• I made my first protein skimmer in '91. I've built numerous kinds of skimmers, and I like the Beckett the best. Although it requires a strong pump to run, it offers the best features for the price and complexity.
• The larger skimmers use a unique co-axial flow injection which gives a far longer contact time than any other Beckett, down-draft or spray-induction skimmer available. It is most closely compared to the original air-driven "counter-current" skimmer designs, but super-powered.
• I've done analysis with "swirl" designs that other sites tout. My analysis shows that swirling does not add any benefit and is purely a marketing claim. For that reason, I don't use swirl-injection in my designs. An understanding of basic physics is important to make good designs.
• I use 6" or 8" tube for the entire skimmer body. I don't reduce down to a smaller size until the neck, and I don't make "necks" that are multi-feet long in a cheap attempt to make the skimmer taller. The main tube is where all the action happens, it needs to be as large as possible. The neck only exists to help the foam move up in to the cup.
• Injection towers: I use 2.5" or 3" injection towers on every design. This gives anywhere from 8 to 13 times the mixing volume for the same height when compared to the 3/4" PVC that many others use.
• Beckett Silencers: A well designed Beckett chamber does not need a special silencer. A simple piece of hose on the input valve removes the sucking noise from my designs. A floss or carbon filter can be added to the intake if the skimmer is near a kitchen, so it will not pick up cooking oil from the air.
• Height: I've seen skimmers that have 6" dia. reaction chambers up to 96" tall. Impressive, but a waste of space and materials. Making a skimmer taller than 4-5' by simply extending the main tube (or the smaller neck!) adds nothing to the skimmer except cost. Once the foam is separated from the water, the skimmer's job is to remove the foam. Forcing the foam to fight gravity and crawl up a 3' column is a waste, and simply provides more surface area to clean. If you want a tall skimmer, you have to make it wider and run the water level higher to have any benefit. See the KR2 professional skimmers for ideas, they have been making humongous skimmers for systems from 10,000-100,000+ gallons for decades.

• The Calcium reactor is an all new design, but it is a product that I worked on for over a year. I waited to release it until I had the best mix of features, performance and price. I think it is the best reactor available on the market today, at a price that is far less than other units in its category. Don't compare it to a tube glued to a sheet with a pump slapped next to it. It's in a class far above that and compares favorably to units that are more expensive.
• No tube penetrations. This is the feature that took the longest to design. I don't like to have plumbing pass though the wall of a tube, as it is weak point, prone to leaking and failure. All plumbing penetrations are properly threaded and sealed. All user connections are with 1/4" speed-fit fittings, and use the supplied tubing.
• "Motor-Under" design. Most designs have the pump next to the reactor, on a sheet of plastic. Some have the pumps mounted on the lid, which puts them in the way and makes the unit top-heavy. My design puts the pump out of sight, under the columns with the majority of the plumbing. Besides looking better, it saves space and makes it easier to work around and on.
• Easy-access tops. With no unions, pumps or plumbing though the lids, this is the simplest unit available in the world to fill and maintain. Sure you don't need to do it very often, but when you do, you'll appreciate the ease.

• The Kalk reactor is based on a classic design that uses a commercially available magnetic stirrer unit from Hanna. This is a time-tested design that is very robust. There is no impellor to wear out, or pump to jam and fail.
• Spin-off lid: For the Kalk reactor, you will need to add kalk power every few weeks, so it needs to be easy to do. Having a 2" lid makes it easy to spin off. And with the built in O-ring, just barely tightening it will seal it up again. This is much easier than dealing with a dozen thumb-screws.
• Extra large model: The Kalk 3 quite possibly is the largest capacity Kalk reactor available, outside of commercial units more than twice its price.

• All of my products have flush-trimmed, rounded and polished corners. Glue joints are clean, and strong. They have been referred to as "works of art" by my customers.
• All tube joints are counter-sunk in to the sheets for stronger joints.
• There are NO tapped threads in the acrylic tube. Tapping of even 1/4" wall tube is a great way to create a stress point which will fail in the future. Each cut thread creates a stress-riser that is just waiting to be bumped before it propagates though the tube, causing a leak. Any penetration of acrylic tube needs to be strain-relieved with a bulkhead at least, and should be avoided if possible.
• I release all new designs to Beta customers first and listen to their feed back. Only after numerous design cycles, do I release a product to the public.