Interesting maxi-jet mod

[moortim]

Like Marty has said, it is a lot of work, but man, the results have been nice from what I hear.

Sometimes it's good to put in a little elbow grease and save on the bank account.

Tim

 

[SmellsFishy]

I'm not sure what tools he used. I would think a chop saw would be one to get all the vents and then maybe a dremel for the rib that fits into the body.

It was done on an old beat up Makita miter saw using 7" masonary abrasive blade


The groove and flange that connects to the MJ pump body is done on a wet tile saw(simply because the tile saw is safer and easier to control)

 

[SmellsFishy]

By the way Martin... Nice work on the magnet mount. Very slick indeed

 

[mfinn]

Thank-you.
I read more of that thread, on rc and found that part about the tools he used.
Some of those covers are just amazing. I liked the one with the airplane wheel.

 

[SmellsFishy]

it's me Martin figured I join up with RF since I was told there were lots of WA folks here and seeing as I'll be moving there in the very near future

Yeah... Those airplane wheels do look pretty sweet. Only problem is they're not easy to find and are too large for the 1.5" PVC pipe.

 

[mfinn]

I had a hunch it was you but I couldn't see your hand.:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[zenn]

finn, where did you get those magnets and how did you diy them like that?

 

[DonW]

If you want to do one of these. Go over to www.mjmods.com You can get all the parts and instructions without wading through all the rc threads.

Don

 

[goodfortune]

I'd like to second on the magnets question...where can we get them? Are they reef-safe as is, or do we have to cover or coat them with something?

Thanks in advance!!!

- Michael

finn, where did you get those magnets and how did you diy them like that?

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF Michael!

 

[plack]

I would think magnets are the same material as the impellers on the pumps.
Paul
How about a mod to hang it and spin it

 

[mfinn]

The magnets I used were neodyium magnets. You can buy the at magnet4less.com and magnet4sale.com.
I don't know if they are sale in salt water forever, but I did place some a saltwater for about 3 months and I did not see any corroision.
But just to be safe I inclosed them in acrylic and sealed it.

 

[SmellsFishy]

...How about a mod to hang it and spin it

Do you mean the "Swilrer-Stein" AKA DIY Sea Swirl mod? That's easy to do.
All you need is a low RPM and high torque motor (about $4) https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006031613352805&item=5-1563-A&catname=electric This is the motor that I used on mine.

There is also a pretty extensive thread on RC's DIY forum on this
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=799971

 

[Electrokate]

Hey Marty (or anyone else in the know)
I got these magnets at Home Depot, supposedly they had a ceramic magnet that would work for mounting small pumps but most of their stock was out so there weren't enough choices for me to tell if this was "best". Think it's ok? They are not plastic or ceramic coated, just look and feel like regular magnets but are much stronger.
Also, you use super glue or aquarium sealant to attach them? I could coat them with either really, so that they don't have much of a chance of contacting marine water.
If these are good they are going on a lot of stuff. Tired of thermometers bobbing away, falled algae clips etc. These feel like they might scratch acrylic though. Haven't tested
Thanks,
Kate

 

[mfinn]

Kate, I don't think those would be strong enough to hold a maxi-jet through the glass or acrylic of your tank.
Last time I was at Lowes, they had the ceramic ones.
I just used silicone to do the standard maxi-jet magnet mount.

 

[Electrokate]

You are right, these don't work. Not strong enough. Do work better than any fridge magnet I have ever seen, maybe I will make some artsy fartsy magnets and sell them downtown . What do the good ones look like? These were the only ones on display and am afraid this will happen again if Lowe's isn't fully stocked. They say "ceramic" on them... Are the Lowe's ceramic magnets coated or just raw looking like these? Different package and magnet shape?

Kate

 

[sea monkey]

I found this thread on rc about how to mod a maxi-jet powerhead to give it a wide stream instead of a narrow stream.
This is really amazing how much it changes the maxi-jet. The maxi-jets are really a great little powerhead but the flow is a little to focused. This mod makes the water come out in a very wide pattern and some people claim more flow. I don't have any way to prove it or disprove it, but I like what this does.
Here are a few pictures.
I did have to make a new way to attach it to the glass because the suction cup bracket won't work.

I think you would be shocked how much more flow you get if you moved the prop forward and made the housing a bit longer so it is enclosed around the prop. right now I'm sure it is shooting a lot of water out the sides and doesn't have enough slits behind the prop to suck in water properly. I noticed a dramatic difference even going from five 3/16th to five 1/4" slits "behind" the prop . right now you only have three behind it. water takes the easiest path and a good portion of that is out the sides after the beside the prop.

 

[mfinn]

I just felt the area you are talking about and that is the area that feels like it has the most suction.
The water is definately not blowing out the sides.
Maybe you have a different prop?

 

[sea monkey]

looks like you are using the 1435 ?

well you can give it a try if ya want . like i said , you might be surprised.

 

[mfinn]

SmellsFishy did the whole mod for me several months ago.
It's the dark brown one.