Via Aqua Skimmer Club - Page 6

luke33 · 05/13/2007, 06:35 PM

OK, here's the mods i did. I had to connect the bulkheads with tubing and in order to connect the tubing to the turbulent killer, i had to heat up the piece of tubing in the microwave and get it very hot, then i could gently slide it to the inner tube and it worked perfect. I've done this many times(lol) Anyhow, its completely milked besides the bottom half centemeter, the rest is milk and its really cut down the turbulence in there. Here's the pics of what i did.

I had to cut down the bulkheads a bit so they would fit. I think the piece turned out to be around 8"

Here it is in the skimmer, notice its very close to the bottom.

And the finished product.....very milky. Like i said, i may mess with the venturi a bit....but maybe not.

Now we'll have to wait and see what kind of skimmate comes out of this guy, but i'm guessing with the more reaction time the skimmate will be much nicer. Also, its nice cuz the water leveler is alot higher. The only thing that i did notice negatively is that there are a ton more microbubbles getting out....but it doesn't bother me since none of them are getting into the tank.

GuySmilie · 05/14/2007, 01:59 AM

Now is this on your 200 or 388?
And why didn't you tilt those fittings so the flow would come out horizontally instead of down? It almost looks like you've got them so close to the floor that the flow may be inhibited.

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 05:52 AM

This is on my sk388, and the oulets are about an inch from teh bottom and they are angled to the side and down in opposite directions. Believe me there s still plenty of flow in there. This would work well on a sk200 as well, but it would be difficult to do this cuz of the fact you'd have to open it up again. You can reach your hand down in teh 388, its very open.

hoyta · 05/14/2007, 06:11 AM

Luke, think I'm going to try teh 5/8ths hose on the 200 for the venturi. I know we talked about it before- what are your thoughts? Also, what are your thoughts on using a stock venturi compared to the modded one you gave me? I did make a new silencer for the 2400, and it sounds 20 times better

Only problem I am running into now is keeping the water level right for the skimmer- too much water and the pump works crappy. Too little, and, well, you know. It needs to stay consistently between 4-8 inches in the sump... kinda of a pita, but I'm getting used to it.
Not sure if I'm going to do the 5/8ths thingy just yet, mainly because i haven't been to the hardware store to find a piece to hook it up yet. I guess some type of air inlet hose that I could melt into the stock venturi....Thoughts?

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 06:42 AM

I'd personally avoid the stock venturi as its junk imo. I'd get the pvc attachment i sent you and drill out a hole as close to the inlet as possible and put a 5/8" hose adapter in it. Then attach the hose and make a silencer in it. It will pull much more air then the stock one and you'll see alot of improvement. If you look at the pics i've posted you'll see how i did that with my new pump. Just a piece of PVC with a whole in it. I actually just used a 3/4" fitting and put a hole in it close to the inlet and it worked bettr than any other venturi i messed with. It would give you a nice hickey if you put it to your skin......not that i would recomend that. lol

If you wanted to use your stock venturi, you get get the air fitting at lowe's and drill a hole into it and stick it in your stock venturi. Or i guess you could try to drill it out and just stick the hose in there. Either way would work well imo, i just like the fitting as it holds the tubing better than just jaming it in.

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 06:44 AM

As for the water level, i have my skimmer on a stand and i don't ever run into any probs like that. I just marked inches on my sump and know where i need the water level. I have about 3-4" that it can variance and i just top it off when its getting close to the bottom, about once a week i add 5g. The skimmer acts the same as long as it stays at that level. You could just get a couple bricks to stand it on or some type of plastic that won't float.

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 08:25 AM

hey luke what size fittings and hose did you use??

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 08:44 AM

Fatrip, i think it was either 1/2" ID or 3/4", it was spare i had lying around.....one of many sizes. You can take off the outer piece and take it to lowes and fit it there, and also fit the bulkheads you'll need as well. The good news is its very cheap to do less than a few bucks and works fantastic. But you will have to microwave the tube for about 30-40 secs and get it real hot to attach to the center tube....otherwise you may break it if you try and force it on. I'm still working on aquatraders to send me the actual NW impeller that is supose to come with it. I'm not real happy with there reply to them screwing up. Here's what they said to me in there SA remarks.

