Via Aqua Skimmer Club - Page 19

luke33 · 12/28/2007, 09:49 PM

Lol, that looks like a old school afropuff!

OnlyCrimson · 12/31/2007, 12:55 AM

Man i just wrote up a big thing and it got deleted. Anyways here is a i dollar way to make a stock SK pull more air.

danorth · 01/24/2008, 09:42 PM

How were you able to pull this much crud out of water that basically was just filled with rock? Were you curing it or scrubing it?

Quote:

Originally posted by luke33
Ok guys, here's the nastiest skimmate i've ever pulled. 20hrs with no bioload, just some live rock.

And next the closeup!

In a glass

And now on my hand......this ain't what it looks like...not real sure what it is, but it stunk bad.

There was lots of thick nasty stuff in there that didn't make it to the glass.

luke33 · 01/24/2008, 09:53 PM

Thats nothin man, i was pulling 3 cups a day of black sewage with only LR. I've always pulled out a ton for some strange reason. I have a medium bioload and pulled out this in the last three days.

5 cups. Ofcourse now i have two skimmers and i'm having a skimmoff between them. The via aqua was passed on to a newbie i'm helping out. My va was pulling 35-40scfh on a mature tank. My trates are at zero. It just pulled that much skimmate, idono.

danorth · 01/24/2008, 10:10 PM

What instrument do you use to measure airflow? Are they expensive or something one can rent?

danorth · 01/24/2008, 10:11 PM

Also, got a thread going about the skimoff? sounds like a good read if there were.

luke33 · 01/24/2008, 10:15 PM

Here's the skimmoff thread with my octo 200 (179bux) with a recirc mod and i used the pump from my VA on it. pulling 32scfh going against a msx200 pulling 40scfh.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1296148

danorth · 02/01/2008, 02:38 PM

Luke, I have a 1300 gph pump going to it. I thought it was a 1000, but it is 1300. It is using the stock inlet as shown in the pictures in the previous page. I also put an airstone infront of the inlet to the pump (the pvc piece with the air inlet)so I am getting air from the tube and the airstone, but am not convinced this is the best way. The prop is a standard prop and there isn't room for mesh but the company makes needle wheels and that is what I will be adding to the equation once it comes in. I am curious to see how I could recirc the thing with the room constraints I have. It is in a 10 gallon tank currently and that is the largest width tank I can fit under there due to the braces.

So, should I add more air to it through an airpump, or is there a way to recirc it with a small pump like a rio 800?

Or should I replace the stock inlet and bore out the hole and replace it with 3/4" pvc with a uniseal and replace the inside half with 3/4" for the (name unknown-the piece that shoots the water down into the body)?

luke33 · 02/01/2008, 03:09 PM

SOunds like you are using a wp1000 odyssea pump at 130w at 1300gph but they say they are 1000gph. Anyhow, you should never need a air pump with such a large pump. LMK what pump it is and i can tell you how to mod it. If you look at the first few pages of this thread i have a wp1000 i grind down the impellers and add 4 layers of mesh. I then make a venturi out of a 1/4" hose barb adapter and cut a slit in the end of it. Then i put it in the 3/4" pvc male fitting right where the threads hit the pvc adapter side.It'll do over 55scfh if you really mess with it. Now the way your skimmer is set up now it won't do over 10scfh no matter what because of the small 1/2" pipe that restricts it. If you do recirc it then use the larger pump to recirc and a small pump less than 350gph to feed it. You want more dwell time and less flow through.

danorth · 02/01/2008, 03:33 PM

This pump: still reading the rest of your post......

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/prod...oducts_id=1584

luke33 · 02/01/2008, 03:35 PM

That pump is most likely the same as the wp pump. If you follow the same method of what i did to the wp pump it will perform the same way. I know it s in the first half of this thread : )

danorth · 02/01/2008, 06:08 PM

Trust me, I've been over this thread several times. I have a needle wheel coming for this pump. I followed with the air intake pvc piece that you did. The side of the inlet facing the pump is cut away. Once I pull it back out, I'll take a pic of it. So I think I followed what you have done for the first part prior to the recirc.

