Suggestion for skimmer Mod

kharmaguru · 08/30/2010, 09:22 AM

Watch this video of my skimmer mod and give me some suggestions on improvement. I am most interested in the addition of a bubble plate to reduce turbulance and where to best locate it. I'm also interested in knowing if people think bubble plates are a waste of time...

fishoutawater · 08/30/2010, 09:45 PM

I don't think a bubble plate would make any difference for that skimmer. How much air do you have going through it? The first thing I would probably do would be to increase the size of the neck where it empties into the cup. Do you have any micro bubbles exiting the skimmer?

kharmaguru · 08/31/2010, 04:44 AM

The air is injected through a 3/4" Kent venturi and it's wide open - I have no idea how to measure "how much".

The skinny neck is the original Nautilus EX collection cup. When you say "increase" do you mean lengthen or widen or both?

It's hard to determine if there's any microbubbles leaving the skimmer as it mixes with my overflow water at the "in" side of my sump and then has to go through the whole bubble trap system before returning to the tank. So if there is any they don't make it to the display tank.

kharmaguru · 09/15/2010, 05:46 AM

Update:

Truly a bubble plate did not help this skimmer much, but two did! The arrangement is unorthodox at the moment (the water has to travel both ways through the bubble plates rather than around them on the way back), but until I'm willing to tear it completely down again, I'll have to live with it. There is improvement either way. Here's a days worth with light bioload.

reefology · 01/07/2011, 01:26 AM

can you show a pic of where you placed the bubble plates?

cheers

kharmaguru · 01/07/2011, 10:08 AM

actually I tore it all apart again. It's back to stock - sortof. I removed the "quadrahelical" thingy and made it a bubble plate like a more modern skimmer. I just used a piece of 3 inch PVC pipe and glued a bubble plate made of acrylic to the top, and mounted that to the top of the venturi pipe. I'm going to switch to a SWC 160 cone soon anyway...

08/30/2010, 09:22 AM	#1
kharmaguru Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oshawa, ON Posts: 125	Suggestion for skimmer Mod Watch this video of my skimmer mod and give me some suggestions on improvement. I am most interested in the addition of a bubble plate to reduce turbulance and where to best locate it. I'm also interested in knowing if people think bubble plates are a waste of time...

08/30/2010, 09:45 PM	#2
fishoutawater Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: salt lake city, ut Posts: 577	I don't think a bubble plate would make any difference for that skimmer. How much air do you have going through it? The first thing I would probably do would be to increase the size of the neck where it empties into the cup. Do you have any micro bubbles exiting the skimmer? __________________ 40 Breeder DIY external overflow, closed loop, skimmer, sump, dosers,.... Current Tank Info: 29gal reef w 20 gal sump/40gal reef w 20gal sump

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08/31/2010, 04:44 AM	#3
kharmaguru Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oshawa, ON Posts: 125	The air is injected through a 3/4" Kent venturi and it's wide open - I have no idea how to measure "how much". The skinny neck is the original Nautilus EX collection cup. When you say "increase" do you mean lengthen or widen or both? It's hard to determine if there's any microbubbles leaving the skimmer as it mixes with my overflow water at the "in" side of my sump and then has to go through the whole bubble trap system before returning to the tank. So if there is any they don't make it to the display tank.

09/15/2010, 05:46 AM	#4
kharmaguru Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oshawa, ON Posts: 125	Update: Truly a bubble plate did not help this skimmer much, but two did! The arrangement is unorthodox at the moment (the water has to travel both ways through the bubble plates rather than around them on the way back), but until I'm willing to tear it completely down again, I'll have to live with it. There is improvement either way. Here's a days worth with light bioload.

01/07/2011, 01:26 AM	#5
reefology Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 40	can you show a pic of where you placed the bubble plates? cheers

01/07/2011, 10:08 AM	#6
kharmaguru Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Oshawa, ON Posts: 125	actually I tore it all apart again. It's back to stock - sortof. I removed the "quadrahelical" thingy and made it a bubble plate like a more modern skimmer. I just used a piece of 3 inch PVC pipe and glued a bubble plate made of acrylic to the top, and mounted that to the top of the venturi pipe. I'm going to switch to a SWC 160 cone soon anyway...