Suction cups??

[Dalbery]

I have a few maxijet 1200's and 900's. Lately I've been having a heck of a time keeping the suction cups stuck to the tank. My tank is acrylic and clean. The cups are clean and plyable but only seem to stay stuck on for 2 days max. Are there any tricks to do to keep them stuck on like vaseline or something? I love these powerheads but this is ridiculous
Thanks in advance,
Darrell

 

[snobanker]

Darrell,

I would skip the suction cups altogether...they suck ...well not very well

What I did was buy some of those small 1"x2" "ceramic" magnets (Lowes, Home depot etc) I glued two of them side by side to the bracket that holds the suction cups. Then I use two more on the outside of the tank to hold it in place...they work great. I discovered it took two inside and two outside to hold my MJ 1200's using those particular "ceramic" magnets

 

[jesshimom]

I bought 4 maxi jets from a gal who bought small mag float cleaners and siliconed them on! It is sooo great. I move them around when Im cleaning or whatever to move them out of the way and i just love them.

 

[thermacline]

I have maxi jet 1200 also. I hate the suction cups, they don't stay on for very long. the magnet idea sounds like a good idea. What do the ceramic magnets look like. Do you have a picture of them so I know what I'm looking for at home depot. thanks.

mark

 

[MtnDewMan]

Any pictures of these mods to show?

 

[moortim]

Duct tape....It's all about duct tape. lol

 

[thermacline]

does anyone know what the ceramic magnets look like. Are they a low profile magnet? The mag float cleaners are a little to big for me. I would like to keep the powerheads as close to the glass as possible. If anyone has any other ideas let me know. thanks.

mark

 

[mfinn]

Do a google search for ceramic magnets. You'll find plenty of pictures.

 

[thermacline]

are they safe to put in an aqurium as is? Do I have to seal them in any way?
thnks
mark

 

[mfinn]

That I couldn't tell you. But alot of people have been doing it.

 

[mfinn]

I know the makers of mag pumps use a ceramic material for the impeller shafts.

 

[jesshimom]

I just remembered another thing I read about suction cups. One person put a dot of silicon on the suction cup and the attached it. It will peel right off when you decide to move them. It worked great for her. Just a dab in the center of the cup and press it to the glass!

 

[jeremys78]

I used to have a horrible time keeping my MJ1200's on the glass (acrylic, actually), but I found that cleaning the acrylic *immediately* before pressing the cups on, as well as taking the rough side of a scotch-brite sponge to the mating surface of the suction cups can dislodge a slimy film layer of goo/bacteria/algae/etc.
After taking the time to scrub out the interior of each cup, they have not fallen down again (>2 months).

As insurance against sandstorms (if your powerhead does fall), why not tether the PH via its powercord?
This is what I had in mind.

 

[snobanker]

Here's a couple pics of the ceramic magnet mod....The first time I tried it I used superglue, but that eventually broke off. The next time I used some clear silicone and it hasn't fallen ...you can see from the coraline, that it's been in there awhile. The nice thing is you can reposition the PH without putting your hand in the tank.

 

[thermacline]

thank you for all the ideas.

 

[mfinn]

Darrell,

I would skip the suction cups altogether...they suck ...well not very well

What I did was buy some of those small 1"x2" "ceramic" magnets (Lowes, Home depot etc) I glued two of them side by side to the bracket that holds the suction cups. Then I use two more on the outside of the tank to hold it in place...they work great. I discovered it took two inside and two outside to hold my MJ 1200's using those particular "ceramic" magnets

Did you notice if the magnets you bought had a strength rating printed on the packaging?

 

[snobanker]

Did you notice if the magnets you bought had a strength rating printed on the packaging?

I dont recall any rating. What I did was carry a few to the glass department and held them on each side to see how strong they held I found that two of the 1/4 thick by 1" x 2" (approx) on each side of my tank glass held an MJ1200 pretty well.

 

[bc_slc]

just an FYI, it have done this on my 170 gal tank which i believe is 1/2" acrylic. I used the same magnets, and they hold, but just barely. Before I do my next set, I think I will plan to place 3 magnets per MJ1200 and certainly will do 3 if I do any of my seios.

Mat

 

[mfinn]

bc slc,
if you want a magnet mount that will hold anything, check out the link.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13716