I am so stoked about this skimmer I had to start a thread on it. I was looking for a lower height skimmer as I have a lower height stand and this fits the bill perfectly. Overall height is only 21", collection cup comes off easily, and I might actually have room for a Swabbie now! I really like the idea of the self-adjusting air flow regulator so I don't I have to jack with the settings. The wife found this article, which I thought was pretty cool:
http://blog.aquanerd.com/2012/10/ati-powercone-finalized-and-shipping-to-us-customers.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ati-powercone-finalized-and-shipping-to-us-customers
She didn't actually read the article so here's the wife's ad-libbed version of the article as I was reading it to her:
"After two years of waiting [(for Mike to get his upgraded tank)], the ATI PowerCone has finally arrived [(at Mike's house)]. We caught up with a rep from Clear Choice Distributors, the North American distributor of ATI Aquaristik products, who told us that the long awaited protein skimmer is currently shipping to retailers nationwide [(after one was delivered to Mike at MACNA)]. This claim is also demonstrated by the fact that ATI was giving away a PowerCone 200iS as a raffle prize [(after much pleading by the DFW MACNA Crew)]. The rep walked us through the new changes that have been made to the skimmer [(as requested by Mike)] just prior to unleashing onto the American marine aquarium scene [(and, more importantly, a local DFWMAS member)], and he gave us a quick rundown on all of the reasons why the skimmer was delayed for so long [(mainly due to Mike not knowing his plumbing setup and stand height)]. Thankfully, those delays are behind us and the PowerCone has gained a ton of features that will make it a very strong competitor in the protein skimmer market [(and Mike's budget as he considers getting another one)].
ATI PowerCone 200i Pump
In terms of changes made to the PowerCone, the most recent are centered around the heart and soul of the skimmer [(and Mike's tank)], the gridwheel pump. The big update coming to the pump is in the venturi apparatus. While the venturi still draws in air through its center and water from the exterior like its predecessor, ATI has opened up the intake a little bit so that it can draw more of the two into the pump [(so that Mike can try to flood the house even faster for the 10th time)]. From what we hear, one of the biggest complaints overseas was that the pump wasn’t drawing in the amount of air that was promised, so ATI went back to the drawing board to make it happen. Other updates to the PowerCone include a digital air flow meter and a controllable DC pump that has a soft start feature and several others that protect the pump from running while clogged or damaged [(as we all know Mike has a tendency to mess things up)]. Since the PowerCone’s inception, the skimmer body has seen very little change, if any.
ATI PowerCone Gridwheel Impeller
While we were chatting with the Clear Choice rep, we found out that the controllable pump was a bit of an afterthought [(but insisted upon due to cool gizwidget factor)]. ATI didn’t anticipate users would turn the skimmer off and on as frequently a they were [(because folks like Mike need to clean floods by power cords)], so the original PowerCone pump didn’t have anything fancy other than the gridwheel impeller and unique venturi. But after tons of feedback from European hobbyists, ATI decided to go with the controllable DC pump because it has a soft start feature, among many others of course. This feature prevents the gridwheel impeller and the pump from getting damaged during startup, so it was obviously an important update for ATI to implement. Unfortunately, it also pushed back production [(as they had to make sure Mike would get one at MACNA)] as ATI had to retool the skimmer to accommodate this new pump, and they made sure hobbyists would get the most out its controllability.
But now all of those delays are behind us, and ATI has a finished product that is far better than the original."
http://blog.aquanerd.com/2012/10/ati-powercone-finalized-and-shipping-to-us-customers.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ati-powercone-finalized-and-shipping-to-us-customers
She didn't actually read the article so here's the wife's ad-libbed version of the article as I was reading it to her:
"After two years of waiting [(for Mike to get his upgraded tank)], the ATI PowerCone has finally arrived [(at Mike's house)]. We caught up with a rep from Clear Choice Distributors, the North American distributor of ATI Aquaristik products, who told us that the long awaited protein skimmer is currently shipping to retailers nationwide [(after one was delivered to Mike at MACNA)]. This claim is also demonstrated by the fact that ATI was giving away a PowerCone 200iS as a raffle prize [(after much pleading by the DFW MACNA Crew)]. The rep walked us through the new changes that have been made to the skimmer [(as requested by Mike)] just prior to unleashing onto the American marine aquarium scene [(and, more importantly, a local DFWMAS member)], and he gave us a quick rundown on all of the reasons why the skimmer was delayed for so long [(mainly due to Mike not knowing his plumbing setup and stand height)]. Thankfully, those delays are behind us and the PowerCone has gained a ton of features that will make it a very strong competitor in the protein skimmer market [(and Mike's budget as he considers getting another one)].
ATI PowerCone 200i Pump
In terms of changes made to the PowerCone, the most recent are centered around the heart and soul of the skimmer [(and Mike's tank)], the gridwheel pump. The big update coming to the pump is in the venturi apparatus. While the venturi still draws in air through its center and water from the exterior like its predecessor, ATI has opened up the intake a little bit so that it can draw more of the two into the pump [(so that Mike can try to flood the house even faster for the 10th time)]. From what we hear, one of the biggest complaints overseas was that the pump wasn’t drawing in the amount of air that was promised, so ATI went back to the drawing board to make it happen. Other updates to the PowerCone include a digital air flow meter and a controllable DC pump that has a soft start feature and several others that protect the pump from running while clogged or damaged [(as we all know Mike has a tendency to mess things up)]. Since the PowerCone’s inception, the skimmer body has seen very little change, if any.
ATI PowerCone Gridwheel Impeller
While we were chatting with the Clear Choice rep, we found out that the controllable pump was a bit of an afterthought [(but insisted upon due to cool gizwidget factor)]. ATI didn’t anticipate users would turn the skimmer off and on as frequently a they were [(because folks like Mike need to clean floods by power cords)], so the original PowerCone pump didn’t have anything fancy other than the gridwheel impeller and unique venturi. But after tons of feedback from European hobbyists, ATI decided to go with the controllable DC pump because it has a soft start feature, among many others of course. This feature prevents the gridwheel impeller and the pump from getting damaged during startup, so it was obviously an important update for ATI to implement. Unfortunately, it also pushed back production [(as they had to make sure Mike would get one at MACNA)] as ATI had to retool the skimmer to accommodate this new pump, and they made sure hobbyists would get the most out its controllability.
But now all of those delays are behind us, and ATI has a finished product that is far better than the original."
