Bubble Master Skimmers more info wanted??? - Page 21

UCanDoIt · 11/03/2006, 06:26 PM

Here's what I see between the two BM250s. Of course, not expecting dark on day #1. But it looks to me that the bubble breaking level is about an inch or more lower between these 2 pictures. Creetin's looks like just above 1/2 way up the riser in the collection cup and Maximus looks like about 2/3 way up the riser.

Maximus · 11/03/2006, 06:28 PM

The reason my bubble breaking level is higher is because that pic was taken right after I fed. Creetin, could you feed your tank now and see what happens? Here is a pic of the skimmate as of now. I just emptied the cup this morning and already have this amount!

UCanDoIt · 11/03/2006, 06:34 PM

HOLY FISH CR@P!

Yes, I prefer very wet skimming as well as I would hate to sponge off that stuff on my weekly cleaning. The flipside is that I wouldn't want it sooooo wet that I have to replace 1-2g of water daily because of evaporation and skimming. Also, would NOT want to empty the collection cup every other day... I would be too tied to my tank and can't even take a vacation.

Quote:

Originally posted by Roland Jacques
youcandoit thats not dark. you're looking for this.

but i personaly like it a little wetter.

[/B][/QUOTE]

Creetin · 11/03/2006, 06:36 PM

Yes give me a few, Ucandoit, I posted pics out of order, I'll take a pic when the bubbles rise up. The cup off shot that didnt turn out was first. I should have waited, But i'll get another shot of the bubble level.

Creetin · 11/03/2006, 06:39 PM

These cups are HUGE they will hold alot of skimmate, and 3 litres looks about right, But i havnt measured. I'll do that tomarrow.

Maximus · 11/03/2006, 06:50 PM

Hmm, I just thought of something. If someone preferred dry skimming instead of wet skimming, I am not sure if this skimmer would work. If you were to put a gate valve on the skimmer, you could certainly increase the water level, but how could you decrease it? The only way to decrease it would be to cut the stand pipe down, imo. Is this logic flawed?

Aqua Keepers · 11/03/2006, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roland Jacques
youcandoit thats not dark. you're looking for this.

but i personaly like it a little wetter.

[/B][/QUOTE]

What skimmer is that from??

Creetin · 11/03/2006, 07:13 PM

Thats a diy with 2 dart needlewheels. (I believe)

Thats too dry IMO

Yes max thats correct, I thought of a drain, But i dont think its needed yet, Plus i like lighter skimmate.
I went to take a pic and the ato went off. It will be a few more minutes

Creetin · 11/03/2006, 07:52 PM

Well i fed the tank and acually the bubbles went down. I fed some cyclopeeze. It used to kill my beckett for a half an hr.
I'll clean the cup tomarrow and take a vid of it.

MimicTang · 11/03/2006, 07:54 PM

I'm still lost as to why BKs command such a much higher price then BMs

danskim · 11/03/2006, 07:56 PM

Where are the BMs available?
Roland, are you getting one of these?

MimicTang · 11/03/2006, 07:57 PM

reefgeek.com

Maximus · 11/03/2006, 08:06 PM

Ok, a gate valve mod is definitely needed for this skimmer. Let me explain why. When I fed the tank, the skimmer did it's job and started to fill up the cup. However, it kept going and going and filled the cup up 1/2 full. Way too fast and too much. So I tried experimenting with the stand pipe. First, I put my hand on the air outlet and tried to reduce the air. Bad move. The pump does not like its air being restricted at all. It took a few min for the pump to come back to normal. Then I simulated back pressure (I hope that's the right term) on the pipe by placing my hands in front of the water outlet. All this did was to raise the water level in the skimmer, another bad move. This leads me to believe that if the water outlet was completely submerged, the water level would be much too high and would overflow the cup immediately. Soo, I took off the entire stand pipe and watched the water level drop considerably. After I did this, I placed my hand over the water exiting the skimmer body and found out that I can regulate the water level in the skimmer to my taste, depending on how much I covered the water output. In summary, someone needs to come up with a gate valve mod and completely take off the existing stand pipe.

Maximus · 11/03/2006, 08:19 PM

Hmm, I might have jumped the gun a bit. I just placed the stand pipe back on its outlet and it seems like I didnt have it fully pressed in. I could be wrong though. I cannot remember for the life of me how deep the pipe was in.

