Becketts versus needle wheels.

"I will check it out and see what its about. I have not had bad luck with my becket skimmer and feel the ease of use is simple and effective. The tank requires very little adjustment ever and is easy to clean. I will check it out. Prices on needle wheels just seem to be retarded latelly and they effectiveness seems to be just that also. Not saying they dont do the job just stating I hope they can keep up for a resonable price."

I see this stated a lot.....yet it is never comparing apples to apples. First off... there is no difference in the bubble Becketts make and needelwheels make. Both can make a good small bubble. In fact... these days if we wanted, we can chop them finer, but then they would stay suspended.Next is quality.... I happen to like Precision Marine. They did a good job for me on a project.... but price is determined by materials and manufacturing. It does not take much to make a plastic box and put a tub on it. Now PM does good work and I'm not saying they don't produce quality... just saying.

Needle wheel skimmers come in the cheapest prices all the way from the ridiculously cheap Bubble Magnus all the way up to the Rolls Royce Bubble King. There is a vast difference between the two... as much as a Chevy Chevette and a Porche.Vertex makes very capable models for very good prices, and Octopus seems to be the standard for inexpensive good performance.

Even Cones... they are only slightly more... but Bubble Magnus does not have one out yet. Octo put theirs out for a $400 for up to a 150-180g tank. Killer price. The cones that have come out are by premium manufacturers using premium materials and pumps... so they cost a premium.

Now I am not say Becketts don't work... cause they do... but they require a lot of pump and that equals power and heat. Needle wheels do the same job with much less pump. I also contend they do a much more consistent job. My AquaC spray injector was very finicky, the NWs I have owned have been truly set and forget...almost down right boring. Clean it once a week and forget about it for another 7 days.

So obviously I'm biased towards NW skimmers. Not because Becketts don't work, but because they seem more picky and require big pumps. My Mag 7 I ran on my EV-120 used 65w. My Sicce on my K2 uses 21 watts and can handle close to twice the tank. Now I call that superior efficiency.

 

Bubble Magus does have a cone skimmer out, fwiw.

BUBBLE-MAGUS - Aquarium Internal skimmer|external skimmer|Dosing pump|Calcium reactor|Nitrate reductor/NO3 reductor|Filters|Turtle shell lampshade|Water monitor and controller|Additives|moonlight LED

BUBBLE-MAGUS - Aquarium Internal skimmer|external skimmer|Dosing pump|Calcium reactor|Nitrate reductor/NO3 reductor|Filters|Turtle shell lampshade|Water monitor and controller|Additives|moonlight LED

And I agree 100% on the Needle Wheel.

 

Do you know how much they are?

Although they are ridiculously over rated. I would put the first on a 90g, and the second on a 180....tops. But I'm sure they are quite inexpensive.

 

Definitely overrated. I think I saw the second one for $550 somewhere - I'm sure TB Aquatics can get an accurate price as they supply Bubble Magus. I like how the second uses an Eheim pump.