Reeflo/Sequence Skimmer Club

[wizsmaster]

Volcano ... custom built skimmer by spazz!

[ranran]

Wow you are a skimmer FREAK my man! That thing is going to suck the poo right out of your fish!

[wizsmaster]

haha .. lets hope not.

I added a large blonde naso last night ... to celebrate the new larger skimmer ... ;-)


This is a custom 12" though ... it measures in @ 43" tall with the standard lid - however i had scott build a carbon lid, I'm sick & tired of a stinky garage.

did you checkout the thread over on our club site? I posted up some build pics - more to come tomorrow once it arrives! i'm so stoked!
http://swfmas.com/node/228

[speedstar]

Originally posted by wizsmaster
Volcano ... custom built skimmer by spazz!

I first saw that skimmer about a week after i got my reeflo. I think it would be the only thing i'd ever get rid of it for. A local to me just received his volcano. Spazz is right across the lake from me, a shame he wasn;t more known (i had not heard of his skimmers) or i woulda gone with his first.

Going to give the new collection cup a try for the reeflo.

[bernie lyons]

Guys where does the feed water enter the reeflo - 250 skimmer ?
bernie lyons

[wizsmaster]

the 12" models are not production right now ...yet.
I am getting the first 12" model, and we are trying out different combos of NW styles and other components.
He has already made several revisions from his original idea of how he thought it would be built.

[wizsmaster]

Originally posted by bernie lyons
Guys where does the feed water enter the reeflo - 250 skimmer ?
bernie lyons

This skimmer is a co-current skimmer ... the water enters right above the intake for the recirc pump - the clear tube in the below picture:

[speedstar]

Originally posted by wizsmaster
the 12" models are not production right now ...yet.
I am getting the first 12" model, and we are trying out different combos of NW styles and other components.
He has already made several revisions from his original idea of how he thought it would be built.

Got ya, the one local here is the 18inch 53 tall.

[bernie lyons]

Thanks for clearing that up for me wizsmaster . Are the external bubble kings doing the same thing ? What are the advantages of putting the water feed into the input of the recirculating pump vs using a counter current design ?
bernie lyons

[wizsmaster]

I personally believe the counter current method will provide greater dwell time, AFAIK the reeflo 250 was designed & engineered/modeled after Bill Wanns (sp?) older large scale skimmers - which he has since changed to counter current and gained quiet a bit of performance on the same skimmers just by changing from co-current to counter-current.

That is what I have come to understand by talking to many people about this subject in the past.
I'm not a skimmer expert by any means, I just go through them frequently & check out different ones.

[Rwinfrey]

wizmaster did you get his new 12 inch or one of the giants

[wizsmaster]

Originally posted by Rwinfrey
new 12 inch

[HDAlien]

Hey Wiz, that picture looks familiar?

Question: My feed pump died, I replaced it with a Mag 9.5 (950gph), I'm not getting nearly the skimmate I was before, is this too high of flow for this skimmer?

[wizsmaster]

my new skimmer just arrived & i assembled it already .. pics tonight - have to run out & get some work done.

[Rwinfrey]

so you are the guy from Florida Scott was making that for I can't wait to see it in action did you get the float switch mounted in the cup can you show some pics of the NW if I am right it's custom also

[bernie lyons]

Thanks wizsmaster for your input . Wondering why bubble king external skimmers do not use the counter current method ?. I personally believe in mixing the water feed with the air mixture in the main reaction chamber .
bernie lyons

[chatme32]

wizsmaster,
I sent scott an email asking him to build a skimmer just like yours but I've not got a reply back yet. Does he take a long time to reply? or is it beter to call him?

[JenDub]

IMO counter current models cause more turbulence where the feed water enters the side of the skimmer. The nice thing with the reeflo is the unobstructed bubble motion.

I'm not convinced that a taller cup is better for performance since it puts more head pressure on the venturi. Needlewheel skimmers perform better with shorter, wider skimmer bodies (assuming you are not force-feeding the venturi with an air pump) while a beckett has the power to push a 48" tall column of water/air.

[JRaquatics]

Originally posted by JenDub
I'm not convinced that a taller cup is better for performance since it puts more head pressure on the venturi. Needlewheel skimmers perform better with shorter, wider skimmer bodies (assuming you are not force-feeding the venturi with an air pump) while a beckett has the power to push a 48" tall column of water/air.