Edit: Ok, I seem to remember that the pipe was in the same spot as before. If this is the case, then there might be a problem with the gate valve. This is my reasoning...The pipes outlet is around 1.5" from the bottom. This further sits inside the skimmers stand pipe another 1" or so, thus only increasing the height of the stand pipe another .5"-1". The gatevalve would have to be extremely short because it would only increase the length of the stand pipe, therefore raising the water level of the skimmer. Is my reasoning correct here?

LA-Lawman · 11/03/2006, 08:25 PM

anyone have a pic of a 200 yet. mine should be here tomorrow!!! so i will post pics then! but in the meantime..... keep them coming.

neotekz · 11/03/2006, 08:34 PM

u guys think with this skimmer you're going to have the clean the perforated holes for the bubbles at the base often?

Maximus · 11/03/2006, 08:39 PM

Hmm, I think I may have found a solution. I just left off the stand pipe altogether and the water level is perfect. At first it seemed like it was too low, then after a few min, the water level rose. It is now producing a much dryer and thicker foam.

sm fragman · 11/03/2006, 09:35 PM

i am still waiting to see the bm 200 ,,,i am looking at the bm and the H&Sa150-2001 ,,need to see this bad boy in operation so i can make a chioce ,,leaning tord the bm right now after see the 250 ,,i think the 200 being smaller and 1 pump might be more controlable..

tentacles · 11/04/2006, 12:06 AM

I just recieved my 250 today, but I have some bad news. One pump is not working. The ceramic ring that is suppposed to be in the magnet end of the wheel is not in it's slot, and the pump will not move any water. I don't think that the wheel will spin around the shaft without it. I hope this is not a sign of the relaibility of these pumps

The good news is that the other pump is fine and man does it produce a lot of bubbles!

MimicTang · 11/04/2006, 12:21 AM

couldve been damaged in shipping

Creetin · 11/04/2006, 12:50 AM

I thought this too, But if you put the gate valve on the output of the tee where the water comes out it wouldnt be any higher.
This does nothing for the skimmer if you are geting too wet of skimmate. It is possable to cut the stand pipe a little and cut it flush with the flange. To get the tee on you would have to notch a slit in it to recieve the flange. You could probably get an inch or so lower which may be an option.

Or you could add a JG ball valve (Or a small ball valve) somewhere so you could let water escape somewhere else. Its a safer solution than cutting the stand pipe assembly, and will achive the same thing.
I would wait, The wheel will get a little dirty and lose a little performance and will lower in time. I dunno if it will but thats what i have been seeing in models that have been in use for awhile. Their skimmate gets darker.
Sang what kind of food are you using? I have never fed and seen a skimmer get wetter, Most foods have fat/grease in it that will slow the skimmers production down a little. Like the cyclopeeze i used. I smash it up and get a oily residue on my fingers from it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Maximus
Hmm, I might have jumped the gun a bit. I just placed the stand pipe back on its outlet and it seems like I didnt have it fully pressed in. I could be wrong though. I cannot remember for the life of me how deep the pipe was in.

Edit: Ok, I seem to remember that the pipe was in the same spot as before. If this is the case, then there might be a problem with the gate valve. This is my reasoning...The pipes outlet is around 1.5" from the bottom. This further sits inside the skimmers stand pipe another 1" or so, thus only increasing the height of the stand pipe another .5"-1". The gatevalve would have to be extremely short because it would only increase the length of the stand pipe, therefore raising the water level of the skimmer. Is my reasoning correct here?

Creetin · 11/04/2006, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tentacles
I hope this is not a sign of the relaibility of these pumps The good news is that the other pump is fine and man does it produce a lot of bubbles!

I wouldnt say that just yet, These pumps are as fine a pump that i have seen. They have nice fitting and strong plastic pieces that fit very well. I would rate these with ehiems or better in build quality.
Unfortunately the impellors on all pumps are the weakest link, and the cheapest part to fix so its a wash. IMO
I hope you get your part very soon as i know you want it up and going like the rest of us!!! Good luck.

