Entry

Eshopps Snow Cone Skimmer Released

And another cone skimmer enters the US market. Take a look at Eshopps’ new Snow series of conical skimmers.

The Snow model shown above was revealed to the public at the Global Pet Expo in Florida just a couple weeks ago. Since then they have arrived at retailers. The smallest Snow model measures in at 8″ [...]

And another cone skimmer enters the US market. Take a look at Eshopps’ new Snow series of conical skimmers.

snow-flyer

The Snow model shown above was revealed to the public at the Global Pet Expo in Florida just a couple weeks ago. Since then they have arrived at retailers. The smallest Snow model measures in at 8″ x 21″ and is powered by an AquaBee 2000/1 needlewheel for roughly 500lph of air intake.

To keep the footprint small, the AquaBee pump is placed inside the cone body with a bubble plate to reduce turbulence. The bubble plate and pump are also completely removable via the bottom plate that is help tight with nylon screws and a rubber gasket. More detailed photos are below.

Two features are worth noting. The first being an adjustable silencer. With just a twist of the silencer, the air intake can be adjusted to the users preference. AquaBee 2000/1s in particular benefit from a slight restriction of the air intake. If adjusted correctly the end result is smaller bubbles with minimal impact to airdraw. The second is the price. The smallest Snow model, shown in this article is rated for 200g and will set you back $675. While not drastically different in price as compared to the ATB econo, it does hit the smaller tank range nicely.

 

Keep your eyes out for two larger models that are likely to become available soon. 10″x21″ and 12″x27″ both powered by modified lagunas. If the price point is remotely close to the smallest Snow, these larger siblings will be an alternative worthy of consideration.

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Meta

  • @kevin, yes we have covered them here: http://glassbox-design.com/2009/more-info-on-de...

    The implementation of a bubble plate and enlarged volute is a start, but the neck reduction is still extremely drastic. A full cone is of course not needed, but many aquarists and manufacturers are seeing the gains of gently sloped necks.
  • kevin
    Eric

    I don't know if you have seen ,but Deltecs already have new skimmers coming out and they are not cones.
  • Soi Chin-Gon
    man, this looks like a toy!
  • Nicholas Sadaka
    Eagerly awaiting your results/observations!
  • @Nick, I think all the higher end skimmers will be moving towards a conical based design. In particular I am curious how Deltec and H&S; will act in the near future.

    That said, I agree with Mr. Sadaka. The majority of aquarists have never heard of a Cone skimmer, ATB, or Bubble King. For that change to happen, the distribution will have to get into the brick and mortar stores like Euro Reef has done. With these lower cost models e.g. ATB Econo and RE-Vertex Alpha Cone.... it is a possibility, but a ways off.

    @Nicholas, it will be interesting to see how the cone performs. I have received the metric adapter, and hope to have it plumbed and running this weekend.
  • Nicholas Sadaka
    Nick-my reply to your question (IMHO, of course) is that for someone like me who has size limitations, tube skimmers might remain as an only option. Right now, I don't think there's any cone skimmer out there that is internal that I could fit in my sump. They are still relatively expensive too. Even though on forums like these it seems like everyone has a relatively high end skimmer (not too many under $300 would be my guess, regardless of tank size), if you go on forums where most of the members are beginner saltwater aquarists, you'll see that many, many (and probably a majority of saltwater aquarists in total are beginners)are still using really cheap skimmers regardless of tank size. So, until those cones start appearing on Seaclones and Prizms and skimmers like those, I think tubes will still be around for quite some time. I'm really curious how good they really are though.
  • Richard
    really nice skimmer I want one!
  • Nick
    Good skimmer for sub 100g tanks and the low footprint I have to hand it to them ATB is working on something similar but eshopps was quicker to market.

    What do you guys think about the future of conical skimmers will there be any traditional tube skimmers left in say 2012? I doubt many.
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