Aqua Deal (aquatraders ebay name) wrote:
1.) Send us the picture of the impeller you got, and let us point out what is a regular impeller and what is a needle wheel for you.
2.) The air injector insert is for the venturi setup. Please let us know what is venturi means to you. So we have better understanding what your question is.
It is the first time we are getting this comment and we are pretty sure what we are selling here.
We try to help the customer in any situation in a reasonable way.

luke wrote:
Hello, my order info is attached to this email. I ordered a 1000gph pump and it said it was a NW pump with a venturi. I got a regular impeller and no venturi. I didn't want to leave negative feedback yet so i figured i'd email you and see if you would send me the impeller and venturi seperate. I was a bit disapointed as it clearly said NW impeller and i even specified if its not a NW i don't want it. Let me know what you would like to do.
Thanks,

Luke

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 09:09 AM

well maybe i wont be getting the 1000gph pump after all...lol..

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 09:11 AM

Well, lets see how they respond....i sent them an email back that was very sarcastic myself with pics and they said they were in the wrong and they would fix it......so we'll see. If they don't fix it i'll give them a nice bash here on RC and ebay and i don't think they want that as they are just starting to make way here. The think that po'd me was they tried to talk to me like i was a fool.

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 09:26 AM

yes i can see how that would seriously inrage me as well...lol...but does it work alright with the moded impeller? and where do you get that mesh that you put on it, and what is it called???

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 09:29 AM

Yea, it works great.....now i just want the extra impeller and stock venturi to see what works better! lol. The mesh is called enkamat pf4, you can get it on ebay if you search for it for a few bux shipped. I think its either sold for 5 bux or 6.50, with shipping.

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 09:42 AM

On a side not.......any skimmate yet???? From anyone?

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 09:46 AM

yea but i cant find my camera..lol...i've been looking for it all week, and i have had some nasty smelling skimmate all week...lol

bkdaaa · 05/14/2007, 10:46 AM

I am getting a little bit of light green junk. Looks to be very weak at this point. I did lower the water level just a tad bit this morning to try and go a bit dryer. Still waiting for my enkamat, and I think i have figured out the best way to replace the stock pump with the octopus, going to try and use the provided venturi first.

Doug

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 11:08 AM

Great, glad to hear the skimmate is starting to pull. Post some pics when you get a chance so we can see if the skimmate varies between skimmers.

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 01:19 PM

luke with sticking it in the micro did you put the whole contraption in there or just that piece of hose???

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 01:40 PM

Fatrip, i put the whole contraption in there. I heated up the tubing and fitted it on the connection piece, then put my hand in there and attached it to the inner tube. WOrked perfectly. Then cooled down and was all set. This way you don't have to worry about glue or what not. It bonds very well with the hot tubing.

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 01:42 PM

alright....im doin it write now...

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 02:13 PM

Cool man. I really wanted something that would give me 4 outlets, but i didn't think it would fit. take some pics later if you can find the camera.

crázy clowntang · 05/14/2007, 03:10 PM

Hey luke, besides the internet, can i find enkamt at HD or lowes?

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 04:00 PM

i dont thin pics will do anything...it looks exactly the same as yours lol....mad bubbles...crazy bubbles....billions of bubbles...lol....a lot more bubbles full the skimmer now...

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 05:30 PM

Crazy, no enkamat at lowe's or HD unfortunatley. Its only has industrial uses so you have to buy huge sheets of it and its pretty expensive. Enough for thousands of meshmods! lol.

Fatrip, glad you did that mod......quite a big improvement wouldn't you think? It made a huge diff in mine, thats for sure. And its alot less turbulent.

fatrip · 05/14/2007, 07:00 PM

i am not sure what you mean by turbulent, but yes it is milked out from maybe 1cm all the way up...best mod i have done so far...

luke33 · 05/14/2007, 07:48 PM

Fatrip, i mean is it still really currenty in your reaction chamber. Mine isn't as turbulent and crazy in there and i had to raise the water leveler because it was calmer. That s what i meant, its a good thing.

