Very efficient and robust skimmer...for smaller tanks..difficult to tune.
Written: Apr 08 '05 (Updated Jul 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small footprint and very efficient when tuned. Reasonably priced.
Cons: Can be difficult to tune. Need to buy the preskimming box separately.
The Bottom Line: A great beginning skimmer for small tanks and plumbing challenged individuals. Some annoying characteristics, but for the price well worth it. Get the preskimmer box!
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| colstudent69's Full Review: CPR Aquatic Cyclone BakPak 2R |
Intro:
I first bought this skimmer 4 years ago and I used it for two years before I upgraded my tank. In those two years I developed a love and hate relationship with my CPR Bak-Pak 2R skimmer. There are some excellent qualities, but some annoying habits this skimmer has prevents me from giving it a top rating.
The Good:
The price is reasonable for a small and efficient skimmer. For the price you get everything you need to set up the skimmer on the back of your tank.
Once the skimmer is setup and tuned then the operation is dump out the skimmate every 1-2 weeks and forget about it.
Once you are in the hobby for a while, you judge good skimmers by the quantity of skimmate produced, how much it stinks and how dark it is. In all three criteria the Bak Pak does an excellent job! Just one caution, it should only be used on smaller tanks (55 gallon or less) with medium to low biological loads in the tank. If you have a heavy biological load the collection cup fills up fast and the efficiency of the skimmer is reduced.
A fairly small size skimmer that won't take up a ton of real estate in the fish tank. The narrow design allows for fitting in tight spaces behind tanks.
The Bad:
I had a MAJOR problem getting my skimmer tuned properly. I would advise leaving the air intake valve open on full and only moving the rubber o-ring on the collection cup up and down to tune the skimmer. If it is too low it collects too much water and the skimming efficiency is reduced. Too high and you don't skim enough protein out of the tank. It took me nearly 4 weeks to get the skimmer tuned properly. Keep in mind this was my first skimmer, so I was inexperienced. I setup the skimmer briefly on a quarantine tank recently and it only took a week to tune exactly to my liking.
You need the preskimming box, without it you get a film on the surface of the water and it won't go away.
The air intake is a little noisy so that this skimmer should not be placed near a TV or study room.
I could never completely eliminate microbubbles from going back into the tank from the Bak Pak. To me this didn't matter, I like the more natural look of bubbles in the tank, but some people may find this annoying.
The collection cup fills up fast, so it should not be used on heavy bioload tanks and restricts how much "wet" skimming you can do.
The filter material(plastic shavings) in the skimmer are difficult and rather disgusting to clean. Thankfully this only needs to be done once a year.
Who should buy this skimmer:
I feel that this is an excellent starting skimmer for someone entering the saltwater(SW) fishtank hobby. I would choose this skimmer or the AquaC Remora Pro HOT Skimmer. I have not used the Remora Pro personally, but have many friends that are happy with it. Stay away from all the other brands of small Hang On the Top(HOT) or Hang On the Back(HOB) skimmers, they are not nearly as good as these two.
Modifications:
There are several modifications that can be done to this skimmer to increase its efficiency. The best is the preskimming box. I would also recommend replacing the pump at some point as the Rio is a mediocre pump. Replacing with a maxijet with a venturi kit would be an excellent alternative. Explore reefcentral.com for more information on the modifications. Easier to do searches at night when the servers are under lower usage loads.
Maintenance:
You'll need to clean the collection cup every 3-10 days once tuned properly. I would advise using an old toothbrush for this.
You'll need to clean the pump and venturi air line about once every 1-2 months for maximum efficiency. Both detach easily and a toothpick comes in very handy for removing salt creep or gunk.
Summary:
A great beginning skimmer that does not need a lot of plumbing knowledge to use. Beginners will learn the ins and outs of a skimmer without spending a fortune. Difficult to tune, but once tuned it operates very consistently. I would highly recommend the preskimming box to maximize efficiency. Other modifications will increase efficiency as well, but not as much as the preskimming box.
I recommend this skimmer for tanks of 55 gallons or smaller only. If you buy or upgrade to a larger tank, you'll need a bigger skimmer. But you can keep the Bak Pak as an emergency backup :)
My Other Aquarium Related Reviews:
Testing Equipment:
Salifert pH test kit
Salifert KH/Alkalinity Test Kit
Salifert Calcium Test Kit
Salifert Magnesium Test Kit
Salifert Phosphate Test Kit
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FasTesT pH Test Kit
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FasTesT Ammonia-Nitrogen Test Kit
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FasTesT Nitrite-Nitrogen Test Kit
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FasTesT Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH Test Kit also called the Multi-Master Test Kit now.
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FasTesT Nitrate-Nitrogen Test Kit
Aquarium Systems SeaTesT Hydrometer
Pumps:
Hagen AquaClear Power Head 201
MAG-DRIVE PUMPS
Rena Air Aquarium Air Pumps
Skimmers:
CPR Aquatic Cyclone Bak-Pak 2R
Aquarium Systems SeaClone Protein Skimmer SCPS-100
Aquarium Supply Stores:
Marine Depot Aquarium Supplies
Drs. Foster & Smith Online Store
Aquariums:
All-Glass Standard Size Aquariums
All-Glass Large Size Aquariums
My Aquarium Advice:
The top 10 things you NEED to start a saltwater aquarium
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
colstudent69
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Member: Brian
Location: Houston, TX
Reviews written: 127
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Instructional Technology Educator
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