Bubble King Skimmer Club

[slief]

Scott, do you know if any of RE media reactors will work with Carbon and GFO?

Alex

Pretty much any of them. You just need to make sure to get the foam inserts with them. Also keep in mind that most of the RE reactors are made to be placed inside the sump. They only have a pipe sticking on the inlet side that you would connect your vinyl hose to. The outlet side is an opening so that water can gravity feed out. They have some larger reactors that have a pipe on both the inlet and outlet side to connect hoses. Those would be more suitable for external use.

 

[clorox]

Pretty much any of them. You just need to make sure to get the foam inserts with them. Also keep in mind that most of the RE reactors are made to be placed inside the sump. They only have a pipe sticking on the inlet side that you would connect your vinyl hose to. The outlet side is an opening so that water can gravity feed out. They have some larger reactors that have a pipe on both the inlet and outlet side to connect hoses. Those would be more suitable for external use.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Have you or anyone else used them? I am just curious if anyone had any experience using them, like how easy it is to change media and reload.

 

[slief]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Have you or anyone else used them? I am just curious if anyone had any experience using them, like how easy it is to change media and reload.

I haven't personally used them. I am using BRS Jumbo reactors because I needed something external that could be hung from the framing below my tank. I do have a local friend that has a few of the RE reactor and while he is planning on installing them, as of yet, he hasn't. His tank was just setup so he's now working on the finer details of the setup.

 

[Adamc1303]

Great to hear! How many turns out are you on the volute now? Like you I also have the SM250 with the RD3. The RD3 makes tuning the skimmer a dream. I had an Alpha 300 before it with two Red Dragon 1500's with the adjustable volute and having two pumps to dial in from a volute is double the pain.. Not that the adjustable volute is much trouble once you get a feel for it but two makes it infinitely more adjustable. I much prefer the RD3. How many watts are you running your RD3 SM250 at and what sump depth? I'm at 38 watts and 8" depth. I was running at 9" but decided to lower my sump level for reasons having nothing to do with my skimmer.

On the SM 250 I'm at 8" 39 watts, works awesome! I am getting frustrated with this skimmer though. Check out these videos. I have the water at the 6.7" optimal height and the water just keeps bouncing. I took the airline out and inspected and it's fine. I also have it running without the silencer in one of the videos and the sound is almost like the pump is pulsing. The videos are in the dropbox link. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fo35klat74rnzl0/AABaShdVoJPICBXMmhKNlxgZa?dl=0

 

[robi0543]

HI
I have bubble king mini 180 gen1 pump just stop working on it. Did anybody try to upgrade pump I mean use my existing skimmer body and get gen3 pump for it
Thanks
Robbie

 

[slief]

On the SM 250 I'm at 8" 39 watts, works awesome! I am getting frustrated with this skimmer though. Check out these videos. I have the water at the 6.7" optimal height and the water just keeps bouncing. I took the airline out and inspected and it's fine. I also have it running without the silencer in one of the videos and the sound is almost like the pump is pulsing. The videos are in the dropbox link. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fo35klat74rnzl0/AABaShdVoJPICBXMmhKNlxgZa?dl=0

I have this exact same skimmer. Water is going to pour out of that hole in the wedge pipe if you don't have the airline tube in there. That is 100% normal and to be expected. from the looks of it, you have the wedge pipe partially closed. Remove the wedge pipe completely and take a look at the cut end of the pipe. Note where the angle cut is and reinsert the wege pipe so that the cut is facing the opening/exit side of the T where the water goes into the sump. That is your full open position. When you insert that wedge pipe, make sure you have it all the way in. Put the airline tube back in and connect it back to the silencer.