Maximus · 11/04/2006, 07:19 AM

I've been feeding a homemade mixture of shrimp and assorted fish. It never fails. Everytime I feed, the water level goes higher and it starts to skim asap.

Kirk_M · 11/04/2006, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tentacles
I just recieved my 250 today, but I have some bad news. One pump is not working. The ceramic ring that is suppposed to be in the magnet end of the wheel is not in it's slot, and the pump will not move any water. I don't think that the wheel will spin around the shaft without it. I hope this is not a sign of the relaibility of these pumps The good news is that the other pump is fine and man does it produce a lot of bubbles!

All the better the reason to WAIT for new technology to be proven before buying. I like this skimmer design, but, I think I'll hold out for a few generations of design changes & performance improvements. I'd rather not be a "paying beta tester" (like M$ likes us to be for their products)

Creetin · 11/04/2006, 08:16 AM

These are not beta tests, They have been running in germany for some time. They mad a couple changes for the US because they had to employ a new pump design. I saved over $120 by getting mine first. I dont care if its alfa delta beta i saved 120 bones.

Theres bound to be bad pumps broken parts. Thats life.
I can not say i have never recieved a broken product in my life.
Any who.
BUBBLES!! Sory i wont get tto many pics today as i have the stomach flu. Acckk

11/03/2006, 06:28 PM	#502
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	The reason my bubble breaking level is higher is because that pic was taken right after I fed. Creetin, could you feed your tank now and see what happens? Here is a pic of the skimmate as of now. I just emptied the cup this morning and already have this amount! __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos.

11/03/2006, 06:36 PM	#504
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Yes give me a few, Ucandoit, I posted pics out of order, I'll take a pic when the bubbles rise up. The cup off shot that didnt turn out was first. I should have waited, But i'll get another shot of the bubble level. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

11/03/2006, 06:39 PM	#505
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	These cups are HUGE they will hold alot of skimmate, and 3 litres looks about right, But i havnt measured. I'll do that tomarrow. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

11/03/2006, 06:50 PM	#506
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	Hmm, I just thought of something. If someone preferred dry skimming instead of wet skimming, I am not sure if this skimmer would work. If you were to put a gate valve on the skimmer, you could certainly increase the water level, but how could you decrease it? The only way to decrease it would be to cut the stand pipe down, imo. Is this logic flawed? __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos.

11/03/2006, 07:13 PM	#508
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Thats a diy with 2 dart needlewheels. (I believe) Thats too dry IMO Yes max thats correct, I thought of a drain, But i dont think its needed yet, Plus i like lighter skimmate. I went to take a pic and the ato went off. It will be a few more minutes __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep Last edited by Creetin; 11/03/2006 at 07:50 PM.

11/03/2006, 06:26 PM	#501
UCanDoIt Moved On Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bay Area CA Posts: 1,684	Here's what I see between the two BM250s. Of course, not expecting dark on day #1. But it looks to me that the bubble breaking level is about an inch or more lower between these 2 pictures. Creetin's looks like just above 1/2 way up the riser in the collection cup and Maximus looks like about 2/3 way up the riser.

11/03/2006, 07:52 PM	#509
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	Well i fed the tank and acually the bubbles went down. I fed some cyclopeeze. It used to kill my beckett for a half an hr. I'll clean the cup tomarrow and take a vid of it. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

11/03/2006, 07:54 PM	#510
MimicTang Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hartford CT Posts: 1,517	I'm still lost as to why BKs command such a much higher price then BMs

11/03/2006, 07:56 PM	#511
danskim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 1,639	Where are the BMs available? Roland, are you getting one of these? __________________ Dan The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. -Jacques Cousteau

11/03/2006, 07:57 PM	#512
MimicTang Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hartford CT Posts: 1,517	reefgeek.com

11/03/2006, 08:06 PM	#513
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	Ok, a gate valve mod is definitely needed for this skimmer. Let me explain why. When I fed the tank, the skimmer did it's job and started to fill up the cup. However, it kept going and going and filled the cup up 1/2 full. Way too fast and too much. So I tried experimenting with the stand pipe. First, I put my hand on the air outlet and tried to reduce the air. Bad move. The pump does not like its air being restricted at all. It took a few min for the pump to come back to normal. Then I simulated back pressure (I hope that's the right term) on the pipe by placing my hands in front of the water outlet. All this did was to raise the water level in the skimmer, another bad move. This leads me to believe that if the water outlet was completely submerged, the water level would be much too high and would overflow the cup immediately. Soo, I took off the entire stand pipe and watched the water level drop considerably. After I did this, I placed my hand over the water exiting the skimmer body and found out that I can regulate the water level in the skimmer to my taste, depending on how much I covered the water output. In summary, someone needs to come up with a gate valve mod and completely take off the existing stand pipe. __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos. Last edited by Maximus; 11/03/2006 at 08:28 PM.

