Reefs.com - Saltwater Aquarium - Reef Aquarium

ETS or Bullet 2 ?

A

Anonymous

Guest
i've read and reread all the threads about skimmers in the archives... all i have concluded is that no-one can decide which is best.

i must upgrade from an older berlin system and i am having trouble deciding which is "best" of these two.

ideally, i am hoping for the opinions of those who have used both of the skimmers.
but all of your thoughts are very appreciated.

based on my 90g, 440 watt reef, i will select either:

1) E.T.S. Model #600 $ 459.00
Recom. Pump 4 MDQ or 40RLT
-- upgradeable --

or:

2) Bullet 2 $ 379.89
Recom. Pump 4 MDQ, 40RLT, Mak4

i prefer external pumps. little giants have served me well in the past and present.

i cant find any bad news about the bullet, and the ETS is obviously proven & upgradeable. the money difference isn't much of a concern but... performance & ease of maintenance matter immensely !

--
mish2
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Bullet hands down. ETS is a good skimmer. Precision Marine produces nothing but solid quality units, and you can actually call the owner and talk with him, what a concept.

The Bullet uses the Becket foamer which produces better bubbles, and easier to clean than an ETS with bio balls.

Never owned either, but I know the quality is great with Precision marine. Never like ETS, no web site or phone number to call and talk to someone it seems.

Just my two cents though.

IME, FWIW, yada yada..

Keith

------------------
Visit Keith's Reef
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I own a Bullet, new down draft design Vs ETS.
extremly thick foam and fine bubbles with the Bullet, high craftmanship from Precision marine.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
well, so far it appears we have a number of bullet fans... it "appears" like a fine unit, but looks aren't everything. my qualm with the ETS was with the bio-ball tower unit, from a maintenance standpoint. hell, if i wanted bio-balls, i wouldn't have taken them out of my wet/dry
smile.gif


space is not a problem, as all my plumbing is in the garage. (plumbed through the walls).

i can't seem to find any product reviews on the bullet skimmers.
--
mish2
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I think the etss 750 is better with the twin towers? I was gonna get an etss 750 but after comparing it with the bullet i got the bullet2. Same powerful skimming but with smaller bubbles from the becket. Etss has bigger bubbles.If its in sump the only draw back is u have to raise it abouve sump water so thats adding a couple inches. if out of sump u would have to drill the return water from the skimmer to be higher than sump water, same for the etss. Thats cuz they are short. If money is no prob and u have 32" i would get the bullet 3 or get the best aerofoamer.They are only $470ish
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I have an ETS Gemini 800 and it seems to be doing a good job of curing my rocks. I've got about over a liter or crud already after 2 days. One thing I don't like about it is that it has to be elevated above the sump water line. Although it's 26" tall, when you elevate it...it'll be more than 30" and you need some inches above that to take it apart to clean....so you have to have a pretty tall stand for it...if not then you'll have to leave it outside of the stand...like mine. Easier to clean and look at to me though. I can send you a picture of it if you'd give me an email.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
If size is not a problem, then definately get an ETS 1000. I seriously don't know what it is about the skimmer other than the very tall tower but this thing foams like crazy. Only thing close to it is the HSA from MTC. The ETS 1000 that i saw was running with a Mak 4.

By the way, i own a ETS 600 and i ran it with a Iwaki 40 pressure-rated. While the ETS 600 was an EXCELLENT skimmer, it still did not compare to the ETS 1000 that isaw running with similar pump!

By the way, and i don't want to give you an even bigger headache, have you considered the Euroreef CS-3? It's only $379 and it includes pump.

JOHNNY

------------------
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
The bullet2 u have to raise if in sump. the return water must be higher than the sump. So it has to be raised 3" to have @ 6"sump level.If out of sump the return can be drilled anywhere. The B3 doesn't cuz its taller. The etss 1000 is about or over 4' tall thats why thats good. I still would get an aerofoamer if you go that way. Becket makes it better than etss. the new etss 750 u dont have to raise anymore.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
i think the ETS 1000 is a lil more than i need, but then again... oooo oooo more power!

i have found some info on the bullet 3 that makes it appear as a better choice. i thought i had narrowed it down to the bullet2...

the "seam splitting" of a lot of ETS boxes leads me to believe i may be in for a major catastrophe. it will be placed outside my sump. for that reason alone, i will not buy an ETS. surely they have addressed this design flaw, haven't they?

the DAS, EuroReef, AquaC, Turbofloater all seem like nice deals, but...

hey Iron, just what i needed to know. couldn't find that height requirement info anywhere. thx. what pump are you using?