05/14/2007, 01:59 AM	#127
GuySmilie Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Land of Lincoln Posts: 943	Now is this on your 200 or 388? And why didn't you tilt those fittings so the flow would come out horizontally instead of down? It almost looks like you've got them so close to the floor that the flow may be inhibited. __________________ Guy Smilie

05/14/2007, 06:11 AM	#129
hoyta Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Camden, NC Posts: 286	Luke, think I'm going to try teh 5/8ths hose on the 200 for the venturi. I know we talked about it before- what are your thoughts? Also, what are your thoughts on using a stock venturi compared to the modded one you gave me? I did make a new silencer for the 2400, and it sounds 20 times better Only problem I am running into now is keeping the water level right for the skimmer- too much water and the pump works crappy. Too little, and, well, you know. It needs to stay consistently between 4-8 inches in the sump... kinda of a pita, but I'm getting used to it. Not sure if I'm going to do the 5/8ths thingy just yet, mainly because i haven't been to the hardware store to find a piece to hook it up yet. I guess some type of air inlet hose that I could melt into the stock venturi....Thoughts? __________________ Go MIAMI!!!!! Current Tank Info: 34 g Solana

05/14/2007, 08:25 AM	#132
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	hey luke what size fittings and hose did you use?? __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 09:09 AM	#134
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	well maybe i wont be getting the 1000gph pump after all...lol.. __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 09:26 AM	#136
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	yes i can see how that would seriously inrage me as well...lol...but does it work alright with the moded impeller? and where do you get that mesh that you put on it, and what is it called??? __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/13/2007, 06:35 PM	#126
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	OK, here's the mods i did. I had to connect the bulkheads with tubing and in order to connect the tubing to the turbulent killer, i had to heat up the piece of tubing in the microwave and get it very hot, then i could gently slide it to the inner tube and it worked perfect. I've done this many times(lol) Anyhow, its completely milked besides the bottom half centemeter, the rest is milk and its really cut down the turbulence in there. Here's the pics of what i did. I had to cut down the bulkheads a bit so they would fit. I think the piece turned out to be around 8" Here it is in the skimmer, notice its very close to the bottom. And the finished product.....very milky. Like i said, i may mess with the venturi a bit....but maybe not. Now we'll have to wait and see what kind of skimmate comes out of this guy, but i'm guessing with the more reaction time the skimmate will be much nicer. Also, its nice cuz the water leveler is alot higher. The only thing that i did notice negatively is that there are a ton more microbubbles getting out....but it doesn't bother me since none of them are getting into the tank.

05/14/2007, 05:52 AM	#128
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	This is on my sk388, and the oulets are about an inch from teh bottom and they are angled to the side and down in opposite directions. Believe me there s still plenty of flow in there. This would work well on a sk200 as well, but it would be difficult to do this cuz of the fact you'd have to open it up again. You can reach your hand down in teh 388, its very open.

05/14/2007, 06:42 AM	#130
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	I'd personally avoid the stock venturi as its junk imo. I'd get the pvc attachment i sent you and drill out a hole as close to the inlet as possible and put a 5/8" hose adapter in it. Then attach the hose and make a silencer in it. It will pull much more air then the stock one and you'll see alot of improvement. If you look at the pics i've posted you'll see how i did that with my new pump. Just a piece of PVC with a whole in it. I actually just used a 3/4" fitting and put a hole in it close to the inlet and it worked bettr than any other venturi i messed with. It would give you a nice hickey if you put it to your skin......not that i would recomend that. lol If you wanted to use your stock venturi, you get get the air fitting at lowe's and drill a hole into it and stick it in your stock venturi. Or i guess you could try to drill it out and just stick the hose in there. Either way would work well imo, i just like the fitting as it holds the tubing better than just jaming it in.

05/14/2007, 06:44 AM	#131
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	As for the water level, i have my skimmer on a stand and i don't ever run into any probs like that. I just marked inches on my sump and know where i need the water level. I have about 3-4" that it can variance and i just top it off when its getting close to the bottom, about once a week i add 5g. The skimmer acts the same as long as it stays at that level. You could just get a couple bricks to stand it on or some type of plastic that won't float.