The mesh wheel will be like the needle wheel I hope. I saw foshizzle change up the input tube to 3/4", and you didn't do that, you went to the recirc. I am curious if the 3/4" input from the 1/2" will make the difference. I also read that it was too much flow for foshizzle but I know that a needle wheel doesn't push as much water so it may be a wash and become containable. I want to do the recirc but don't think I have the room.......until I take it back out and try it again where I can work on it.

For now my plan is to do the needle wheel, then replace the intake tube and feed to 3/4" if it isn't making enough scum. I am on day 12 on the break in. I'll keep the thread posted as I go.....thanks for still being willing to help out.

luke33 · 02/01/2008, 07:06 PM

No prob. I think if your running the sk200 if you switch it up to 3/4" its going to be waaay to much flow. It could barely take a genx2400.

danorth · 02/02/2008, 09:37 PM

Okay, so far I've switched the props and added an insert of 3/4" pipe, like a ring for a finger in size, to create the vac area by the airline insert to draw more air. Have not switched to 3/4" pipe all the way for the inlet into the skimmer body. Here are the pics of the before/after of the prop, and the before/after of the insert. Also Luke, is this how the airline tube is supposed to be slit?

luke33 · 02/02/2008, 09:49 PM

That slit should work just fine. Now looking at the impeller's. I'd take the normal paddlewheel and dremel all teh paddlewheel off and just ahve that nice disk. I'd then take about 4 layers of enkamat and attach it to it. It will work much better than that NW. You'll have to drill 6-8 small holes for 3-4 small zipties. HTH So how's it working now?

danorth · 02/02/2008, 10:56 PM

I know what you're talking about with the disk. I can work on that next. I will give this new setup 48 hours to produce as a comparison. I didn't clean it yet, but will do so tomorrow and then start the 48.

I was looking at euroreefs in use at a huge lfs today and they all produce rootbeer colored liquid. The bottom of the chamber can be clear, but the rest of the skimmer and tube is bubbles. I can't really tell where the bubbles stop and the water begins until the water is clear and that is way towards the middle of the unit. On my skimmer I can see the water swirling around the 4" neck opening and the bubbles have to rise from there. The skimmer has a bunch of bubbles in it, but a lot of water too, not like the euros I saw today that had what looked like stationary bubbles all the way up. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

danorth · 02/04/2008, 02:03 PM

So Luke, when I get home, it will be 24 hours on a fresh clean of the cup and will show what the latest addition of the NW and the funny ring to create a low pressure has produced. I still see water swirling around in the chamber a lot and it isn't full of bubbles like it should. There are a few pictures I want to bring up:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...ler5-15-07.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rth/U-turn.jpg

In yours the water blows down, in mine I set the ends sideways to make a swirling action. I don't think that was the right thing to do. Also in the picture here:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...th/popcorn.jpg

It shows a more 'milked' look to the body, but that is because the water coming out was being pulled right back in with the bubbles making a somewhat recirc effect. I don't have that density of bubbles now in the body because the water is going back out and to the return. So my next question:

Could/should I direct the skimmers output water with a 90* and some pipe back to the inlet with a T to allow new water in as well? That way the micro bubbles would be used again? Just an idea. I want it to look like this pic of your's:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...out5-15-07.jpg

luke33 · 02/04/2008, 03:05 PM

I wouldn't use 90's as they restrict the air to much. 45's will work if you want to aim them a bit down and get the water circulating. With that large of a pump you should be pulling a ton of air, unless the catalina pump's have very small volute's on them. But they look like the odyssea's so that shouldn't be true. The stock plumbing is not good like i mentioned as no matter what you push through it you can't get more than 10scfh down there. The 1/2" really keeps it down.

