Deltec Skimmers Any Good?

Forsaken77 · Jul 6, 2017

Lesley said:
Was pulling crud after 30 mins
This is approx 72hrs
Brilliant skimmer
May be little more expensive but longevity speaks volumes

That's a Deltec, right? What model is it?

Lesley · Jul 6, 2017

Forsaken77 said:
That's a Deltec, right? What model is it?

Sc 3070
Up to 4500ltrs I believe

swk · Jul 6, 2017

I've owned both the Deltec, which I currently use, and an aquamax, which is what te Deltec replaced.

The Deltec is a far superior product all around. The aquamaxx isn't a point of sale, but doesn't compare to the Deltec.

BillyW · Aug 7, 2017

Maritimer said:
I have the 1455. Got it from Adam at Battlecorals around Black Friday, but only dropped it into my sump a couple of months ago. It's in a 40 gallon sump under a 220 gallon display.

Took a little while to settle in, kept blowing its own lid off, but it runs strong and steady now. Pretty new tank, with a couple dozen coral frags, a couple dozen CUC and no fish so far, but the skimmer still pulls some nasty out of the water.

The manual neck cleaner is a thin, rotating blade with a squeegee on it. You spin it, it wipes gunk off the inside of the neck, and you don't have to pull the cup quite as often. (I find that I want to pull mine about once a week.)

~Bruce

I was considering getting the 1455 for my 60 cube...you have it on a 220? Maybe I should stick with the 1351? I need a new skimmer as my SRO1000INT isn't keeping up just stuck between the two...

madweazl · Aug 7, 2017

BillyW said:
I was considering getting the 1455 for my 60 cube...you have it on a 220? Maybe I should stick with the 1351? I need a new skimmer as my SRO1000INT isn't keeping up just stuck between the two...

I have the 1351 on a 75g that works quite well (11 fish in the tank); it is plenty of skimmer for a 60g.

This is 37 hours after a complete tear down and cleaning of the skimmer and it's right back to it's normal operation (20g water change done at the same time). I've been using the skimmer for a little over 10 months now and somebody would have to try and pry it from my cold dead hands (especially since availability is so much better).

Lit from above and manual flash on the camera; it's a nice dark skimmate.

Forsaken77 · Aug 7, 2017

BillyW said:
I was considering getting the 1455 for my 60 cube...you have it on a 220? Maybe I should stick with the 1351? I need a new skimmer as my SRO1000INT isn't keeping up just stuck between the two...

Adam told me to get the 1660 for a 180 to have some wiggle room. But someone else in this thread said he was adamant about getting the 1455 for a 180. So I don't know which way to go.

I was just seeing that the 1660 pulls twice as much air as the 1455. But I may have to buy it from Adam because Marine Depot doesn't carry the regular 1455.

eleet · Aug 7, 2017

I've run the same deltec skimmer (ap600) for over 10 years. I have never seen a reason to change it. It has paid for itself time and again. When it goes, I will get another deltec. Easy to dial in, dead silent, thick nasty skimmate. Couldn't be happier. I have never heard of someone regretting buying a deltec.

Lillken · Aug 7, 2017

I have the 3070 for eight years and I'm loving it still can't go wrong

Abhishek · Aug 7, 2017

Well if anything, I gave up on a BubbleKing 160 and embraced the Deltec 1351 for my 70 gallon tank with 20 gallon sump only acropora tank with 5 Randall's anthias , blue star leopards , clowns and mandarins fed upto 4 times a day .

At the end its all about balance and how easy it is to tune the skimmer .

If you have a 60 gallon, you should stick to 1351 unless you have so crazy a bioload that you can justify the 1455 . y experience with Deltec shows that they rate their skimmers quite conservatively and you don't want to go overboard with a Deltec skimmer.
Or else it would just sit idle most of the time .

Regards,
Abhishek

LobsterOfJustice · Aug 8, 2017

I don't see any skimmers listed on the Battle Corals website. Am I missing something?

madweazl · Aug 8, 2017

LobsterOfJustice said:
I don't see any skimmers listed on the Battle Corals website. Am I missing something?

They disappeared the same time Marine Depot started carrying them.