Let the skimmer settle in for several hours. Once it settles in, note the water level in the skimmer. If the foam isn't up the the neck of the skimmer, I would raise your water level in the sump by 1/4" at a time until you get the foam up into the neck. The idea is to use the sump level to get the foam level/top of the water column where it becomes foam/bubbles and then use the wedge pipe to fine tune things. FWIW, I have my skimmer in about 8" of water. If your tank is really new and lightly stocked, you will want your sump level to be about 9" deep. My guess is that you will also want to be closer to 37 watts on the RD3.

 

[slief]

HI
I have bubble king mini 180 gen1 pump just stop working on it. Did anybody try to upgrade pump I mean use my existing skimmer body and get gen3 pump for it
Thanks
Robbie

There will be new RD3 pumps released late this summer for the Mini 180's. Have you tried taking the pump apart and cleaning the impeller and the body in vinegar? Refer to the instruction manual if you have any questions on the disassembly of that pump.

 

[robi0543]

Yeah I have cleaned and it definitely dead so need new one. I'm wondering is it straight swap or anything else need to changed

 

[slief]

Yeah I have cleaned and it definitely dead so need new one. I'm wondering is it straight swap or anything else need to changed

When the RD3 upgrade pump for that skimmer is released, it will be a straight swap.

 

[clorox]

I am plumbing an RD3 Speedy 80w as my return on my new 120g, should I leave the stock 1" union outlet or should I replace that with a 1 1/2" union so I can use larger diameter piping? What's the conventional wisdom when plumbing an RD3? Any examples are greatly appreciated.

 

[slief]

I am plumbing an RD3 Speedy 80w as my return on my new 120g, should I leave the stock 1" union outlet or should I replace that with a 1 1/2" union so I can use larger diameter piping? What's the conventional wisdom when plumbing an RD3? Any examples are greatly appreciated.

1" is fine out of the pump. Besides, you likely won't find a matching union fitting to enlarge the outlet. They use a european supplier for those fittings. If you do find something, I would love to know what you found.

As for enlarging the lines, you could use 1.5" pvc from the tanks return outlets down to the pump and use a 1.5" to 1" bushing to reduce it at the pumps fitting. The larger diameter PVC will reduce friction loss a bit between the pump and display. If you have some elbows in line or other fittings, increasing the plumbing diameter between the display and the pumps outlet certainly won't hurt anything and will help a bit but don't expect a major increase in flow.

 

[clorox]

1" is fine out of the pump. Besides, you likely won't find a matching union fitting to enlarge the outlet. They use a european supplier for those fittings. If you do find something, I would love to know what you found.

As for enlarging the lines, you could use 1.5" pvc from the tanks return outlets down to the pump and use a 1.5" to 1" bushing to reduce it at the pumps fitting. The larger diameter PVC will reduce friction loss a bit between the pump and display. If you have some elbows in line or other fittings, increasing the plumbing diameter between the display and the pumps outlet certainly won't hurt anything and will help a bit but don't expect a major increase in flow.

Awesome thanks Scott!

 

[slief]

Awesome thanks Scott!

You are very welcome! :thumbsup:

 

[Adamc1303]

I have this exact same skimmer. Water is going to pour out of that hole in the wedge pipe if you don't have the airline tube in there. That is 100% normal and to be expected. from the looks of it, you have the wedge pipe partially closed. Remove the wedge pipe completely and take a look at the cut end of the pipe. Note where the angle cut is and reinsert the wege pipe so that the cut is facing the opening/exit side of the T where the water goes into the sump. That is your full open position. When you insert that wedge pipe, make sure you have it all the way in. Put the airline tube back in and connect it back to the silencer.

Let the skimmer settle in for several hours. Once it settles in, note the water level in the skimmer. If the foam isn't up the the neck of the skimmer, I would raise your water level in the sump by 1/4" at a time until you get the foam up into the neck. The idea is to use the sump level to get the foam level/top of the water column where it becomes foam/bubbles and then use the wedge pipe to fine tune things. FWIW, I have my skimmer in about 8" of water. If your tank is really new and lightly stocked, you will want your sump level to be about 9" deep. My guess is that you will also want to be closer to 37 watts on the RD3.