danorth · 02/04/2008, 05:05 PM

I will take a picture of the inside of 3 pumps, a CA 4000 which I'm using and now think is the problem, the stock pump that came with the SK388 and a Mag 9.5 which I have not in use. The inside where the prop is with a CA pump is small hence why I couldn't add any mesh. If that is what a volute is than that could be the issue.

luke33 · 02/04/2008, 06:47 PM

Yep the volute is where the fitting goes on and inside where the impeller sits. For air, the larger the volute generally means the better the air pull. Mag's are not good at air pull either. If you can take a sideways pic of the volutes so i can see height that would help.

danorth · 02/04/2008, 11:53 PM

How is this? CA vs. Via Aqua stocker. The outlet is much smaller on the CA than the VA. The inlet as well. Also the prop sits lower in the VA than the CA and the blades are thinner giving much more room in the chamber. I think I should order one of those pumps you were using. That or try the VA with the mesh. But since I cut out the turbulence tube it was suggested that you need a higher gph pump.

luke33 · 02/05/2008, 07:23 AM

The Va's are not good pump's for air. The catalina looks better but still doesn't look great. You could dremel down the impeller to small sticks and apply 3 layers of mesh and make a venturi. If that doesnt' produce any decent air #'s then its pry not going to be a good pump to use.

danorth · 02/05/2008, 10:12 AM

Who does make a good pump for air? You liked that Odyssea WP-1000 right? Perhaps after I try out the mesh trick I will order one of these.

luke33 · 02/05/2008, 10:28 AM

They are very good cheap pump's for air. The genx 4100 works well to if you get one that doesn't have exposed metal on it. The sicce 2500's are excellent but pricey and to much air for this skimmer.

danorth · 02/05/2008, 02:21 PM

Okay, my next idea is to just go and do the recirc and keep the pump close to the body like the octo 200 setup. The feeder pump would be roughly a 250 gph since my tank is a 135. What about the size for the recirc pump with the venturi? Could I venturi the feeder also? Is that 1000 pump in your pic Luke the recirc pump?

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...m111-11-07.jpg

Here is a pic of what I am trying to copy:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...43DSC00069.JPG

taken from this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=966407

12/28/2007, 09:49 PM	#451
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Lol, that looks like a old school afropuff!

12/31/2007, 12:55 AM	#452
OnlyCrimson Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Royal Oak,Michigan Posts: 863	Man i just wrote up a big thing and it got deleted. Anyways here is a i dollar way to make a stock SK pull more air.

01/24/2008, 09:53 PM	#454
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Thats nothin man, i was pulling 3 cups a day of black sewage with only LR. I've always pulled out a ton for some strange reason. I have a medium bioload and pulled out this in the last three days. 5 cups. Ofcourse now i have two skimmers and i'm having a skimmoff between them. The via aqua was passed on to a newbie i'm helping out. My va was pulling 35-40scfh on a mature tank. My trates are at zero. It just pulled that much skimmate, idono.

01/24/2008, 10:10 PM	#455
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	What instrument do you use to measure airflow? Are they expensive or something one can rent?

01/24/2008, 10:11 PM	#456
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Also, got a thread going about the skimoff? sounds like a good read if there were.

01/24/2008, 10:15 PM	#457
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Here's the skimmoff thread with my octo 200 (179bux) with a recirc mod and i used the pump from my VA on it. pulling 32scfh going against a msx200 pulling 40scfh. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1296148

02/01/2008, 02:38 PM	#458
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Luke, I have a 1300 gph pump going to it. I thought it was a 1000, but it is 1300. It is using the stock inlet as shown in the pictures in the previous page. I also put an airstone infront of the inlet to the pump (the pvc piece with the air inlet)so I am getting air from the tube and the airstone, but am not convinced this is the best way. The prop is a standard prop and there isn't room for mesh but the company makes needle wheels and that is what I will be adding to the equation once it comes in. I am curious to see how I could recirc the thing with the room constraints I have. It is in a 10 gallon tank currently and that is the largest width tank I can fit under there due to the braces. So, should I add more air to it through an airpump, or is there a way to recirc it with a small pump like a rio 800? Or should I replace the stock inlet and bore out the hole and replace it with 3/4" pvc with a uniseal and replace the inside half with 3/4" for the (name unknown-the piece that shoots the water down into the body)?

