Super Reef Octopus INT1000 Unboxing

So my new skimmer finally came and I thought I would write a quick review of my initial response to it for others that may be interested.

First the photos;D


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So onto my thoughts about the skimmer.
I really like the shape and size of the skimmer. I was surprised to find it so compact compared to my previous AquaC EV-120 and comparatively to my friends SWC Extreme 160. The cone seems to really improve the transition from the reaction chamber to the collection cup. (A huge benefit coming from the AquaC.)

The acrylic work seems pretty good and assembly was a breeze. The instructions that came packed with it were actually decent as well. Some things that I noted that were of improvements over my past skimmers are really minor, but nice none the less. One of which is the plastic screws and included hoses. My old AquaC was covered in rust from the screws all being metal and breaking down on me over time. Also I felt the gate valve was of decent quality compared to my previous experiences with them.

Now onto the pump. The bubble blaster pump. This thing rocks. Simple as that. I was skeptical that what I had read about the bubble blasters pumps wouldn't hold up in the real world, but I can safely say the amount of bubbles and the size of the bubbles is unreal. It produced some much foam in just a matter of minutes, that it easily out performed both my AquaC and various other skimmers I had used in the past. I am really pleased with the overall build quality of the pump, the performance, and the noise. It is virtually silent, and cannot be heard over the trickling of my overflow.

Just my two cents, but for the money I would highly recommend this skimmer based on first impressions. Time will tell though.

 

Nice skimmer! I just purchased a new Reef Octopus myself! A little different (6" recirculating external) but everything works great.

How long do you think it will be until you start producing skimmate?

 

Well as of this morning (Around 12 hours after set up) I had about 1 cup of pretty green wet skim, so its gonna need some fine tuning to get it a bit drier. So my guess is it only took a few hours to get that initial break in started. I am really impressed with the quality of skimmer for the price. I paid almost double for my old AquaC and it preformed much more sluggish than this one even during the break in.

I considered the 6" recirculating skimmer also, but my buddy said I should go with this one due to the pump. I think you will be very happy with the recirculating one though!