11/03/2006, 08:19 PM	#514
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	Hmm, I might have jumped the gun a bit. I just placed the stand pipe back on its outlet and it seems like I didnt have it fully pressed in. I could be wrong though. I cannot remember for the life of me how deep the pipe was in. Edit: Ok, I seem to remember that the pipe was in the same spot as before. If this is the case, then there might be a problem with the gate valve. This is my reasoning...The pipes outlet is around 1.5" from the bottom. This further sits inside the skimmers stand pipe another 1" or so, thus only increasing the height of the stand pipe another .5"-1". The gatevalve would have to be extremely short because it would only increase the length of the stand pipe, therefore raising the water level of the skimmer. Is my reasoning correct here? __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos.

11/03/2006, 08:25 PM	#515
LA-Lawman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: So.Cal - Ventura County Posts: 303	anyone have a pic of a 200 yet. mine should be here tomorrow!!! so i will post pics then! but in the meantime..... keep them coming. __________________ -ben -------- "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." -Confucius Current Tank Info: 180g AGA RR, 3 250w DE 14k , 2 160w VHO actinics, ATI BM250 skimmer,RM media reactor, LifeReef LCR-1 CaRX

11/03/2006, 08:34 PM	#516
neotekz Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: ottawa, Ontario Posts: 698	u guys think with this skimmer you're going to have the clean the perforated holes for the bubbles at the base often?

11/03/2006, 08:39 PM	#517
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	Hmm, I think I may have found a solution. I just left off the stand pipe altogether and the water level is perfect. At first it seemed like it was too low, then after a few min, the water level rose. It is now producing a much dryer and thicker foam. __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos. Last edited by Maximus; 11/03/2006 at 09:37 PM.

11/03/2006, 09:35 PM	#518
sm fragman Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: ithaca ny Posts: 618	i am still waiting to see the bm 200 ,,,i am looking at the bm and the H&Sa150-2001 ,,need to see this bad boy in operation so i can make a chioce ,,leaning tord the bm right now after see the 250 ,,i think the 200 being smaller and 1 pump might be more controlable..

11/04/2006, 12:06 AM	#519
tentacles Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Palatine, Il Posts: 128	I just recieved my 250 today, but I have some bad news. One pump is not working. The ceramic ring that is suppposed to be in the magnet end of the wheel is not in it's slot, and the pump will not move any water. I don't think that the wheel will spin around the shaft without it. I hope this is not a sign of the relaibility of these pumps The good news is that the other pump is fine and man does it produce a lot of bubbles! __________________ hey, what smells like blue? Current Tank Info: 380g

11/04/2006, 12:21 AM	#520
MimicTang Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hartford CT Posts: 1,517	couldve been damaged in shipping

11/04/2006, 07:19 AM	#523
Maximus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Monterey County Posts: 6,442	I've been feeding a homemade mixture of shrimp and assorted fish. It never fails. Everytime I feed, the water level goes higher and it starts to skim asap. __________________ This space for rent... Current Tank Info: 36x36x16 A.G.E. tank. Lighting: ATI Straton. Circulation: 2x Vortech MP40wQd's. Skimmer: Red Sea 300. Controller: Neptune Apex. Doser: Neptune Dos.

11/04/2006, 08:16 AM	#525
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,552	These are not beta tests, They have been running in germany for some time. They mad a couple changes for the US because they had to employ a new pump design. I saved over $120 by getting mine first. I dont care if its alfa delta beta i saved 120 bones. Theres bound to be bad pumps broken parts. Thats life. I can not say i have never recieved a broken product in my life. Any who. BUBBLES!! Sory i wont get tto many pics today as i have the stomach flu. Acckk __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep