New Skimmer

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mustangbobo,

Just a quick clarification of Mike's statement on the LT19. It is nowhere near as powerful as he states. It blows 2.5cfm at 0 PSI and around 0cfm at 5 PSI not both at the same time.

Peace,
John H.
 
By far the best value out there in terms of power and sound level is the airtech pumps.

The airtech 40 pump delivers 47lpm at 2.85 PSI and at 60 hz will run you about 38W and all at about 37db. In comparison, the LT 19 will deliver only around 34lpm at 2.85PSI and will cost you 51W and will probably be significantly louder than the airtech.

At $195 with free shipping from mystickoi.com (by the way, the cheapest place around so don't try looking elsewhere :) ), the pump is a steal.

The airtech pumps are also considered the most powerful linear air pumps out there and a lot of koi fish keepers are big fans.

Peace,
John H.
 
Mike,

Just a little info. for you. Your pump, the LT 28 delivers a whopping 90lpm at around 2.85PSI. :) As we all know, unless you are running a system in excess of 1,000 gallons and have a giant skimmer, we aren't going to need close to that amount of air.

Peace,
John H.
 
Also Mike, if you were thinking of switching to another quieter and more efficient pump, I'd suggest the airtech 80 which delivers 81 lpm at 2.85 PSI and will run you 62 W of electricity at about 40 db.

Peace,
John H.
 
Just one more thing. I'm not selling these things and I'm not getting compensated in any way. I just think these pumps are bad ass!!!

Peace,
John H.
 
LOL ok John I am totally confused now :p

Are you talking about the alita airpump or the airtech or are they the same thing??
I could be wrong about the psi vs the cfm but I dont have the charts in front of me right now but I will take a peek when I get home. I wouldnt want to give up the wrong info.
Regardless my line of thinking was that thier is not going to be any real psi requirement as we are not really driving the air very deep into water, so any airpump you might go with is not going to need very much psi. unless you restrict it. So if your looking at getting around 2 cfm I figured the WW would be better as it give you a another .5 cfm for when the stones deminish. Yes thier is going to be an electrical cost difference for sure, I am nt sure what the math would be with the extra 5 watts. On the sound I cant find any DB readings for the LT so you could be dead on thier to.
Regardless thier are an my airpump
Just a little info. for you. Your pump, the LT 28 delivers a whopping 90lpm at around 2.85PSI. As we all know, unless you are running a system in excess of 1,000 gallons and have a giant skimmer, we aren't going to need close to that amount of air.
Actually as I have said earlier in the thread John my airpump is way to big for my skimmer also, I still have it at half speed. I think I could run my skimmer just as well with a 2.5 to 3 cfm pump. The reason I suggested the 2.5 to Mustang was that his skimmer is just a little bit smaller in height then mine.

Thanks for the catch if I was wrong on the cfm/psi


Mike
 
John,
Do you think the airtech 40 is appropriately sized for my skimmer (10x60) and the stones (4) alr150cp mojo has suggested? Just to clarify, My reaction camber is 60", cup assembly will be another foot or so. I want to be able to look my smimmer in the eye. lol
Special Thanks to Mojo, and all others who have contributed to this thread. I think this is the most awesome skimmer design out there.

Bob
 
Hey Mike,

Just a few answers. The alita 40 is different from the airtech 40... after trolling some koi forums, I found that the airtech is where it is at. The alita has a good name, but the airtech seems to be the new kid on the block and it is taking names. Like I said, just from the pump curves, the airtech is definitely ahead of the pack.

As for the PSI requirements, I think it'll be split down the middle with the airstones requiring some of it (.50-.75PSI) and then the water level will also require the other part of it and depending on how large and deep you go, the water level could be taking up more of that PSI requirement, so there's nothing wrong with a solid PSI rating.

Bob,

To answer some of your questions. It seems like your skimmer will actually be larger than Mike's skimmer by a bit. Another factor is whether you will have a wetneck like Mike. I think that might change up your numbers a little. Honestly, for a skimmer of your size, I'd go with the Airtech 80 just to make sure you've got that extra power if you need it. If you were going with a wetneck, I'd think the airtech 40 would be a good match, but if not, go with the airtech 80. The four stones that Mike mentioned should do you well. The ones he mentioned are actually capable of withstanding moderate levels of ozone, but if you don't dose ozone then you can get the slightly cheaper polyethylene 1/2" NPT fittings on the airstones.

Peace,
John H.
 
You know... the funny thing is that you could spend 500 bucks on a deltec "modified" eheim pump and get about 600-900lph of air out of it and you would be happy, but you could spend 300 bucks on an airtech 80 pump and then maybe another 50 bucks on airstones and get around 4800 lph at probably a depth of 3 ft. You'd get at least 5 times the performance flow wise than you'd get with the deltec. Not to mention that you could use a huge main chamber with the airpump and the deltec might struggle with an 8" diameter tubing over 3 ft. at that point.

I don't even think the eheims would work at optimal at that head height.

I really need to study now.... I waste too much time researching pump curves and on aquaria in general. haha

Peace,
John H.
 
Yea I would go with the 80 or equal. It is a lot eaier to turn it down then to not have enough. Put up some pictures Mustang I would to se the unit.


MIke
 
Darn it. secret is out now. My skimmer will be snailman like (free pvc). Ordering materials I need right now. 80 pump sounds good.
 
System is still coming together. 300g of sps propagation tanks, 75g sump, I still need to bring my 125 show tank on line. 300g is a little misleading though because it is 75 sq. ft., about 10" deep.

Bob
 
Hey thiers nothing wrong with PVC!!, Snailmans skimmers have been around for a long time, proves a good design.


MIke
 
Mike,
Have you done any experimenting with the stone placement?
I was thinking about 4 stones (alr150cp) arranged in a 6" square manifold pointed up. The inlet would be in the center. This way the inlet could drop down the 6" neck and the whole assy could be lifted out for service. What do you think?

Don
 
Don you could you just have to watch out from where you draw the water for the output. I wouldnt drop them all the way down, but then agaain it depends.


Mike
 
John, Which air pump do you think I would need for a 8" dia 40" tall skimmer? I want lots of air. :D
 
It would be kewl to have a swimming pool as an aquarium :) .
I have a tiny question about skimmers :p , mine makes little tiny bubbles is that normal?
 

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