05/14/2007, 08:44 AM	#133
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Fatrip, i think it was either 1/2" ID or 3/4", it was spare i had lying around.....one of many sizes. You can take off the outer piece and take it to lowes and fit it there, and also fit the bulkheads you'll need as well. The good news is its very cheap to do less than a few bucks and works fantastic. But you will have to microwave the tube for about 30-40 secs and get it real hot to attach to the center tube....otherwise you may break it if you try and force it on. I'm still working on aquatraders to send me the actual NW impeller that is supose to come with it. I'm not real happy with there reply to them screwing up. Here's what they said to me in there SA remarks. Aqua Deal (aquatraders ebay name) wrote: 1.) Send us the picture of the impeller you got, and let us point out what is a regular impeller and what is a needle wheel for you. 2.) The air injector insert is for the venturi setup. Please let us know what is venturi means to you. So we have better understanding what your question is. It is the first time we are getting this comment and we are pretty sure what we are selling here. We try to help the customer in any situation in a reasonable way. luke wrote: Hello, my order info is attached to this email. I ordered a 1000gph pump and it said it was a NW pump with a venturi. I got a regular impeller and no venturi. I didn't want to leave negative feedback yet so i figured i'd email you and see if you would send me the impeller and venturi seperate. I was a bit disapointed as it clearly said NW impeller and i even specified if its not a NW i don't want it. Let me know what you would like to do. Thanks, Luke

05/14/2007, 09:11 AM	#135
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Well, lets see how they respond....i sent them an email back that was very sarcastic myself with pics and they said they were in the wrong and they would fix it......so we'll see. If they don't fix it i'll give them a nice bash here on RC and ebay and i don't think they want that as they are just starting to make way here. The think that po'd me was they tried to talk to me like i was a fool.

05/14/2007, 09:29 AM	#137
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Yea, it works great.....now i just want the extra impeller and stock venturi to see what works better! lol. The mesh is called enkamat pf4, you can get it on ebay if you search for it for a few bux shipped. I think its either sold for 5 bux or 6.50, with shipping.

05/14/2007, 09:42 AM	#138
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	On a side not.......any skimmate yet???? From anyone?

05/14/2007, 09:46 AM	#139
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	yea but i cant find my camera..lol...i've been looking for it all week, and i have had some nasty smelling skimmate all week...lol __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 10:46 AM	#140
bkdaaa Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ridgecrest, CA Posts: 19	I am getting a little bit of light green junk. Looks to be very weak at this point. I did lower the water level just a tad bit this morning to try and go a bit dryer. Still waiting for my enkamat, and I think i have figured out the best way to replace the stock pump with the octopus, going to try and use the provided venturi first. Doug

05/14/2007, 11:08 AM	#141
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Great, glad to hear the skimmate is starting to pull. Post some pics when you get a chance so we can see if the skimmate varies between skimmers.

05/14/2007, 01:19 PM	#142
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	luke with sticking it in the micro did you put the whole contraption in there or just that piece of hose??? __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 01:40 PM	#143
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Fatrip, i put the whole contraption in there. I heated up the tubing and fitted it on the connection piece, then put my hand in there and attached it to the inner tube. WOrked perfectly. Then cooled down and was all set. This way you don't have to worry about glue or what not. It bonds very well with the hot tubing.

05/14/2007, 01:42 PM	#144
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	alright....im doin it write now... __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 02:13 PM	#145
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Cool man. I really wanted something that would give me 4 outlets, but i didn't think it would fit. take some pics later if you can find the camera.

05/14/2007, 03:10 PM	#146
crázy clowntang Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: woodbridge, Virginia Posts: 179	Hey luke, besides the internet, can i find enkamt at HD or lowes? __________________ JTCCB(jebo tuners club for cheap bastards)

05/14/2007, 04:00 PM	#147
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	i dont thin pics will do anything...it looks exactly the same as yours lol....mad bubbles...crazy bubbles....billions of bubbles...lol....a lot more bubbles full the skimmer now... __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 05:30 PM	#148
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Crazy, no enkamat at lowe's or HD unfortunatley. Its only has industrial uses so you have to buy huge sheets of it and its pretty expensive. Enough for thousands of meshmods! lol. Fatrip, glad you did that mod......quite a big improvement wouldn't you think? It made a huge diff in mine, thats for sure. And its alot less turbulent.

05/14/2007, 07:00 PM	#149
fatrip Yup That Stuff Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: , ny Posts: 4,317	i am not sure what you mean by turbulent, but yes it is milked out from maybe 1cm all the way up...best mod i have done so far... __________________ Vince "We learn from history that we never learn anything from history." Hegel

05/14/2007, 07:48 PM	#150
luke33 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,375	Fatrip, i mean is it still really currenty in your reaction chamber. Mine isn't as turbulent and crazy in there and i had to raise the water leveler because it was calmer. That s what i meant, its a good thing.