02/01/2008, 03:09 PM	#459
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	SOunds like you are using a wp1000 odyssea pump at 130w at 1300gph but they say they are 1000gph. Anyhow, you should never need a air pump with such a large pump. LMK what pump it is and i can tell you how to mod it. If you look at the first few pages of this thread i have a wp1000 i grind down the impellers and add 4 layers of mesh. I then make a venturi out of a 1/4" hose barb adapter and cut a slit in the end of it. Then i put it in the 3/4" pvc male fitting right where the threads hit the pvc adapter side.It'll do over 55scfh if you really mess with it. Now the way your skimmer is set up now it won't do over 10scfh no matter what because of the small 1/2" pipe that restricts it. If you do recirc it then use the larger pump to recirc and a small pump less than 350gph to feed it. You want more dwell time and less flow through.

02/01/2008, 03:33 PM	#460
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	This pump: still reading the rest of your post...... http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/prod...oducts_id=1584

02/01/2008, 03:35 PM	#461
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	That pump is most likely the same as the wp pump. If you follow the same method of what i did to the wp pump it will perform the same way. I know it s in the first half of this thread : )

02/01/2008, 06:08 PM	#462
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Trust me, I've been over this thread several times. I have a needle wheel coming for this pump. I followed with the air intake pvc piece that you did. The side of the inlet facing the pump is cut away. Once I pull it back out, I'll take a pic of it. So I think I followed what you have done for the first part prior to the recirc. The mesh wheel will be like the needle wheel I hope. I saw foshizzle change up the input tube to 3/4", and you didn't do that, you went to the recirc. I am curious if the 3/4" input from the 1/2" will make the difference. I also read that it was too much flow for foshizzle but I know that a needle wheel doesn't push as much water so it may be a wash and become containable. I want to do the recirc but don't think I have the room.......until I take it back out and try it again where I can work on it. For now my plan is to do the needle wheel, then replace the intake tube and feed to 3/4" if it isn't making enough scum. I am on day 12 on the break in. I'll keep the thread posted as I go.....thanks for still being willing to help out.

02/01/2008, 07:06 PM	#463
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	No prob. I think if your running the sk200 if you switch it up to 3/4" its going to be waaay to much flow. It could barely take a genx2400.

02/02/2008, 09:37 PM	#464
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Okay, so far I've switched the props and added an insert of 3/4" pipe, like a ring for a finger in size, to create the vac area by the airline insert to draw more air. Have not switched to 3/4" pipe all the way for the inlet into the skimmer body. Here are the pics of the before/after of the prop, and the before/after of the insert. Also Luke, is this how the airline tube is supposed to be slit?

02/02/2008, 09:49 PM	#465
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	That slit should work just fine. Now looking at the impeller's. I'd take the normal paddlewheel and dremel all teh paddlewheel off and just ahve that nice disk. I'd then take about 4 layers of enkamat and attach it to it. It will work much better than that NW. You'll have to drill 6-8 small holes for 3-4 small zipties. HTH So how's it working now?

