Deltec Skimmers Seem Very Cheaply Made

[ksfulk]

Do you have the version with the manual neck cleaner? I ordered the regular model (that arrived shattered) and got sent the one with the neck cleaner. So I have both lids, which is cool. Just wondering if it works well. Adam at BC's said it's not worth the extra money.

I'm just leary because I can see the skimmer's been used before and can't test it yet.

No neck cleaner - my stand would make it a pain to get it out without getting crud all over the place.

If you want to get it going, you can always plop it in a bucket with some salt water and/or vinegar and just let it go for a day or so. That should take care of any issues with water lines as well as give you an idea of noise, tuning, etc.

 

[Forsaken77]

Where is the pump made? What about the body? Haven't had a Deltec since an AP702 which was all German made I think...

Deltec makes their own pumps now on the AC models. They're based off of the AquaBee pumps from before.

The DC pumps are Jebao. Who knows why they went with them. I guess to keep costs down. I spoke with Adam from Battlecorals and he definitely suggested the AC version because of the pump. The AquaBee was a solid pump and he felt the Jebao would mean more replacements.

Deltecs are a German brand, but who knows where the body is made. It's definitely plastic and not acrylic.

 

[Fritzhamer]

Acrylic is a plastic. Acrylic is also not one of the most durable plastics but it has some advantages over more durable plastics like polycarbonate.

As our plastics rep once said “there are thousands of types of plastic because there are thousands of uses of plastic. Each one has unique qualities that make it the best choice for a particular application.”

 

[drtrash]

deltec over bubble king ? Performance dont know build quality, no comparison, everything feels like a plastic toy compared, i thought deltec was a higher grade than than, maybe thinking of old material

 

[Forsaken77]

deltec over bubble king ? Performance dont know build quality, no comparison, everything feels like a plastic toy compared, i thought deltec was a higher grade than than, maybe thinking of old material

I thought it was a higher grade material as well on the Deltec. I looked at replacement part prices and the pump is only 69 Euro for a 1455.

But I think skimmers are the most overpriced piece of equipment in our hobby. This Deltec probably costs $40 to make (I'm guesstimating here) because it's so simplified and the materials used.

I was previously looking at the Reef Octopus Elite skimmer. The space saving design is around $200 more than the one with the external pump. I opened a ticket to ask WHY a unit that will work less efficiently costs $200 more. They responded by saying that the extra acrylic for the interal pump raises the price. Sure, maybe by $20.

 

[coseal]

deltecs were made out of acrylic and abs, and looking at some of the pictures in this thread they still are.

But I think skimmers are the most overpriced piece of equipment in our hobby. This Deltec probably costs $40 to make (I'm guesstimating here) because it's so simplified and the materials used.

it probably cost them more than 40$ to turn on the cnc used to cut the parts for it. there is no robot spitting these things out.

i do agree though! they used to be a bit more robust... and all of them could be run external. the lack of hardware and construction methods are surely the result of the "race to the bottom" the import skimmers have created.

 

[Forsaken77]

deltecs were made out of acrylic and abs, and looking at some of the pictures in this thread they still are.



it probably cost them more than 40$ to turn on the cnc used to cut the parts for it. there is no robot spitting these things out.

i do agree though! they used to be a bit more robust... and all of them could be run external. the lack of hardware and construction methods are surely the result of the "race to the bottom" the import skimmers have created.

Yeah but they're making hundreds at a time.

 

[drtrash]

I dont deny the design is sound but wonder on materials. I have never used or seen one so forgive my ignorance, bk materials are overkill compared to pics so maybe we are talking apples and oranges. I dont think i could crack my skiimmer if i tried

 

[Forsaken77]

I dont deny the design is sound but wonder on materials. I have never used or seen one so forgive my ignorance, bk materials are overkill compared to pics so maybe we are talking apples and oranges. I dont think i could crack my skiimmer if i tried

The Deltec is almost the equivalent as if you cut off the bottom of a 2 liter soda bottle, lol. Obviously it's a bit more solid, but not much. Like you said, I suppose the design is where it's at.

As long as it performs well. The other thing is that you can't easily get replacement parts yet. Marine Depot doesn't even stock them, yet they are the master distributor in the US? They ship out from a Deltec facility in Kansas.

 

[coseal]

The Deltec is almost the equivalent as if you cut off the bottom of a 2 liter soda bottle

wow! thats pretty bad... hows marine depots return policy? seems like you are really on the fence about this skimmer... and the wind is blowing lol. not a cheap purchase for sure! was there another skimmer you were considering?

 

[Forsaken77]

wow! thats pretty bad... hows marine depots return policy? seems like you are really on the fence about this skimmer... and the wind is blowing lol. not a cheap purchase for sure! was there another skimmer you were considering?

Yeah, I was considering the Reef Octopus Elite 200-int model, but it won't fit in the Trigger sump compartment. The space saver model is $200 more ($800+) and I can't justify paying that because of a small piece of additional acrylic for the pump.

Plus I keep hearing that cone skimmers aren't as efficient. I was looking at the Regal line as well, but I feel I really can't return the skimmer at this point. After the first arrived broken, they sent me a completely new skimmer (though I can see it was used). So I have an extra pump, cup and lid they didn't want back. So I don't think it would be right to return it.

I'm just gonna see how it works when the tank is set up. I just had bad experiences with AquaMaxx quality on their skimmers and this is made even more flimsy. Hopefully it works out.

 

[Fritzhamer]

 

[Fritzhamer]

Every device I've purchased from coralvue has needed service and support and each of those experiences was worse than the next. Ill never buy anything they sell or distribute again.

 

[Forsaken77]

Every device I've purchased from coralvue has needed service and support and each of those experiences was worse than the next. Ill never buy anything they sell or distribute again.

Have you had the Deltec long? The problem I've found with the cheaper plastics is they don't tend to last in a marine environment (corrosive). They get brittle and pieces start snapping around the 1 year mark.

It's basically because I don't have it running in a tank yet. There's a big difference between running it in a bucket and real world use.

 

[Fritzhamer]

Interesting. I'd be surprised if it's the marine environment. Most of the plastics can handle that fine. UV however only gets along with a few plastics. The other plastics craze, get brittle or cloud / yellow.

I've only had this iteration of Deltec for six months or so. I haven't noticed anything amiss with the plastic but it's a better plastic than on the icecap skimmers.

 

[drtrash]

How is h380 working?

 

[rushbattle]

Every device I've purchased from coralvue has needed service and support and each of those experiences was worse than the next. Ill never buy anything they sell or distribute again.

I’ve had a few bad experiences, and some very good ones. I think the brand matters. I really like RO, the pumps are great, I’ve got a skimmer that I love also. Maxspect is trash in comparison.

 

[Acroporaaddict]

My deltec replaced a bubble king. Bubble king build quality is better material wise. Disassembly for cleaning is way easier on deltec. Noise levels are comparable, both are dead silent. Without a doubt, the deltec performs better right out of the box. Won't be going back to bubble king, over priced and over rated imo.

 

[Fritzhamer]

How is h380 working?

It's a great light but I'm not sold on the fuge vs gfo yet.

 

[drtrash]

Fuge is a more even nutrient reduction gfo is fast not sure when its exhausted