Bak Pak 2R+ noise

Crush Coral · 01/09/2008, 03:31 PM

Anyone figure out a way to cut the noise on this HOB skimmer? Mine is in my living room and if I can't quite it down I will have to remove it and go with a HOB refugium instead. As soon as I allow air into the pump it gets quite loud. I was wondering if a different pump would help, or maybe building a shroud. I am breaking the cardinal rule that if it works don't fix it-my tank has been runing great w/o a skimmer but since I wish to increase my bioload I thought I would be proactive and add more filtration. Any thoughts?

vanillagorila · 01/09/2008, 03:36 PM

did yours come with the rio pump or the Maxi-jet?

DanInSD · 01/09/2008, 03:49 PM

I had this issue as well and never resolved it. The way the venturi works on this causes the pump to cavitate (well, not really, but it's a similar phenomenon) and you get lots of vibration. I ended up punting and getting a "better" skimmer (Remora). This was a few years ago. Now there are vastly better HOB skimmers available, e.g. from Octopus, as well as the Rogue (I forget who makes it). I would look into saving my pennies for an upgrade.

Dan

Crush Coral · 01/09/2008, 04:04 PM

I think it must be a Rio, did not look close when I through it together last night. I can return it to Petsolutions so where would I find one of these other skimmers and are they produce less noise?

glassbox-design · 01/09/2008, 04:17 PM

for a 75g tank deltec mce600 and bermuda rogue are really your only choices. our mce600 is very quiet. cant comment on the rogue.

ganjero · 01/09/2008, 04:17 PM

Try this silencer, get a small pill container drill a hole on the bottom and another one on the cap, fill the container with a paper towel or toilet paper. Put the hose going to the pump through the hole in the bottom and also put a smaller hose piece on the cap and close the container.

Crush Coral · 01/09/2008, 04:39 PM

Where would you suggest getting a Deltec skimmer? If yours was in your living room could you here it across the room?

I will try the muffler too.

Thanks

glassbox-design · 01/09/2008, 05:55 PM

once set up properly and broken in, it should be barely audible. you can get them from deltecusa.us

s3aL · 01/09/2008, 06:23 PM

My MCE600 is about 5 feet from the head of my bed. The noise does not bug or keep me from sleeping at all. It makes a very quiet hum, thats about it.

ccoral · 01/10/2008, 12:04 PM

why not contact cprusa.com 707.826.9697 as I used there skimmers for some time and it is not noisy. There must be something wrong.

lark · 01/10/2008, 12:27 PM

That's a pretty small skimmer for a 75.

But, in any event, you can modify the skimmer to make it silent and more productive at the same time. It's a bit complicated, but one you understand the principle, it's not that bad. Essentially what you want to do is use airstones to create the bubbles, not the venturi valve on the pump.

Take two semi-rigid airlines and push them through the return side of the skimmer and work them through to the chamber below the collection cup. Connect air stones and push back down into that chamber. Run the lines to an air pump with two outlets and a rheostat.

Now yank off that airline to the powerhead. Your airstones now will create your minibubbles. You can control the airflow to tweak it just right. You'll find that if you have a good air pump, you can set your collection cup very high and pull out much more dry foam and junk than you were pulling before. It also is very quiet. You'll need to get used to emptying your collection cup more frequently, though. I'm pretty sure the collection cups on the the cprs are not overflow proof.

Crush Coral · 01/10/2008, 04:35 PM

lark, thanks for that idea. I just so happen to have just shut off my Rena air pump (their largest one) and will give this a try. I bet Rena's micro bubble air stones will work great too.

ganjero · 01/10/2008, 04:38 PM

try the silencer, you wont hear anything again.

Crush Coral · 01/10/2008, 09:20 PM

I built a silencer out of an old Chemi-pure container, some filter floss and carbon (for when the wife frebreezes the house) and it eliminated the noise from the intake. Good sugestion, thanks.

ccoral · 01/11/2008, 11:21 AM

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...s~vendor~.html

Check out this I use it on my large skimmer(euro reef) makes it silent

Crush Coral · 01/12/2008, 12:53 PM

I tried the bak pak for 5 days, can not make the noise tollerable and in 5 days it skimmer about 3 tbs of skimmate. It is now packed up and going back to the supplier. I will consider the Coralife super skimmmer and the turbo floater.

01/09/2008, 03:31 PM	#1
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	Bak Pak 2R+ noise Anyone figure out a way to cut the noise on this HOB skimmer? Mine is in my living room and if I can't quite it down I will have to remove it and go with a HOB refugium instead. As soon as I allow air into the pump it gets quite loud. I was wondering if a different pump would help, or maybe building a shroud. I am breaking the cardinal rule that if it works don't fix it-my tank has been runing great w/o a skimmer but since I wish to increase my bioload I thought I would be proactive and add more filtration. Any thoughts?