i believe right now, i will try a bullet3. anyone know if the recommended mak4 is enough pump? i do want it placed "beside" my sump, not in and i dont want to be under-pumped. i dont need any plumbing problems. so many seem to have good things to say about it, and i cant find any bad info anywhere. yet. :>

...thanks to all for your time and input.

can anyone explain the adjustments of the bullet3? is it set&forget or is there a "fine-tuning" with valves?

i prefer the latter.

secondly, is the air flow adjustable or is it blow and go?
--
mish2
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
HI:
Let see if I can set this straight...The bullet only has to be elevated above the waterline in your sump...not above your sump....I keep my bullet in my sump, and I prop it up on a small peice of tupperware so the outflow is out of the water...actually the bottom of the skimmer is under water.
I find the bullet a great little skimmer, its amazing what it pulls out, and the beckett headrocks w/ lots of pressure. I use a Mak-4 and this really make a huge difference in performance, as compatred to a sens900 (which is supposedly the lowest pump you can use).All in all bullet gets my vote
frank
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Mish2,

Good post! I have the same dilemma. However I eliminated the E.T.S. due the need of elevating it above the water level in the sump. Though I do not understand why the Bullet does not have this same requirement....? I have narrowed my choices to the DAS BX-2 and the Bullet2. Have you looked into the DAS skimmers?

Paul
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Mish2,
The ets is very good but, find out more about the bullet. My ets 800 w/55rlt pump
removes so much junk (and water) automatic tank refilling is a must. Unless you live, work, play, sleep and vacation at home.@ 2 gl every 24hr including evaporation.
mike
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Bullet 2 does not have to have the water outlet above the water , giving the average 30 inches height of the tank stand , it is impossible to elevate the Bullet, the outlet is at the bottom of the base.
The bullet can be adjusted to be use flat in sump .
#1 open the gate valve all the way

#2 adjust the air valve so the bubble will break at the top of the large flange before the riser tube.

After the Bullet dial in, you can increase the air flow to get a thick skimate.

If you have the room to have the outlet above the water, you can have a more powerful pump which makes it more of a monster then it is, this skimmer rocks! for in sump operation, the SEN 900 is perfect.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Thats what I ment sump water level.All short skimmers must have their water return above water level or it will cause backpressure and make the skimmer overflow.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
The bullet3 doesnt but persicion marine recommend for b2 cuz it can backflow it has happen before to some ppl.But if you dont do it that way i would use the waste shut off to avoid any overflow. It only has to be raises @3-4" and the skimmer is @24"
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
The Bullet 2 is 24 inches overall, the outlet is on the bottom of the box which is 9 inces tall, average stand height is 30 inches, let's see....
you raise it by 6 inches max,( 24 inches skimmer height + raising it 6 inches = 30 inches)the water in your sump can not be more then 5 inches high , a minus when I wanted more gallonage in my sump,(my sump is 18 inches high)
Iron, you are right about keeping the outlet above the water and using a kick ass pump, I am not disagreeing with you, I just want to offer another solution to those that wanted a kick ass skimmer and lack the clearence and needed it in an in sump operation, hate to see those people that wanted a Bullet but are scare because they think the outlet "must" be above the water which is not true.

My Bullet 2 the outlet is under water, matter of fact, it is sitting on the bottom of my sumpunder 12 inches of water,I'm using a SEN 900 to drive it, when it is brand new, I have to back off the air in order to keep it from over flowing, once the Bullet dials in, this takes about 3 to 4 days, I'm running it with the gate valve fully open and air at full throttle, no over skimming what so ever,the foam is so thick you can walk on it.

[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 16 May 2000).]
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
This is for those that E-mail me concerning the Bullet.

Just for experiment, I raise my Bullet with 2 plastic container, approx. 5 inches high, as before my Bullet sits flat inside my sump under 12 inches of water,
even with it raised, my outlet is still under water, but now that it's raised, I have to gate back the valve in order for the water to raise at the appropriate level for the Bulllet to work, those people at Precision Marine aren't kiddling when they say this Skimmer eats Psi. the Bullet 2 have to have it's gate valve turn back alot to work with a SEN 900 now that it's raised, so like I've said, if you have limited space and must have the skimmer sit flat in the sump, the SEN 900 is perfect,if you have the room and raise it, go with an even bigger pump, I'm happy now that I know with it raise just 5 inches I can use even a bigger pump.
Oh Crap, just did a search on bigger pump, the biggest pressure rated sumersible pump is the SEN 900.

[This message has been edited by Wilson (edited 17 May 2000).]
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I think u could use a mag 2400? I think that the new one. And don't forget if u raise it 3" it will be accually 3" above cuz the outlet is @ 3" to bottom of hole.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top