Feedback needed on Maxspect AD600 skimmer

[Lightspeed]

Hi all, am currently researching skimmers for my new build and the Maxspect AD600 is of interest to me as locally in Australia it can be had for just under a grand AUD. With the next on my list being a Reef Octopus Elite 200 which is around another $500 Aud more.

So now that the Maxspect has been out for a while i am looking for the owners of the AD600 to provide accurate and somewhat unbiased feedback on all aspects and their experience with the unit, i am aware of the incompatibility of the Maxspect unit with Ozone.
So tell me your loves, hates and regrets if any, associated with your purchasing of this skimmer.

I do not really like the look of the plastic on the Maxspect pump, it looks brittle and gives me the impression from looks only it may have an element of fragility, but the skimmer has features that i do think may forgive some aspects, where as the plastics used on the R/O Varios pumps look very durable and solid.

I will say i have not seen one in person and will simply not be able to, Australia is just like that and my state leaves very few options available, i am not interested in salesman talk which is what most LFS will unload on you as they each have their preferred suppliers of x name products, i cant stand salesman, i am simply a No bulldust kind of guy.


My overall Gross water capacity will be close to 1000 litres with Net water volume coming in at around 900 litres with medium bio load as a generous maximum.
Owing to BRS recommending not to over skim which was the initially the opposite of where i was heading, i am thinking the AD600 may be worthy of my list.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Maybe posting a link might help, we do not have that brand in the states, could be re-brand though.

 

[Lightspeed]

Uuuum, yes you do lol, every review i have seen is from the USA, heres a link to BRS website.

Search Results Template - Bulk Reef Supply

aquarium.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

I am familiar with that skimmer, my LFS store has one, one big problem with that skimmer is that it has pump that nobody else has or makes. If the pump goes out and you cannot get a replacement you are screwed Maybe you should look into LIfeReef Skimmer, I am not sure if they are available down under, but you can use your own pump, so you will only be buying the body of the skimmer.

http://www.lifereef.com/venturi.html I would contact him to see if he ships, maybe get a couple more refers and do a group buy and split the shipping.

 

[JohnGP]

I have one but haven't installed it on my tank yet. I can say that it is beautiful and seems very well built and all the reviews I've read so far love it. Sorry I can't be of more help but haven't put it to use yet.

 

[JohnGP]

@Lightspeed Ok I broke down and installed that baby last night. Not much to assembly. Wow is it powerful. When I turned it on it was on power level 3 and it started making a thick white foam with tiny bubbles and within 5 minutes the cup was almost full. Had to turn it wayyy down to it's lowest setting and fiddle with the controls to finally get it slowed down on foam production, this is on a new tank so not nutrient heavy water. Checked it this morning before heading to work and it seems to have settled down so I'll probably need to do some adjusting this evening when I get home. Pretty neat skimmer, I like it so far but time will tell.

 

[Lightspeed]

@JohnGP,
There are quite a few using the Maxspect skimmer as here on the forum reading the responses when they were first released it was hot property, unfortunately as with most things when they are new, things die down relatively quick and have not really heard much about them since, not sure whether that's good or bad. After more research it truly is a skimmer minefield out there, venturi types, needle wheels, ext pump, int pump, dual pump, ac, dc its mad and you can easily spend a months salary on one if thats your thing, but i am not into spending coin just for the sake of it, not that price is generally not representative of quality either, but looks like horses for courses, i have a few months before a skimmer becomes urgent, hope yours runs well on your system.

 

[JohnGP]

I agree, newest thing gets loads of attention and then the next shiny thing comes along and we're off to that one. Though it's only been running for a couple of days I am very impressed with it so far. The first day it was producing massive amounts of foam and micro bubbles but now it's settled down and working beautifully. Got home from work yesterday and had about 1" of nasty brown skimmate in the cup already. I love the adjustability of the skimmer and the controller though the directions could be a little more helpful in setup, tuning etc. but hey, it's a skimmer, I'm sure I can figure it out.

I have been out of the hobby for awhile so was a little surprised at the prices of some skimmers now days, wow some of them are expensive and this one wasn't cheap either but I feel it's a pretty good deal if you want a powerful skimmer that is very well built, has some features a lot of others don't and is easy to maintain/clean. Darn thing is built like a tank, I swear just the lid for the cup feels like it weighs a couple pounds! I didn't realize the cup has a swiveling drain hose because it's tucked up around the base of the cup so I just removed the cup, which is quick, easy and simple as can be, and dumped it. This is a very well thought out/designed skimmer, I think it's a winner IMHO.

 

[JohnGP]

I forgot to mention that it is extremely quiet, can't hardly even hear a hum from it. Good luck on your search!

 

[Lightspeed]

Thanks for your feedback @JohnGP, good to know its silent, my Display will be in my living area and will be doing everything i can to make the living art a centrepiece, so silence is high on my list of needs.

Its a bit disappointing other members have not left input here after their time using this skimmer.

@JohnGP, can you give me your impressions of the build quality of the pump unit itself, i would really like your input on the transparent plastic parts and whether they look solid enough for longevity of service. Thanks for your feedback so far, much appreciated despite it being a new unit on your system.

