Octopus Skimmer Mods - Page 22

Avast Marine · 11/21/2006, 12:35 AM

Picture taken at 20 seconds...

1 minute...

2 minutes...

5 minutes...

yeah, I gotta say that you can mod the pumps with mesh/gg but, I went for the pump that could do this out of the box and still have a warrenty

Pulling way more than the dnw200, faster, and cheaper. Now I'm kinda gald I had to go through all that bs trying to find the stock parts, not find them, and come away with something far better

Dan

Roland Jacques · 11/21/2006, 06:06 AM

Looking good Dandy

Is that the new ER 4100 SP4 pump?

The neck looks like it handling all the air. how tall is it?

mungus · 11/21/2006, 10:30 AM

I have a 200 recir that has not been able to push the foam over into the cup. I have done a few mods the 90, smoothed out the volute, modded the venturi. It is working a lot better but still not the performance I would like. I just broke the 90 last week doing skimmer maintenance. I have it rigged right now and it is working all right. I would like to replace the pump with a genx like dandy so I don't have to screw with the metric fittings. Would you recommend going with the genx 4100 from euroreef, a genx 2400 with the mesh wheel or the genx 4100 with the mesh wheel? Could the neck handle the air from a 4100 with mesh wheel?

Thanks
Brian

RichConley · 11/21/2006, 10:49 AM

Still pulls less air than my OTP 3000. Its also way more expensive.

Nice job though. How tall is that neck?

Avast Marine · 11/21/2006, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roland Jacques
Looking good Dandy

Is that the new ER 4100 SP4 pump?

The neck looks like it handling all the air. how tall is it?

Yup, SP4 and the neck ended up being 11" so total height of the skimmer is now 29".

Avast Marine · 11/21/2006, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
Still pulls less air than my OTP 3000. Its also way more expensive.

Nice job though. How tall is that neck?

I know rich, I just didn't have time and skills to mod the pump like you, but I can chop acrylic

.

RichConley · 11/21/2006, 12:36 PM

So its a 5" increase in neck height, basically? Hrm. I may have to do some hacking.

Avast Marine · 11/21/2006, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
So its a 5" increase in neck height, basically? Hrm. I may have to do some hacking.

I actually figured you would be the only one with the cahunes to cut the neck off your skimmer

I gotta say that this thing really skims like a champ with this done. I believe it could handle a bit more air although I think the dwell time might go down a bit, it skims wet and very similar to a well tuned ER. It is still in the test bucket running and then I'll hook it up to my tank after the holiday when I have time to monitor it.

RichConley · 11/21/2006, 01:48 PM

I may, I may not. It has to be remembered that my NW200 is pulling 35 scfh right now, and running on a 58 gallon. I dont know if it really could pull out much more.

Then again, I do so love tinkering.

Avast Marine · 11/21/2006, 02:10 PM

Mine is on a 54 lol. I give it 2 months tops before you cut it off lol.

Deuce67 · 11/22/2006, 09:32 AM

Well, I finally got the 10 lpm of air that I wanted for my RPS 2000.
Somewhere in this thread I showed how I modified my venturi and replaced the stock needlewheel with a Sedra 5000 pinwheel. It went from 5 lpm to 8 lpm. I really wanted to shoot for 10 lpm and tried the gutter gaurd mod. It still stayed at 8 lpm and I couldnt get it to stay quite. After reading kentrobs thread on the meshwheel on the DIY forum, I decided to try it.
Here is what I used for the mesh.

I have a spare Sedra 5000 pinwheel impellar and grinded off all the pins. I actually did that when I tried the gutter gaurd. First I tried tieing it with some fishing lines but came loose after a few hours. I then just super glued it together and its holding fine after 48 hrs. Here what it looks like.

I had to stretch out the mesh a little since it was so dense the pump couldnt spin it. Now Im getting the 10 lpm I was shooting for.

RichConley · 11/22/2006, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dandy7200
Mine is on a 54 lol. I give it 2 months tops before you cut it off lol.

It wont fit in my stand if I do though, which means i'd actually have to fix my recirc mod so that it doesnt leak.

Hrm.

Avast Marine · 11/28/2006, 11:31 PM

Trying to cut the turbulance a bit......

I am going to have to assemble it inside the skimmer

reefkeeper1 · 11/28/2006, 11:49 PM

That looks like a module for a space station.

