Does anyone have first hand experience with the CPR SR3 skimmer? I am shopping around for a skimmer for my BC29.

Thanks

Well I guess I'll be the guinea human for the SR3. I have one arriving today and will post results.

Here is my first review of the SR3.

The instructions SUCK!!!! Just click here (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2105795608994781811&pr=goog-sl) to get setup instructions if you are n00b like me and never dealt with a skimmer. In terms of setup, I had a few issues, which were not detailed by either the paper instructions or the online video I linked above.

1. You MUST remove the false floor in the center chamber of a Biocube. The only thing referenced in the instructions and video was to remove the top drip tray and the Bio-balls. Maybe the older Biocube models didn't have a false floor. I used a small hook tool pull the false floor out. Just by looking at the height of the skimmer you can tell it won't fit without removing the false floor.

2. I pushed the pump motor in as far as it would go and still had to shoe-horn the skimmer in past the drip tray shelf. In the video, he slides it in with one hand, but I was not so lucky, or smart. Not sure which yet.

3. Water level. Stapled to the instructions was a note that stated the water level MUST be raised ABOVE the maximum water level line indicated in the Biocube return pump chamber. Ok, did it. However, the skimmer pump and air venturi stopped working. If I raised it up to a certain level, it would start working again. So, after a couple of beers and lots of head scratching I just grabbed a container and scooped out some water. Voila, it started working. In the troubleshooting guide for lack of bubbles, it stated everything needed to be cleaned, nothing about water levels being corrected.

In terms of break in, it did create a lot of bubbles in the tank but mine has already subsided after nine hours. I'm still playing around with the air setting and container level. Be forewarned, this device will make your quiet little Biocube a bit louder. I'm already getting the stinkeye from the wife about how much louder it is, even though it doesn't seem that much louder to me.

In terms of quality, the skimmer seems to be very sturdy and well made. Like I said, I'm new to the hobby and this is my first skimmer so I have nothing to compare it to. My research revealed other people are pretty happy with the SR3 and it's biggest competitor in a nano system was a Sapphire.

Next time I'll comment on the performance and tweaking.

This is going to be interesting to me cause I've just set the wife up with a JBJ 24G nano.., I've got a COR Bak-Pak 2RR+ to install inthe very near future!

Well it's been about a week of running the SR3. It is louder than I initially thought, but you ignore it like a car alarm after a few hours. The break in period is overlooked by a lot of n00bs, and this is apparent if you read the CPR support forum. You will have A LOT of bubbles in your tank for a couple of days after initial installation. Check this out:

1. Break in is 48-72 hours after initial installation and the side effect is bubbles in the tank.

2. Additives will cause bubbles because it affects the surface tension of the water, as will salinity changes. I used Aquavitro products and noticed the reappearance of bubbles after adding in those products. Turn off the skimmer for 12-24 hours when dosing. CPR recommends this.

3. Adjust the air flow accordingly. You shouldn't have water that looks like it's boiling, just fizzing like a glass of Sprite. If you are getting a lot of foam build up at the top of the container stack, you need to reduce the air or raise the container.


http://lh5.ggpht.com/_stTfewcJqrg/SlK-5xUHsjI/AAAAAAAAC7M/6RwADi2PreI/SR3%20air%20mix.jpg
Figure 1- This air mix works very well for me if I have the bottom of the container about 1/8" to 1/4" below the water line.

4. You will notice the water flow from the first chamber to the center chamber is very loud now, like a darn waterfall. I placed a bag of ROWAphos on the skimmer right where the water falls and it reduced the water noise immensely. I talked to CPR and they said that was acceptable practice.

5. Check the pump intake cover occasionally to make sure it isn't clogged. I had LR rubble in the center chamber previously so there were small fragments in the bottom of the chamber. The skimmer pump had sucked those up and the intake cover was pretty nasty after a couple of days.

6. You may see water temp increases after installation. My water temps have gone up considerably, but I believe it's a combination of the Georgia heat and the skimmer. CPR said it is possible the addition of another pump would raise temps.

In terms of performance, I'm getting some nasty smelling green liquid in the catch container. Organics FTL.

I read to many bad reviews of the Oceanic skimmer and I didn't want to cut my tank up to fit one so this is working out fine so far. Just like everything else in this hobby, just be patient when it comes to the bubbles and take into account your water quality and additives.

Great info this will help a lot. Agree that the CPR instruction sucked. Now I saw on a couple of site people changing the orientation of the Skimmer. They were actually sitting the Skimmer pump to the side of Chamber 1 in a Biocube, this would also mean the the collection cup would also reside beside chamber 1 instead of chamber 3. I'm now all mixed up....should the Pump / Collection cup reside beside chamber 1 of a BioCube or the what ?

Thanks