BillyW · Aug 8, 2017

I talked with Adam and he assured me the 1351 is plenty and it more than likely is. That being said the SRO pulls more than the 1351 and it can no longer keep up. The way I see it is if I get the 1455 I won't have anything to worry about except my skimmer idling at times. Cost isn't a factor because it's only like $50 more initially and then a few watts thereafter, plus it has a drain. Unless I am missing something I feel it's a no brainer to get the 1455 over the 1351.

madweazl · Aug 8, 2017

BillyW said:
I talked with Adam and he assured me the 1351 is plenty and it more than likely is. That being said the SRO pulls more than the 1351 and it can no longer keep up. The way I see it is if I get the 1455 I won't have anything to worry about except my skimmer idling at times. Cost isn't a factor because it's only like $50 more initially and then a few watts thereafter, plus it has a drain. Unless I am missing something I feel it's a no brainer to get the 1455 over the 1351.

By pulls more, are you using the air draw to come to that conclusion? What do you mean by the Reef Octopus not being able to keep up? I've never run the SRO 1000 so I cant tell you one is better than the other but if it isn't working appropriately, I'd suggest you need to tune it better as it is plenty of skimmer for a 60g.

BillyW · Aug 8, 2017

madweazl said:
By pulls more, are you using the air draw to come to that conclusion? What do you mean by the Reef Octopus not being able to keep up? I've never run the SRO 1000 so I cant tell you one is better than the other but if it isn't working appropriately, I'd suggest you need to tune it better as it is plenty of skimmer for a 60g.

Yes I was using air draw for that conclusion, and nothing else, not much else to go off. Ever since we moved and I started biopellets I can't get dry skim to save the life of me just real wet real light colored tea, from everything I have read the SRO line is great minus the 1000, and having had it for 3 years I can say it's good but not great, my nitrates and phosphates continue to rise that I have to change more water now than ever before. I want the thick dark skim I had before and have tried for countless hours to get it. So I am switching to a 1351 or 1455, the SRO1000 is probably great if you're not overstocked and running biopellets

madweazl · Aug 8, 2017

BillyW said:
Yes I was using air draw for that conclusion, and nothing else, not much else to go off. Ever since we moved and I started biopellets I can't get dry skim to save the life of me just real wet real light colored tea, from everything I have read the SRO line is great minus the 1000, and having had it for 3 years I can say it's good but not great, my nitrates and phosphates continue to rise that I have to change more water now than ever before. I want the thick dark skim I had before and have tried for countless hours to get it. So I am switching to a 1351 or 1455, the SRO1000 is probably great if you're not overstocked and running biopellets

I don't mean to be a downer but it is highly unlikely any skimmer will give you what you're after in regard to lower NO3/PO4. Have you considered carbon dosing? I'm not sure what you've been able to get from the RO but this is around 24 hours after the last picture I posted; it doesn't get much darker but I dose vodka as well. For what it is worth, my nitrates are zero and I'm trying to get them back up a bit LOL.

Opus · Aug 8, 2017

I've got their hob on my 75gal tank and it does a great job. Adam even thru in the media basket for it for free. If I ever get a tank with a sump I will definately go with a deltec as my skimmer. It does look like Battlecorals no longer carries them. His old links to them no longer work and neither does the search on his site. I wonder if Marine Depot struck some kind of exclusive retail deal with them for the US?

Forsaken77 · Aug 10, 2017

Opus said:
I've got their hob on my 75gal tank and it does a great job. Adam even thru in the media basket for it for free. If I ever get a tank with a sump I will definately go with a deltec as my skimmer. It does look like Battlecorals no longer carries them. His old links to them no longer work and neither does the search on his site. I wonder if Marine Depot struck some kind of exclusive retail deal with them for the US?

Marine Depot said they are the "exvlusive" distributor of Deltec in the US. So if BC's were to get them, they would have to go through MD.

I think it's kinda BS because MD only carries a few models, yet Adam could get any model you wanted.

madweazl · Aug 10, 2017

Forsaken77 said:
Marine Depot said they are the "exvlusive" distributor of Deltec in the US. So if BC's were to get them, they would have to go through MD.

I think it's kinda BS because MD only carries a few models, yet Adam could get any model you wanted.

I'm sure Marine Depot can get you any model as well though I'd prefer to use somebody like Adam.