Avast Marine · 11/29/2006, 12:07 AM

lol can you imagine trying to find all of those parts in metric....

96p993 · 11/30/2006, 09:44 AM

Has anyone made a remote collection cup for this skimmer? Im thinking about it but my acrylic work isnt great. Would it be better to drill a hole in the bottom of the cup of the side...just dont want any cracks

Avast Marine · 11/30/2006, 01:31 PM

I like the bottom itf you have the space. It is cast acrylic so not hard to drill, just go slow and put very little pressure on the drill, or use a dremel and grind out your hole (well melt really).

drock59 · 11/30/2006, 06:26 PM

Could someone run down the top 3 or 4 mods? I just dont have the time to read all 22 pages and I am looking for more performance out of my RPS 2000. Thanks in advance.

danskim · 11/30/2006, 10:45 PM

1. Modifying venturi to take larger tubing
2. Boring out the 90 degree elbow from pump to body
3. Meshwheel/gutter guard mod
4. Gasket replacement.

Maybe?

drock59 · 11/30/2006, 11:12 PM

Any way you could post which pages show how to do that? Thanks so much for listing them.

reefinnewb · 12/01/2006, 06:28 PM

hey guys and gals, I just did a recirc mod on my 110 and have more bubbles in the chamber than ever before but they seem to be popping before they really make any foam. The pump i have as a feed pump is rated for 80 gph. The skimmer is on a 15g with a 10 sump. Any help would be appreciated.

boxfishpooalot · 12/01/2006, 06:36 PM

I had that problem when I had too much flow going through it. Also make sure you dont have any back pressure on the exit. Otherwise your skimmer is less than a week old and oils on the acrylic cause it to pop.

Or you filled it with fresh water. It needs salt to foam. The saltier the foamier.

reefinnewb · 12/01/2006, 07:01 PM

ill have to see. THe skimmer is about 3 months old and wasnt getting as dark of foam that i wanted. Gave the recirc a try. Ill have to mess with it a bit. Hopefully i didnt ruin a good skimmer.

Avast Marine · 12/01/2006, 08:28 PM

It took mine about a solid week after recirc to get it to break back in. I think it may have been the silicone lube I used for the uniseals

reefinnewb · 12/01/2006, 09:00 PM

was it on the 110

11/21/2006, 12:35 AM	#526
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	Picture taken at 20 seconds... 1 minute... 2 minutes... 5 minutes... yeah, I gotta say that you can mod the pumps with mesh/gg but, I went for the pump that could do this out of the box and still have a warrenty Pulling way more than the dnw200, faster, and cheaper. Now I'm kinda gald I had to go through all that bs trying to find the stock parts, not find them, and come away with something far better Dan __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

11/21/2006, 06:06 AM	#527
Roland Jacques Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 2,848	Looking good Dandy Is that the new ER 4100 SP4 pump? The neck looks like it handling all the air. how tall is it? __________________ Roland

11/21/2006, 10:49 AM	#529
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	Still pulls less air than my OTP 3000. Its also way more expensive. Nice job though. How tall is that neck? __________________ NO TANKS!!!

11/21/2006, 12:36 PM	#532
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	So its a 5" increase in neck height, basically? Hrm. I may have to do some hacking. __________________ NO TANKS!!!

11/21/2006, 01:48 PM	#534
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	I may, I may not. It has to be remembered that my NW200 is pulling 35 scfh right now, and running on a 58 gallon. I dont know if it really could pull out much more. Then again, I do so love tinkering. __________________ NO TANKS!!!

11/21/2006, 10:30 AM	#528
mungus Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Oostburg, WI Posts: 83	I have a 200 recir that has not been able to push the foam over into the cup. I have done a few mods the 90, smoothed out the volute, modded the venturi. It is working a lot better but still not the performance I would like. I just broke the 90 last week doing skimmer maintenance. I have it rigged right now and it is working all right. I would like to replace the pump with a genx like dandy so I don't have to screw with the metric fittings. Would you recommend going with the genx 4100 from euroreef, a genx 2400 with the mesh wheel or the genx 4100 with the mesh wheel? Could the neck handle the air from a 4100 with mesh wheel? Thanks Brian

11/21/2006, 02:10 PM	#535
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	Mine is on a 54 lol. I give it 2 months tops before you cut it off lol. __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

