By: Brandon Klaus
ATI Aquaristik, the maker of several great aquarium products, including the very stylish and very popular ATI Powermodule T5HO light fixtures, is set to release a new protein skimmer onto the market. The ATI PowerCone protein skimmer will feature a lot of the newer technologies that all of the protein skimmers are starting to use, including a conical shape, low energy pump, a bubble diffusing plate, and silicone connections between the pump and skimmer body to reduce noise. But the thing ATI is doing much differently is the impeller and how the skimmer draws in air.
The most noticeable difference in this skimmer, when compared to every other skimmer on the market, is its extremely unique impeller. ATI has ditched the traditional needlewheel, going for a lattice structure instead. Dubbed the “Gitterrad”, this grid impeller vastly improves the surface area to achieve much greater performance. One way of looking at it is to compare it to a meshwheel. The meshwheel impeller is achieved by adding a couple of layers of hard plastic mesh to a standard needlewheel, ramping up the total surface area and overall performance. The downside to the meshwheel is the plastic breaks down very quickly and it requires regular replacement. ATI’s new impeller combines the stability of a needlewheel impeller with the performance of a meshwheel.
Continue reading below to see the new venturi adapter being used on these new ATI PowerCones.
Another interesting feature of the ATI PowerCone skimmers is the way in which they draw in air. Traditional venturi adapters draw in water from the center hole of the adapter and air from the outside. This design, according to ATI, only allows for a maximum, yet rarely achievable, 1:1 air to water ratio. The venturi adapter on the new PowerCone will do just the opposite, drawing air through the middle of the adapter instead of the sides. This design allows for an air to water ratio of 1.5:1. The Sicce pump used by the PowerCone will draw in 2700 l/h of air , while only using 35watts of energy.
To date, only the PowerCone 250 has been displayed online, but like with the older BubbleMaster, the PowerCone will come in three models: 250, 200, and 160. Prices are still unknown at this point, but I imagine they will be similar to those of the BubbleMaster as well. The details are fairly abundant at this point, and as more information on these skimmers surfaces, we’ll post them.
Distributor of ATI products for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia: Aquamarin Aquatic Pets
Information from: blog.aquanerd.com/2010/08/atis-newest-skimmers-the-powercone.html