I had a look at the survey question here on R2R, 2 days ago regarding skimmer brand popularity, was not surprised to see Reef Octopus heading up that list at number 1.
There really are many great skimmers on the market, although some i feel are brand name % purchases filling the higher price brackets, but i cant have Champagne on a Beer budget, but it does not mean i wont do my research for the best i can get for my $.
Cutting loose of brand biased youtube reviews is also difficult, even if some come from esteemed reefers.

 

[JohnGP]

Hi @Lightspeed glad to offer some help even though it's not much. A quiet running tank was high up on the list for me too. This tank is about 2.5 feet directly behind the couch in the Livingroom where my wife and I sit to watch tv so it had to be virtually silent or close to it. I have to admit I hit that mark so far with the equipment I chose. Just to throw this out there as an FYI type deal if you're looking at other equipment for your new build;

A few more products I'm using that I am very impressed with is the Hydros Wave Engine, though I did have a few "bumps in the road" in the beginning it is fantastic now and makes configuring your pumps to run together a snap once you figure it out. I'm still learning how to set it up but the guys at CoralVue have gone above and beyond to take care of me. I'm using the Reef Octopus Octopulse 4 wave pumps and wow, much more powerful than I anticipated and even though the tank is 6 feet long I'm running them at about 35% power and they too are dead quiet! Keep in mind this isn't a reef tank it's FOWLR so I don't need Hurricane speed current. And finally the Varios 8 pump, man, dead silent and smooth as well. Sorry to go on and on but I guess I'm used to the old school stuff humming, buzzing, running hot, vibration and just being a unreliable PITA sometimes because as of right now I am just thrilled to death with how well a lot of these new products work!


As for the AD 600; I feel the build quality of the entire skimmer, including the pump is well above the norm. The pump is very easy to disassemble and put back together, very good quality parts and it feels pretty darn solid to me. It also comes with spare O-rings and a few other items in the box. I know some people frown at it using a proprietary pump but I like this skimmer enough that should the pump fail I wouldn't hesitate to pay the price for a replacement though I have a feeling it's going to last a while.

I apologize for blabbing away, just excited at how well everything is running so far. I've built and setup quite a few tanks in my day, used to work for a zoo in the Reptile/Aquatic dept. so I built, cleaned, maintained a lot of tanks and used a lot of different equipment and man it was a lot harder in those days to setup and fine tune a tank IMO. OK I'll shut up now. Hope I've been of some help, have a great day!

 

[Lightspeed]

@JohnGP, no mate you are not blabbing, quite the opposite, i enjoy all your feedback.
Coincidently your build fortunately sounds simmilar to mine. I could not find a Waterbox 230.6 in stock in Australia only the newer 220.6, so i ventured down the path of a custom build through Fire Aqua, my chosen LFS Aquarium Gallery has ensured me it will be built to Waterbox spec but with my dimensions being 1850mm L x 750mmW x 630mm H in 19mm Starphire, glass overflow etc. The guys at AG have stated apart from the custom size the only difference will be the brand name. Funny, it almost leads me to believe Fire Aqua actually build Waterbox from their factory to their spec, i have seen hints of this throughout my research but nothing firmly stated of course.
Sounds like you hit the mark with the Reef Octo OP4 waves, i actually ordered the same for mine and have 2 on hand, sounds like my research and choice was a good one going on your experiences.
I am also currently researching my return pump, i am in two minds as i was going to run the Varios 8 by R/O, but may go for the Red Dragon RD3 80W Speedy.
Thanks for the tip on the Wave engine, i will look into that, also thanks for all your input on the AD600 too.
Its great to hear your positive experience so far, we all have ups and downs along the way, but hearing your feedback assures me somewhat that i am fulfilling my research correctly.
Keep us posted anyway and thanks again.[/USER]

 

[Brisdude]

Hi all, am currently researching skimmers for my new build and the Maxspect AD600 is of interest to me as locally in Australia it can be had for just under a grand AUD. With the next on my list being a Reef Octopus Elite 200 which is around another $500 Aud more.

So now that the Maxspect has been out for a while i am looking for the owners of the AD600 to provide accurate and somewhat unbiased feedback on all aspects and their experience with the unit, i am aware of the incompatibility of the Maxspect unit with Ozone.
So tell me your loves, hates and regrets if any, associated with your purchasing of this skimmer.

I do not really like the look of the plastic on the Maxspect pump, it looks brittle and gives me the impression from looks only it may have an element of fragility, but the skimmer has features that i do think may forgive some aspects, where as the plastics used on the R/O Varios pumps look very durable and solid.

I will say i have not seen one in person and will simply not be able to, Australia is just like that and my state leaves very few options available, i am not interested in salesman talk which is what most LFS will unload on you as they each have their preferred suppliers of x name products, i cant stand salesman, i am simply a No bulldust kind of guy.


My overall Gross water capacity will be close to 1000 litres with Net water volume coming in at around 900 litres with medium bio load as a generous maximum.
Owing to BRS recommending not to over skim which was the initially the opposite of where i was heading, i am thinking the AD600 may be worthy of my list.

Hi mate did you end up getting aeraqua skimmer? I’m waiting on a new Cade PR 1500 and was looking at it also I’m in Brisbane and not to many places have it so hard to get feedback be keen to hear your thoughts cheers Mat.

 

[Viet658]

The maxspect has been running great for me. It puts out a ton of bubbles so can collect skimmate when my older skimmer wasn’t able to pick up much. Both running for about the same number of hours. See photo.