11/22/2006, 09:32 AM	#536
Deuce67 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: CO Posts: 3,750	Well, I finally got the 10 lpm of air that I wanted for my RPS 2000. Somewhere in this thread I showed how I modified my venturi and replaced the stock needlewheel with a Sedra 5000 pinwheel. It went from 5 lpm to 8 lpm. I really wanted to shoot for 10 lpm and tried the gutter gaurd mod. It still stayed at 8 lpm and I couldnt get it to stay quite. After reading kentrobs thread on the meshwheel on the DIY forum, I decided to try it. Here is what I used for the mesh. I have a spare Sedra 5000 pinwheel impellar and grinded off all the pins. I actually did that when I tried the gutter gaurd. First I tried tieing it with some fishing lines but came loose after a few hours. I then just super glued it together and its holding fine after 48 hrs. Here what it looks like. I had to stretch out the mesh a little since it was so dense the pump couldnt spin it. Now Im getting the 10 lpm I was shooting for.

11/28/2006, 11:31 PM	#538
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	Trying to cut the turbulance a bit...... I am going to have to assemble it inside the skimmer __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

11/28/2006, 11:49 PM	#539
reefkeeper1 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 990	That looks like a module for a space station.

11/29/2006, 12:07 AM	#540
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	lol can you imagine trying to find all of those parts in metric.... __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

11/30/2006, 09:44 AM	#541
96p993 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Mckinney, Tx Posts: 1,130	Has anyone made a remote collection cup for this skimmer? Im thinking about it but my acrylic work isnt great. Would it be better to drill a hole in the bottom of the cup of the side...just dont want any cracks

11/30/2006, 01:31 PM	#542
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	I like the bottom itf you have the space. It is cast acrylic so not hard to drill, just go slow and put very little pressure on the drill, or use a dremel and grind out your hole (well melt really). __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

11/30/2006, 06:26 PM	#543
drock59 Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 3,802	Could someone run down the top 3 or 4 mods? I just dont have the time to read all 22 pages and I am looking for more performance out of my RPS 2000. Thanks in advance. __________________ Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. Mark Twain Current Tank Info: 93g Marineland cube. SPS dominated. Vortech mp40. 2 x AI sol super blues. SRO 2000 int skimmer. Mag 18 return. Korallin 1500 calcium reactor.

11/30/2006, 10:45 PM	#544
danskim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 1,639	1. Modifying venturi to take larger tubing 2. Boring out the 90 degree elbow from pump to body 3. Meshwheel/gutter guard mod 4. Gasket replacement. Maybe? __________________ Dan The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. -Jacques Cousteau

11/30/2006, 11:12 PM	#545
drock59 Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 3,802	Any way you could post which pages show how to do that? Thanks so much for listing them. __________________ Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. Mark Twain Current Tank Info: 93g Marineland cube. SPS dominated. Vortech mp40. 2 x AI sol super blues. SRO 2000 int skimmer. Mag 18 return. Korallin 1500 calcium reactor.

12/01/2006, 06:28 PM	#546
reefinnewb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Macungie, Pa Posts: 167	hey guys and gals, I just did a recirc mod on my 110 and have more bubbles in the chamber than ever before but they seem to be popping before they really make any foam. The pump i have as a feed pump is rated for 80 gph. The skimmer is on a 15g with a 10 sump. Any help would be appreciated.

12/01/2006, 06:36 PM	#547
boxfishpooalot Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: canada, Grande Praire, Ab Posts: 5,824	I had that problem when I had too much flow going through it. Also make sure you dont have any back pressure on the exit. Otherwise your skimmer is less than a week old and oils on the acrylic cause it to pop. Or you filled it with fresh water. It needs salt to foam. The saltier the foamier. __________________ Its a good idea to have a refrence sample for alk test kits. 1.1350 grams of baking soda in 1gallon of distilled water=10dkh. Check your alkalinity test kit! Algae is Mother Natures phosphate remover Current Tank Info: 220 galon mixed reef.

12/01/2006, 07:01 PM	#548
reefinnewb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Macungie, Pa Posts: 167	ill have to see. THe skimmer is about 3 months old and wasnt getting as dark of foam that i wanted. Gave the recirc a try. Ill have to mess with it a bit. Hopefully i didnt ruin a good skimmer.

12/01/2006, 08:28 PM	#549
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	It took mine about a solid week after recirc to get it to break back in. I think it may have been the silicone lube I used for the uniseals __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.

12/01/2006, 09:00 PM	#550
reefinnewb Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Macungie, Pa Posts: 167	was it on the 110