Not entirely true. These reflo skimmers do work better with a taller neck. The reason being is the pump and the mixing chamber/body. The skimmer itself was designed to be taller but was reduced down in size to accomidate reefers that chose to use the skimmer under the stand. Look and Spas volcano. The added height reduces the turbulance even more " I am talking about bubbles crawling straight up to the cup". I am going to attemp to get video footage of the two in action this weekend.

If you saw the upgraded cup on the skimmer it looks like it belongs and the stock look dwarfed. Mike "acropora nut" is pushing 800-900 gph into this think and is not sacrificing the performance of the skimmer but gaining. Why do you think Spas and Whan create large tall bodies with their modified NW dart pumps? I have seen both cups/necks in action. The taller cup has gained extreme performance to an already monster skimmer. I will take my dwyer meter over to Mikes Saturday to show that air pull has not hindered due to the extra neck height.

[makdoogle]

I'm gonna have to agree w/JRaquatics. I'm no skimmer expert by any means, but I've seen him running both and I would say the new cup is with out a doubt an improvement.

[JenDub]

How big is the interior tubing on the larger cup?

Assuming it's the same diameter as the stock cup I don't see how putting an extra foot of height onto the skimmer would increase air intake. You may be able to push more water through the skimmer and the skimmer's volume is larger by a gallon or so but I'm not convinced it would be a dramatic different (for $250).

Would love to see a side by side comparison with two orca 250's (one with new cup/one with old) on the same tank...sounds like a good excuse for Paul to get another unit for his other overflow!

Here is a local DIY dart NW skimmer that used a similar neck:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ht=loc+skimmer

I wasn't too hep on the taller neck although I have seen them put onto Euroreef skimmers, once again the extra height hinders the venturi...

[Rwinfrey]

Last time I spoke with Scott he said he going crazy working on the St.Judes tank so you may want to give him a call.

[bernie lyons]

I have compared the difference of either running the feed water into the skimmer in a swirl action above the bubble plate (air water mixture ) or just simply having the feed water shoot above and across the bubble plate (tumbling affect - similar to H&S external skimmers ) . I can tell you first hand that the feed water shooting across the air /water mixture -( bubble plate) did produced more turbulence than the swirl action but was significantly superior in skimming out more crud . So I have to wonder whether a bit of turbulence into the reaction chamber does help not only in contact time for the air to mix better with the water droplets but also in pushing the foam into the neck better ? Just my thoughts .
bernie lyons

[wizsmaster]

I ended up running down to a buddies fish store to help him move - didn't get home till after 1am ... no pics yet. hopefully tonight.

Originally posted by Rwinfrey
so you are the guy from Florida Scott was making that for I can't wait to see it in action did you get the float switch mounted in the cup can you show some pics of the NW if I am right it's custom also

Yes, that is I.
I got the auto shutoff - but it is not a float switch as I'd have guessed, it's a contact sensor - kind of like how the waterbug works.

Originally posted by chatme32
wizsmaster,
I sent scott an email asking him to build a skimmer just like yours but I've not got a reply back yet. Does he take a long time to reply? or is it beter to call him?

Sometimes it takes a little while for him to reply ... he's pretty busy. Right now he's out of town & working on the St. judes hospital project - His RC PM box is full, his phone is dead (fell in water) and i don't know if he does check his emails remotely ... Give him a few days, wait till next week, then try again. If you sent an email, give it a few days.
It wook me a little while to get in contact with him, but we made it work.

Originally posted by Rwinfrey
Last time I spoke with Scott he said he going crazy working on the St.Judes tank so you may want to give him a call.

His cell phone got wet & is dead for now ... as of last night.

[bubbletip2]

Originally posted by makdoogle
I'm gonna have to agree w/JRaquatics. I'm no skimmer expert by any means, but I've seen him running both and I would say the new cup is with out a doubt an improvement.

I would have to agree as well. I had seen Mike's factory cup in operation several times when shooting pics for the TOTM. I don't ever recall him pulling mud out of the old cup.

Man Mike, I know you feed a lot but holy cow is that skimmer giving your tank an enema Just curiuos, have you been giving your tangs laxatives?