Well I guess actually these are what you would call a becket skimmer both Lifereef and Bashsea. Yes all skimmers use a venturi to bring air into the body of the skimmer. Saying these style skimmers are the same is like saying a motorcycle and a car are the same based on the fact both have engines and tires, or apples and watermelons are the same as they are both fruits.
Gate valves are much better at fine tuning water flow than a globe or ball valve. Which is why they are used on overflow pipes and skimmers. As to their failure rate I have no idea but mine ran for years with little to no issue. I have had ball valves that become unturnable after a year or so or simply turn but dont close or open in the latest instance. Would I use a gate valve to completely turn off water flow for long periods of time? No I would not. But that isnt a worry in what we use them for.
Wrong sorry
I tried to listen to the video but all they did was trash other manufacturers like they reinvented the wheel. Very little about the difference that was understandable
I worked in a refinery . Lots they will not close completely over time because of the design. In this hobby? not enough of a survey to conclude anything. Failures? I residential plumbing I have seen a lot of valve stems rot and break off leaving the gate at whatever position it was at. I cannot assume all are made equal. Ball valves are just as bad. It would be nice to actually have a valve design that stood the test of time in salt water. All I said was that Globe valves are what is on Skimmers and are superior for setting flow. They come in different forms as well . By the way I set And forget. Just turn off the power to maintain. I did not say they will fail in the same way. They still have screw controls.
Its a fact in this hobby. May not be the same in other applications but here it is. The use of gate valves on skimmers and overflow plumbing for control of flow is almost 100% universal. I have never seen a skimmer come with a globe or ball valve to control the flow through the skimmer, its always a gate valve. Gate valves allow very small increments of adjustment that the others do not. We are talking about pvc valves here not brass or steel. I have never worked in a refinery but I have had a sumped fish tank since the late 90s, gate valves are always the recommended go to for flow control. If you want to stop flow completely a ball valve is used. I am not saying a ball valve cannot be used to control flow it just not as adjustable as a gate valve.
I have no idea what video you are talking about.
Huge fan of my Ultra Reef. Biggest upgrade I added to it was an overflow sensor! Thing is a beast.
I looked at the videos on Bash Sea and yes they definitely say gate valve although external, and apparently not shipped with one right now because of availability ? The Octo uses a Globe. The design difference is subtle for these valves they are not a straight through flow. Why are the Bash Reef so huge ? Also why do you like them ?
Globe valves not mentioned " we " should goggle Globe valves some have and now at least know what they are I am not going to waste my time to find links to show people when they wont accept facts . I don't care if no one wants to use them. Just that there is a proper option available. Ball valves which I used to firmly believe in are crap in this hobby they freeze up in no time. I have all ball valves in my plumbing and am defiantly sorry . So lets let the valve thing go. Also BRS guys are not Geniuses Either. One of there videos they admitted that they killed a bunch of fish. At least they admitted it. In another review the had a Globe valve right in front of them and called it a gate
Hey Please dont take offense I am just argumentative regardless of Gate or Globe I still like set and forget and know how to do it. Still want to know your experiance with this Skimmer
Steve Bashsea has actually changed the design a little from the original one. They no longer use a valve at all, they put the outlet at a perfect height to achieve the proper level in the skimmer with a range of pumps. Steve told me they just have not updated the website since they had issues getting the gate valves they liked. Also new design keep the user error issues down. My 8-24 can use a sicce 7-9 or equivalent and work properly, using a larger pump for higher bioload. I like them because they just work no fiddling no break in period plain and simple. That picture that I posted was less than a day into its maiden voyage. Why are they so huge? Well thats one way they work plenty of time to get those bubbles doing what they should do. They can be use internally or externally just have to account for head loss from the pump if the skimmer is farther away. Really though they are not too huge they make a 6" diameter 24" or 30" tall an 8" and a 10" they also make ones sized for monster systems like coral grow facilities or zoos. At one point I had roughly 1200g with a 6' tall 18" dia Bashsea custom skimmer took two very large red dragon pumps to run it.
Since I want to change my fresh water to salt, and no room for a sump. I thought I would have to use a HOB. If you use it externally do you have to let it drain into a container ?
The waste? I have a bucket that the waste line is hooked to on my set up. I have mine external right now but when it goes on the 180 I will use it internal. I will still use the bucket. The "cup" is a bit of a pain to remove because of all the screws holding it, taking it off more than a couple times a month is too cumbersome.
6-24 is the smallest they make and its rated for anything from 90-180g. It needs a pump like the Sicce 4 or 5 to run. The skimmer itself is $499.99 that does not include the pump. Probably way overkill for a 60g. As I said somewhere above these are properly rated for a normal to heavy bioload in the tank size range, not like most other skimmers that say 120g but in reality only work for a 60g well. I dont know if I would try using it on a tank with no sump as the pump for it would have to be in the tank and so would the return from the skimmer the return would probably create to many micro bubbles in a display tank. Unless you are going for a tide pool aquarium in the surf zone lol.
