Warner Marine K2 review.

Just to catch you up... I had a EV-120 w/ a Mag 7 that came with my setup. Sold that for a Bubble King Mini 160. BKs deserve everything that is said about them. Performance and build are top notch. I always thought though I wanted to skim a little more aggressive.

I looked at Alphas and ATBs. Thought about buying a ATB small which got me going on this rabbit hole. This is why I decided on the K2.

Size wise... it is between a ATB 840 and 10.5. (Used to be small and Med.) The 840 was not much different had the BK Mini I had so that was not big enough. The Med was too big... so those were my fence posts. My Mini pulled 600 lph of air, the ATB Med does 1300 lph. The K2 does 900 lph. The body is sized to be there. 9.25" base at the cone with a 4.5" neck.

WM's twist on the bubble ring also had me interested. It has a hole in the middle for water to go down. The difference in turbulence between my Mini 160 and the K2 is amazing. This thing is a bubble elevator. They just rise. Quite mesmerizing. There is not even a water line where bubbles start like my other skimmers. It's just nothing but bubbles above the bubble plate. You just adjust the valve for wet or dry skimmate.

Warner Marine is American made. May not be important for some.... but in these time I try to do my part.

Last... John Warner. A true enthusiast and damn nice guy. He actually answers his phone, and will take all the time needed to help out. Awesome customer service. Not saying he is the only one.... but there isn't much better.

So... here we are.



Bit bigger than the old. Build quality is great. Polished edges. Thick materials. The silencer comes off the lid with a screw. I may mount that on the side of my sump. Drain valve is nice, but I don't really use them. Air hose is silicon. The pipe fittings for the out let are not glued, so you can position them how you see fit.

The lid uses a screw lock. It is machined PVC and VERY smooth. 2.5 turns to off. It seats on a o-ring to provide positive seal. Tough to beat lifting off of the Bubble King, but this is very nice.

The gate valve is very nice and smooth. WM says it is a premium valve. What ever... right. It's just some plastic gate valve..... No.... they are not joking. This valve is very smooth. Truly precision adjustment. Very wide range to work with. Very nice touch.

So, got it in the sump.



It produced skimmate right away.... but it takes the same 3-4 days to break in as everyone else does. After a week it was solid. Sitting in the recommended 8" of water. I put it on a stand.



Cleaned it up yesterday. Next morning... still at work.





Yep.... it's a poop magnet.

The Sicce (C-chay) pump is nice. It was a little loud at first, but it quieted down. The stand that comes with it is nice. Easy to disassemble for maintenance.

So for the bad.... The Sicce does have directional start problems. It's uses a directional volute. In a water pump, the impeller only starts the right direction due to it's shape. But a pin wheel can start backwards. With the directional volute, this means if it is going backwards, it will not put out as much. Other companies don't use directional volutes, but that means they get the low numbers all the time. It does get a little frustrating at first because you are messing with it so much. Now I can tell right away just by the sound of the air draw.

I was warned about this, but did not feel it was a deal breaker. I stand by my decision. It is not that big of a deal. Once they break in, they start the right direction more. Plus once the newness wears off, it is only a once or twice a week thing. I'll take the higher performance the directional volute gives.

Second... I had a problem with my venturi. I won't go into the long story. Bottom line Jon worked with me. Sent me new stuff to try. We were both real puzzled by it. It was not a clear thing. Anyway, Jon sent me a new venturi and it's all good. The thing really skims now. I never doubted the issue would be resolved, and again the customer service from Jon is the tops.

So now it has been close to a month. It's a beast. Did a water change today. So now with all the problems behind me, skimmers broke in, and my tank is good, I will keep a better eye on it's production. Curious to see if it does a better job than my Mini 160, or if I just bought more head room. It isn't like I kept track of amounts before, but I have a good idea.

I would not hesitate to recommend this skimmer or Warner Marine products to anyone. They developed a better pin wheel that pulls more air. WM sent it out to me for free. I should get it this week, and I'll update that too. So far... very happy.

 

Great review, with pics and all!


Luna

 

Just to mention another selling point... the K series are all made here in the states, unlike all other cone skimmers.

I should have mine this weekend, can't wait. When the K3 comes out, we're getting one for our employee lounge tank

 

I mentioned it

You will be happy. You might get the new pin wheel all together. Do you have a air meter?

 

You did, missed that, sorry Only the K series are US made though.

Jon is giving me a refurb (for a good price) so what ever he gives me is fine by me I see him every few months and will see him at least 3 times in the next two months.

I do have a ton of air meters at my disposal. We have a entire cabinet full of various sizes at work I can use.

 

Ya, I borrowed one from a local reefer, but it was invaluable with my little hickups. They help with setup, but not necessary.

 

I love toys, I mean tools, so it'll have one

 

I like toys too, but I have had my tank for nearly a year and I just got a refractometer yesterday. I should just get one. I want a RMB though. I'm using a RMA right now.

I'm stoked! I really like 24" wide tanks. I really do not foresee a huge tank in my future. However, I would like a 4' 120g. All my stuff is good for a 120g. The K2 is certainly up to it. Starfire, Calfo/Bean overflow, closed loop.... hummm

 

My K2 is going on a 4'x2'x2' acrylic tank

 

Thanks for the write-up, Powerman! That's good info for sure.