02/02/2008, 10:56 PM	#466
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	I know what you're talking about with the disk. I can work on that next. I will give this new setup 48 hours to produce as a comparison. I didn't clean it yet, but will do so tomorrow and then start the 48. I was looking at euroreefs in use at a huge lfs today and they all produce rootbeer colored liquid. The bottom of the chamber can be clear, but the rest of the skimmer and tube is bubbles. I can't really tell where the bubbles stop and the water begins until the water is clear and that is way towards the middle of the unit. On my skimmer I can see the water swirling around the 4" neck opening and the bubbles have to rise from there. The skimmer has a bunch of bubbles in it, but a lot of water too, not like the euros I saw today that had what looked like stationary bubbles all the way up. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

02/04/2008, 02:03 PM	#467
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	So Luke, when I get home, it will be 24 hours on a fresh clean of the cup and will show what the latest addition of the NW and the funny ring to create a low pressure has produced. I still see water swirling around in the chamber a lot and it isn't full of bubbles like it should. There are a few pictures I want to bring up: http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...ler5-15-07.jpg http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rth/U-turn.jpg In yours the water blows down, in mine I set the ends sideways to make a swirling action. I don't think that was the right thing to do. Also in the picture here: http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...th/popcorn.jpg It shows a more 'milked' look to the body, but that is because the water coming out was being pulled right back in with the bubbles making a somewhat recirc effect. I don't have that density of bubbles now in the body because the water is going back out and to the return. So my next question: Could/should I direct the skimmers output water with a 90* and some pipe back to the inlet with a T to allow new water in as well? That way the micro bubbles would be used again? Just an idea. I want it to look like this pic of your's: http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...out5-15-07.jpg

02/04/2008, 03:05 PM	#468
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	I wouldn't use 90's as they restrict the air to much. 45's will work if you want to aim them a bit down and get the water circulating. With that large of a pump you should be pulling a ton of air, unless the catalina pump's have very small volute's on them. But they look like the odyssea's so that shouldn't be true. The stock plumbing is not good like i mentioned as no matter what you push through it you can't get more than 10scfh down there. The 1/2" really keeps it down.

02/04/2008, 05:05 PM	#469
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	I will take a picture of the inside of 3 pumps, a CA 4000 which I'm using and now think is the problem, the stock pump that came with the SK388 and a Mag 9.5 which I have not in use. The inside where the prop is with a CA pump is small hence why I couldn't add any mesh. If that is what a volute is than that could be the issue.

02/04/2008, 06:47 PM	#470
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Yep the volute is where the fitting goes on and inside where the impeller sits. For air, the larger the volute generally means the better the air pull. Mag's are not good at air pull either. If you can take a sideways pic of the volutes so i can see height that would help.

02/04/2008, 11:53 PM	#471
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	How is this? CA vs. Via Aqua stocker. The outlet is much smaller on the CA than the VA. The inlet as well. Also the prop sits lower in the VA than the CA and the blades are thinner giving much more room in the chamber. I think I should order one of those pumps you were using. That or try the VA with the mesh. But since I cut out the turbulence tube it was suggested that you need a higher gph pump.

02/05/2008, 07:23 AM	#472
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	The Va's are not good pump's for air. The catalina looks better but still doesn't look great. You could dremel down the impeller to small sticks and apply 3 layers of mesh and make a venturi. If that doesnt' produce any decent air #'s then its pry not going to be a good pump to use.

02/05/2008, 10:12 AM	#473
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Who does make a good pump for air? You liked that Odyssea WP-1000 right? Perhaps after I try out the mesh trick I will order one of these.

02/05/2008, 10:28 AM	#474
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	They are very good cheap pump's for air. The genx 4100 works well to if you get one that doesn't have exposed metal on it. The sicce 2500's are excellent but pricey and to much air for this skimmer.

02/05/2008, 02:21 PM	#475
danorth Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: roseville, CA Posts: 3,701	Okay, my next idea is to just go and do the recirc and keep the pump close to the body like the octo 200 setup. The feeder pump would be roughly a 250 gph since my tank is a 135. What about the size for the recirc pump with the venturi? Could I venturi the feeder also? Is that 1000 pump in your pic Luke the recirc pump? http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...m111-11-07.jpg Here is a pic of what I am trying to copy: http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...43DSC00069.JPG taken from this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=966407