuming of course the 4s that comes in the box with the skimmer has the needlewheel impeller in the box and not the water impeller like mine did).

so with my rant out of the way, would i be correct in that the varios skimmer pump i need be the 2s to match the original diablo 3500s or would coralvues recommendation of the 4s ( which basically boils down to being a diablo DC 5500s) be the correct one? marine depots "pro" said he would just go with what coralvue said but to be fair this "pro" also said the varios pumps arent skimmer pumps and didnt seem to understand there is a "S" skimmer model of every varios pump, while brs pro on the the hand after putting me on hold to do some researching came back and said that the varios 2s was same or similar specs to teh original diablo pump and he recommended the varios 2s based on teh information he saw.


so what are your opinions both on my issue with coralvue and what varios pump i should look at for this old diablo DCS-170INT skimmer

 

[jda]

Sicce still makes pumps, they just are not sold on CV stuff anymore. Just buy a new sicce. IMO, the sicce is probably better than anything that RO offers anyway. PSK 600, 1000, etc. You should be able to find out which one is which and just order it.

Everybody tries to upsell. They cannot stay in business if nobody buys new stuff.

 

[Hermie]

well I just bought an oversized K1 skimmer (coralvue/icecap) and it's doing great,

bigger pumps is that such a bad thing?

 

[DivingTheWorld]

so with my rant out of the way, would i be correct in that the varios skimmer pump i need be the 2s to match the original diablo 3500s or would coralvues recommendation of the 4s ( which basically boils down to being a diablo DC 5500s) be the correct one? marine depots "pro" said he would just go with what coralvue said but to be fair this "pro" also said the varios pumps arent skimmer pumps and didnt seem to understand there is a "S" skimmer model of every varios pump, while brs pro on the the hand after putting me on hold to do some researching came back and said that the varios 2s was same or similar specs to teh original diablo pump and he recommended the varios 2s based on teh information he saw.


so what are your opinions both on my issue with coralvue and what varios pump i should look at for this old diablo DCS-170INT skimmer

I think your guess sounds correct. I have a POV DC1 which originally came with a 3500s. It has since been replaced by a Varios 2s. Since my skimmer is space saving (internal) I needed an adapter to make it fit.

 

[lordraptor1]

well I just bought an oversized K1 skimmer (coralvue/icecap) and it's doing great,

bigger pumps is that such a bad thing?

Actually yes it can be, I've oversized pumps in the past which threw skimmers out of whack and made them untenable, but my question was more regarding worth the higher price tag when your not going to run it full tilt anyway, and all research ( and few examples at that) are that pumps used on dsc-170int after pump fas are Rodc 3500s(also discontinued), sicce psk-1000 (worse spec than original diablo 3500s), and varios-2s. Not sure why coralvue is recommending the 4s which is the same pump in the regal 200int with its 8" reaction area. But again the body diameter specs on the Diablo dcs-170int says 7" diameter but in reality it is 6.5 to 6.75 inches which I'm betting is same size as the the xs and dcs 160 skimmers which also speed the Diablo 3500s pump.

I mean seriously why try to upsell a pump other than greed, I mean really I could just buy (or come close ) to buying a whole skimmer instead of just a pump.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Than buy the new skimmer...lol
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

An upgraded pump is a good thing. Maker. Brand. Model.
Same dimensions? Same gph and lph or air? Bam. Rock it.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Of*

 

[lordraptor1]

Than buy the new skimmer...lol
D

At that point it would be cheaper to just put my old Coralie super skimmer 220 back into service lol

 

[lordraptor1]

An upgraded pump is a good thing. Maker. Brand. Model.
Same dimensions? Same gph and lph or air? Bam. Rock it.
D

Point is the Diablo has no pump at all which is how I got it and was looking for something close to oem specs of the Diablo dc3500, not looking to put a bigger (and more expensive) pump on it. This is going on a 90 being set up on the dirt cheap penny pinching budget of my room mates dime . She is in that I want it done now but don't want to spend money. To put things into perspective, the tank, stand, canopy. And diy sump are mine and "donated" to her, to date she has bought the plumbing, jebao return pump, bulkheads, and the used diablo skimmer she got for dirt cheap lol

 

[jda]

Skimmers need to have a balance of air intake and contact time to work the best. This is why some work better than others - they got this right, probably mostly by luck since most brands have both over performers and turds. I would stay near the original spec and not make the pump stronger.

