New Skimmer

[dgasmd]

Well, I was thinking that it would not take much. If your skimmer is not too tall, you could always have a custom made extension of the same diameter to make it taller. Drill a couple of holes in the lid and lower the line for the air stones right through the top all the way to the bottom.

 

[edgerat]

the second best part of the skimmer and something that I think would work great if incorporated into any skimmer, is the wet neck. that is what helps it be really efficient

 

[mojoreef]

Yea you could Alberto, thiers always a way. See that was why I was asking about the newer style skimmers. With out going into detail they seem to be all mixing chamber with a very short neck. From my experence and imho the more bubbles you have rising up the tube the more protiens you are going to trap on the trip. I think also adding the stones to any skimmer would help enhance it no matter what. But to be honest all you need is an empty tube.

Issac the wetneck helps for sure. I think the most good it does is to keep the neck and tube clean and slick, this means that you dont trap detritus on the acrylic and clog the whole process. It also does make the foam rise pretty dar quick to, lol

MIke

 

[reeffan]

The wet neck for sure help the riser prevents protein waste built-up. I really like that design. It makes cleaning alot easier than the old school skimmers. As far as adding those airstones in an existing skimmers for an upgrade is a very good idea.

One question: For smaller airstones skimmers, what size of airstone and airpump do i need to use (for example: a 6 OD tube with 4" OD riser X 24" tall skimmer).

MOJO, do you have the links for me yet =).

 

[mojoreef]

Oh man I am no expert here Jon. I would say about a .5 to 1 cfm max and then match up the stons accordingly,but I am guessing.
The cheapest place for the air pump was here : http://www.aquacave.com/Whitewater.htm

and for the stones you want, hmmm they dont have a link on the site but if you have the catalog they are called the Ultra fine pore diffuser by sweetwater, not the generation II

Mike

 

[edgerat]

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/9751/cid/2328 these should do the trick... They have some that are an even finer pore for Ozone but I fear they may clog

 

[reeffan]

Mike thanks for the links, i think im going to get this parts ordered and see how would work for smaller skimmer. Also, are you using the LT11 or LT15? Just wanted to know so i can get a smaller airpump for my next project. Thanks again...

reeffan

 

[edgerat]

I believe Mike is using the LT28 on his.. For a smaller size version I would think that the 1.5cfm one would the best for systems up to 300gallons or so.

 

[reeffan]

I believe Mike is using the LT28 on his.. For a smaller size version I would think that the 1.5cfm one would the best for systems up to 300gallons or so.

Edgerat, i think i'd go for the LT15 1.5 c.f.m. just to make sure . One thing i didnt ask MIKE is the noise from the airpump. I got caried away looking at the skimmer foam and did'dnt even pay attention on the airpump. When you were there, did you notice any noise from the airpump?

reeffan

 

[edgerat]

You do notice the noise of the pump humming away because it was right there next to your ear as you look at the skimmer. The nice thing with air is you can have the air pump out in the garage or wherever you want and it will pump air a great distance without much, if any, loss. If I were to modify my own MRC skimmer or make my own mojo-skimmer I would put the pump in the garage and then run the tubing under the house in the crawl space and then up to the skimmer. Wait, what if we called it the AirHead skimmer??? HAHAHHAHAHAHA just teasin Mike!

 

[ldrhawke]

It may be worth while looking at the Sweetwater Linear II (diaphragm) or Sweetwater Linear Piston .......rated very very quiet, less than 40 db. The piston last up to 8 years between rebuilds.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/4706

 

[reeffan]

You do notice the noise of the pump humming away because it was right there next to your ear as you look at the skimmer. The nice thing with air is you can have the air pump out in the garage or wherever you want and it will pump air a great distance without much, if any, loss. If I were to modify my own MRC skimmer or make my own mojo-skimmer I would put the pump in the garage and then run the tubing under the house in the crawl space and then up to the skimmer. Wait, what if we called it the AirHead skimmer??? HAHAHHAHAHAHA just teasin Mike!

lol, . "AirHead Skimmer". I like your idea on using an airline thru crawlspace or garage. As long its quite and away from my kids, its all good.

reeffan

 

[reeffan]

It may be worth while looking at the Sweetwater Linear II (diaphragm) or Sweetwater Linear Piston .......rated very very quiet, less than 40 db. The piston last up to 8 years between rebuilds.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/4706

Wow, those price are pretty high for me. But then again, those pumps are quite according to the manufacturer. Hmmm i gusess i have to research about airpumps first.

reeffan

 

[ldrhawke]

Wow, those price are pretty high for me. But then again, those pumps are quite according to the manufacturer. Hmmm i gusess i have to research about airpumps first.

reeffan

The diaphragm Linear II are about 30% cheaper than the piston. Look at all the money you will save on hose not having to put it in the garage.... :badgrin:

 

[edgerat]

but still about 30% more than the whitewater pumps haha I dont know enough about the air pumps yet to know which is the best for longevity and efficiency.

 

[reeffan]

The diaphragm Linear II are about 30% cheaper than the piston. Look at all the money you will save on hose not having to put it in the garage.... :badgrin:

I was just looking at that aipump. I think those pump would work for the budget . Here's the link just incase someone need it.


http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/6588/cid/1769

reeffan

 

[edgerat]

http://www.aquacave.com/Sweetwater Linear Pumps.htm holy crap look at that first one! 1.8cfm and only 20watts draw!@@!@!!!! its twice as much money but DAYUM! I just sent an email to the company at Aquacave to see which of these pumps will have the longest life running 365 days a year and which one is the quietest and things like this. :razz:

 

[mojoreef]

The whitewater brand is foriegn made and the sweetwater is aquatic ecosystems house brand made for them. Their is a big price difference, personally went for the cheaper model.


MIke

 

[Zephrant]

Well I broke down and ordered some 6"x1.5" air-stones from Aquatic Ecosystems yesterday. I figure I'll use my 5HP compressor to do some testing, and measure the PSI and flow rate going though them for the best performance, then order the pump that would work best.

Thanks for your help Mike-

Zeph

 

[edgerat]

see below for the response I got my Aquacave regarding my needs for a 2cfm air pump

Hi Isaac,
For your setup I would recommend SL22 Sweetwater unit. It is a little
more
expensive comparing to Whitewater models, but it is also much quieter
and
much more reliable.
For more info please visit
http://aquacave.com/Sweetwater Linear Pumps.htm

Thanks, Albert Andrasz

www.AquaCave.com