01/09/2008, 03:36 PM	#2
vanillagorila It stings the nostrils Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Surprise, Az Posts: 1,862	did yours come with the rio pump or the Maxi-jet? __________________ "Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten" Current Tank Info: 60g cube, Elite Aquatics cube sump, ATB 840, AI Hydra 26 x2

01/09/2008, 04:17 PM	#5
glassbox-design Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: SF Posts: 3,041	for a 75g tank deltec mce600 and bermuda rogue are really your only choices. our mce600 is very quiet. cant comment on the rogue. __________________ GLASSBOXDESIGN the modern reef blog LEDs are a 50,000 hr investment. Choose wisely. Current Tank Info: ...a new glassbox is coming

01/09/2008, 05:55 PM	#8
glassbox-design Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: SF Posts: 3,041	once set up properly and broken in, it should be barely audible. you can get them from deltecusa.us __________________ GLASSBOXDESIGN the modern reef blog LEDs are a 50,000 hr investment. Choose wisely. Current Tank Info: ...a new glassbox is coming

01/09/2008, 06:23 PM	#9
s3aL Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Fairfield, California Posts: 847	My MCE600 is about 5 feet from the head of my bed. The noise does not bug or keep me from sleeping at all. It makes a very quiet hum, thats about it. __________________ 58g oceanic (36x18x21) 36" Aquatinics 2x175w MH 2x39w T5 Deltec MCE600 3x Koralia 3's Litermeter3 Dual stage Ranco controller Matt

01/09/2008, 03:49 PM	#3
DanInSD Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,255	I had this issue as well and never resolved it. The way the venturi works on this causes the pump to cavitate (well, not really, but it's a similar phenomenon) and you get lots of vibration. I ended up punting and getting a "better" skimmer (Remora). This was a few years ago. Now there are vastly better HOB skimmers available, e.g. from Octopus, as well as the Rogue (I forget who makes it). I would look into saving my pennies for an upgrade. Dan

01/09/2008, 04:04 PM	#4
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	I think it must be a Rio, did not look close when I through it together last night. I can return it to Petsolutions so where would I find one of these other skimmers and are they produce less noise?

01/09/2008, 04:17 PM	#6
ganjero saiperchémibatteilcorazon Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 4,027	Try this silencer, get a small pill container drill a hole on the bottom and another one on the cap, fill the container with a paper towel or toilet paper. Put the hose going to the pump through the hole in the bottom and also put a smaller hose piece on the cap and close the container.

01/09/2008, 04:39 PM	#7
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	Where would you suggest getting a Deltec skimmer? If yours was in your living room could you here it across the room? I will try the muffler too. Thanks

01/10/2008, 12:04 PM	#10
ccoral Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 468	why not contact cprusa.com 707.826.9697 as I used there skimmers for some time and it is not noisy. There must be something wrong.

01/10/2008, 12:27 PM	#11
lark Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 535	That's a pretty small skimmer for a 75. But, in any event, you can modify the skimmer to make it silent and more productive at the same time. It's a bit complicated, but one you understand the principle, it's not that bad. Essentially what you want to do is use airstones to create the bubbles, not the venturi valve on the pump. Take two semi-rigid airlines and push them through the return side of the skimmer and work them through to the chamber below the collection cup. Connect air stones and push back down into that chamber. Run the lines to an air pump with two outlets and a rheostat. Now yank off that airline to the powerhead. Your airstones now will create your minibubbles. You can control the airflow to tweak it just right. You'll find that if you have a good air pump, you can set your collection cup very high and pull out much more dry foam and junk than you were pulling before. It also is very quiet. You'll need to get used to emptying your collection cup more frequently, though. I'm pretty sure the collection cups on the the cprs are not overflow proof.

01/10/2008, 04:35 PM	#12
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	lark, thanks for that idea. I just so happen to have just shut off my Rena air pump (their largest one) and will give this a try. I bet Rena's micro bubble air stones will work great too.

01/10/2008, 04:38 PM	#13
ganjero saiperchémibatteilcorazon Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 4,027	try the silencer, you wont hear anything again.

01/10/2008, 09:20 PM	#14
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	I built a silencer out of an old Chemi-pure container, some filter floss and carbon (for when the wife frebreezes the house) and it eliminated the noise from the intake. Good sugestion, thanks.

01/11/2008, 11:21 AM	#15
ccoral Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 468	http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...s~vendor~.html Check out this I use it on my large skimmer(euro reef) makes it silent

01/12/2008, 12:53 PM	#16
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	I tried the bak pak for 5 days, can not make the noise tollerable and in 5 days it skimmer about 3 tbs of skimmate. It is now packed up and going back to the supplier. I will consider the Coralife super skimmmer and the turbo floater.