 

[lordraptor1]

Skimmers need to have a balance of air intake and contact time to work the best. This is why some work better than others - they got this right, probably mostly by luck since most brands have both over performers and turds. I would stay near the original spec and not make the pump stronger.

that is my intention, the problem though is coralvue is trying to push the stronger varios-4s pump instead of the closer speced varios-2s.

currently im looking at other dc skimmers as well as pumps, and im finding alot of dc skimmers both new and used with prices ranging from slightly cheaper to slightly more expensive than the cost of a new varios-2s pump.

i also found a dc skimmer that is a clone of the DCS-170INT as specced on paper ( yes it is chinese unbranded) and it is only $160, i have also found some chinese dc skimmer pumps with same specs as original diablo pump and also look identical. so i amd finding i have options be it just get a pump or buy a whole new skimmer. worst case scenario is i just go back to my 20 year old coralife super skimmer 220 which still works.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Omg. The more water u pull. The more air. It only matters that the body of skimmer output size can handle the flow output. They wouldnt recommend a pump that wouldnt work with their product...
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Ur skimmer.proccess what it proccessm no more. No less.
The gph of the pump is the gph. The lph of air is what it is.
Hths!
D

 

[lordraptor1]

Ur skimmer.proccess what it proccessm no more. No less.
The gph of the pump is the gph. The lph of air is what it is.
Hths!
D

Ok Let me explain it in a different way so you grasp what I'm saying. Basically coralvue is recommending ONLY bubbleblaster 3000 or varios-4s, both of which are larger gph and lph than stock and best guesstimate is that just to be able to half done tune the skimmer with either of these pumps you would have to run really slow speed or risk constantly blowing the top off the skimmer. I think getting a larger pump just to run it in a neutered state is stupid

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

No. U will be running it on steroids. Ppl put bigger motors in cars and trucks all the time. The motor dosent shoot the car to the moon. Hope u can understand what im trying to say. Your skimmer will still function. If not better. More gph is more contact with the water. More air is more bubbles. Lol.
D

 

[lordraptor1]

No. U will be running it on steroids. Ppl put bigger motors in cars and trucks all the time. The motor dosent shoot the car to the moon. Hope u can understand what im trying to say. Your skimmer will still function. If not better. More gph is more contact with the water. More air is more bubbles. Lol.
D

well i disagree with your running on steroids statement and also like to point out this is a skimmer not a car there is a difference between the 2, with that said i have in the past ran a bigger pump on a skimmer but it didnt show much improvement and all would do is overflow the skimmer cup and pope the lid off of said collection cup and that was with the the skimmer set for lowest level. one thing apparently you are not clear on is coralvue is only reccomending 2 options and both are almost double in output to stock one is bubbleblaster 3000, the other the varios 4s, they are not even recemmending any ac skimmer pumps at all.

at the end of the day however after some more research and some other recommendations i have narrowed it down to 3 options, ( pump with specs close to stock as old diablo pump assumign i find one at a decent price, if not i will look into a whole new skimmer ( and coincidentally it wont be a reef octopus this time around based on experiences with my regal200 int and how it shipped from teh factory with a water impeller in a skimmer pump and the lack of support from coralvue or reef octopus regarding said issues), i am even looking at chinese skimmers (one of which is basically a diablo skimmer with the original diablo pump without any of the reef octo or diablo branding on it most likely made by the company that was making the diablo stuff in the first place and yes specs on paper and images look identical).

so i want to thank those that chimed in but i have a game plan now and prioritizing products that do not require coralvue for "support" because quite frankly i dont see only recommending more expensive over specced items as good support. and that is even before having to deal with them ordering replacement parts and paying extra for faster shipping and it takes them a week just to ship your item ( note to everyone NEVER pay extra for faster shipping with coralvue, i paid for 3 day shipping last order i placed with them and it took them a week just to drop items off at post and then it was another 4 days before package arrived (of course you could say it was technically 3 days for post because of a sunday but again that was AFTER coralvue had the order and the money for a week prior to actually shipping it calling into question the whole if ordered after x time it would ship next day.

again thanks all but my participation in this thread is done

 

[Pntbll687]

So you're upset because coralvue is recommending their own brand products to replace a pump which they don't carry??

If you know the specs of the pump to be replaced, just get something close.

And running a controllable pump at under 100% isn't stupid, it literally gives you options to fine tune the skimmer to get the results you want.

Seems like your did your research, then got upset because coralvue is recommending some other than what you found