ASM Skimmer Club!

[Insainoreefer]

If I'm understanding some of you correctly, your using a sedra 5000 with a G2?

Is your skimmer modded?
1. With a recirc unit?
2. Gate valve mod?
3. Mesh mod?

Sorry, just trying to understand what some of you are doing to use this skimmer to it's full potential.

 

[JoeMomma]

Hi all,

I know everyone says go overkill on the skimmers but I'm just wondering if a G6 will be overkill for my 120 with 240 total system volume FOWLR soon to be reef?

Thanks

 

[morty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13382825#post13382825 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JoeMomma
Hi all,

I know everyone says go overkill on the skimmers but I'm just wondering if a G6 will be overkill for my 120 with 240 total system volume FOWLR soon to be reef?

Thanks

You could probably get more bang for your buck going with a different brand skimmer, that would be a lot smaller and use less power, MSX 250 comes to mind. ASMs need a lot of modding to compete with newer skimmers.

 

[chevegan]

+1 - what he said ^ MSX 200 or 250

 

[robertifly]

Anyone know if and where I can get a new neck cone for a G3, I broke one one the tabs off that locks it tight and now it pours out the side plus don't work as well?

 

[JoeMomma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13383390#post13383390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by morty
You could probably get more bang for your buck going with a different brand skimmer, that would be a lot smaller and use less power, MSX 250 comes to mind. ASMs need a lot of modding to compete with newer skimmers.

I was thinking of getting a used one for about half the price. Is it still better to go with an MSX even at that price?

 

[chevegan]

yes lol. I replaced my ASM with an MSX. It's just a superior design. HOWEVER, I've been there where the money is so tight you can barely continue the hobby. If that's the case then take the g6 and upgrade just 2 pumps to sicce in the future. But keep in mind that 3 sedra 9000 take a lot of juice to run vs 1-2 sicce pumps. So you would make up the money in electricity in about a year. But again half the price? So what like 175-200 bux? hmm even so I would go for the msx just on the space saving and less electricity. Marinesolutions.com has free shipping now with MSX code during checkout. And if you do get it keep the pinwheels. Way more consistent with none of the mesh hassles.

 

[chevegan]

And for you ASM guys, I went to osh and picked up a gate valve and pipe a 90 and a T for my mod. it's been 3 days and has pulled out what it used to pull in a month. And no that's not an exaggeration. The thing sucked. 8oz a month. But it's ridiculous because you have to keep the water lvl over half way up the neck lol. Overall though the best $9 spent ever.

 

[JoeMomma]

It might not have come out clearly. I meant the G6 was half price, so something like 300-400.

But I do agree with you on the electricity issue. My hammerhead return pump costs me $13 a month to run...

 

[morty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13384280#post13384280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JoeMomma
It might not have come out clearly. I meant the G6 was half price, so something like 300-400.

But I do agree with you on the electricity issue. My hammerhead return pump costs me $13 a month to run...

You can get a new MSX for that kind of money, no brainer IMO.

 

[morty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13384171#post13384171 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robertifly
Anyone know if and where I can get a new neck cone for a G3, I broke one one the tabs off that locks it tight and now it pours out the side plus don't work as well?

D&T or Custom Aquatic should have them, among others.

 

[chevegan]

wow if that's the case is is a no brainer. MSX

 

[JoeMomma]

Sorry to talk about a different model.

Do the MSX skimmers need mods? An MSX 300 seems ok at $459 although I don't think shipping will be free to Canada. Do these skimmers need a ton of (or any) mods to get started? I would hope to have a nice plug and play one.

 

[morty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13384508#post13384508 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JoeMomma
Sorry to talk about a different model.

Do the MSX skimmers need mods? An MSX 300 seems ok at $459 although I don't think shipping will be free to Canada. Do these skimmers need a ton of (or any) mods to get started? I would hope to have a nice plug and play one.

plug and play from what I know. Check out their thread -

 

[morty]

ghetto G4x bubble plate

ghetto G4x bubble plate

I am using the Sedra 9000 as a meshmodded feed pump, and a meshmodded Sicce as a recirc pump. I decided to try to make my own bubble plate and run the outlets of both pumps into it.

First I wanted to patch the original holes so I could attach the pumps in a way that worked better in my sump. I cut some squares out of 1/16" grey PVC and put them on a curved metal sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for a few minutes to make them fit the skimmer body. Then I used PVC cement to glue them in place. And I drilled two new holes for the recirc pump:

For the bubble plate base, I got a closet flange and added some adjustable tabs to keep it centered in the skimmer:

This is what it looks like in the skimmer from the top down:

The bubble plate assembly is basically a PVC floor drain that has a hole drilled in the middle for a 1" PVC pipe, and the plate is placed upside down and held in place with a couple nylon screws:

For the recirc pump inlet, I pushed a 45 deg street elbow through a uniseal (going from the inside) and pressed on a 1" coupling (cut a bit shorter to fit snug on the steet el). And I cut a piece of 3" dia pipe to place between the closet flange and bubble plate assembly:

To combine the outlets of the pumps, I got a 1" wye and cut it so it would fit aginst the top of the bubble plate and hold it down (shown here with another 45 deg steet el in it):

Here is the whole lower assembly, with both pumps. I added a gate valve to the feed pump outlet so I can "tune" the feed rate (the skimmer also has the gate valve outlet mod, not seen here. And from an earlier mod, you can see a threaded hole plugged with a 3/4" plug). There is about a 1/2" space all around the bubble plate and the skimmer wall:

These mods seem to have helped stabilize the foam head quite a bit. Performance is pretty good.

 

[coralfragger101]

I had time to do my bubble plate mod today as well.

I've got photos of the build but here is the finished product ready for a trial run but I have to make room in my sump first.

 

[morty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13386128#post13386128 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coralfragger101
I had time to do my bubble plate mod today as well.

I've got photos of the build but here is the finished product ready for a trial run but I have to make room in my sump first.

I wonder if it would help to put a tee at the top of your bubble plate instead of an elbow, and bring the feed pump outlet into the cup as well as the recirc outlet (sort of like I did). The whole idea behind the bubble plate is to reduce turbulence in the body of the skimmer, and the way that feed pump currently is sort of defeats that..

 

[coralfragger101]

I'm not sure that it would totally defeat the purpose. There might be something to be said about having water going the opposite direction "to a point". Kind of a counter current type thing. Having some bubbles pushed back down will "in theory" create a longer dwell time.

I'm going to do a trial run as is. I can always change it.

 

[robertifly]

Morty thanks for the tips on the cone neck, btw I like the mods you did and bubble plate looks really good. Have you had time to determine how much they help?

 

[coralfragger101]

Morty: Where the heck did you find a 1" Wye?
I would have used those instead of T's on my overflows if I could have found them.