While DT’s Plankton seems to be back from being out of commission, it is with regret that we report that another pioneer of the reefing hobby seems to have succumbed to the times. AE Tech makers of the original downdraft skimmer, the Environmental Tower Super Scrubber (ETSS), usually abbreviated to ETS skimmer, has been incommunicado for a few weeks now.
We began receiving tips that AE Tech was not answering calls or emails, and then a couple of weeks ago the Super Skimmer website fell into 404 limbo. Email and voice messages we’ve sent to their service lines have gone unanswered and unfortunately, it seems like this iconic brand of high performance protein skimmer might have gone the way of the Dodo.
With needle wheel pumps, diffuser plates and conical bodies, the ETS has had a major assault on its protein skimming dominance. The Reef Devils and ETS skimmers work really well, but they are best suited to large tanks and require high power pumps to truly excel. There’s so much choice in consumer-grade and sized protein skimmers, the only place we still see ETS skimmers in operation is on large exhibits, usually at public aquariums.
The ETS skimmer definitely had a heyday and although AE Tech seems to have hung up its hat, the legacy of large downdraft skimmers still lives on in an assortment of downdraft and Beckett-equipped protein skimmers all over the world.