Were you referring to the double cone 150 or the sm 250 in this post? I was having issues with the double cone 150.

 

[slief]

Were you referring to the double cone 150 or the sm 250 in this post? I was having issues with the double cone 150.

I apparently mixed two different things up in that first couple sentences. I have the same skimmer being the SM250.

The water pouring out the wedge pipe hole being expectable with the airline out and the wedge pipe partially closed is to be expected with the 150 or any of them for that matter.

You mentioned that it was working better with the volute open more but were going to give it a few days to see if the micro bubbles subsided. How's it working now? If you find youself needing to close that wedge pipe to get the foam head up higher, try raising the sump level 1/4 to 1/2". That should help with the micro bubbles and stability.

 

[Adamc1303]

I apparently mixed two different things up in that first couple sentences. I have the same skimmer being the SM250.

The water pouring out the wedge pipe hole being expectable with the airline out and the wedge pipe partially closed is to be expected with the 150 or any of them for that matter.

You mentioned that it was working better with the volute open more but were going to give it a few days to see if the micro bubbles subsided. How's it working now? If you find youself needing to close that wedge pipe to get the foam head up higher, try raising the sump level 1/4 to 1/2". That should help with the micro bubbles and stability.

The main problem I have is that the pump seems to be sort of pulsing. Check out the video I posted a few posts back and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[slief]

The main problem I have is that the pump seems to be sort of pulsing. Check out the video I posted a few posts back and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Adam

The pump isn't pulsing. What's happening is that a slight siphon occurs when there is too much water and not enough air going into the skimmer. The water level rises creating head pressure in the skimmer and then a siphon occurs out the drain pipe causing it to drop down. You were on the right path by opening the volute up more. That decreases the amount of water going into the skimmer by increasing the amount of air. The air displaces the water.because the pump spins at a constant speed and will push through the same volume regardless if it's all water or air mixed with water.

If you are still seeing a surge, open the volute up slightly more. Once you are in the "ballpark", a very slight turn can make a big difference in fine tuning. I would turn the volute 1-2mm at a time either direction while keeping track of the skimmers response. Give it several minutes or more between adjustments so you get a feel for the skimmers response. Note that when you reach in to make those volute adjustments, the oils in your skin can impact the skimmers performance adversely so you may need to wait longer between adjustments so the skimmer has a chance to settle back in. This is usually obvious because the foam head may disappear or flatten out.

Also keep in mind that if your wedge pipe is closed at all during tuning, you are restricting the flow out of the skimmer which can compound the surging issue a bit as the tendency to want to siphon out the drain pipe could be increased. As such, there is a bit of a balancing act between sump depth and the volute adjustment. I like to get the sump water level such that the bottom of the foam level is right at the base of the neck with the wedge pipe wide open. Then get the volute fine tuned to produce the best foam possible keeping in mind that good foam is predicated on the being enough dissolved organics in the water to create good foam. Once you have a nice foam and the skimmer is stable, then you use the wedge pipe to adjust from dry skim to wet skim.

Once the skimmer catches up, the organics will be reduced to the point that the foam may change some. This is to be expected but that is also one of the upsides to the adjustable volute. You can fine tune even further if you feel the need to.

 

[jedimaster1138]

Hey Slief, quick question - (aside, you're the man for running this thread)

I'm thinking about a neck cleaner for my Double Cone 180 with DC RD3 Speedy. I've been looking at both the Avast and the Vertex. The price on Avast is somewhat more desirable, but I certainly want to get the unit that fits best. Do you have handy the measurements for the cup and lid on the Double Cone 180? Trying to figure out which model of either the Avast or the Vertex is the best fit.

I do tend to get a lot of build up in the neck, other than that the skimmer rips out a quite horrible, foul smelling stuff.

Related, if I was to want to retro the Avast Swabbie possibly by sending the lid to to Avast, and wanted to purchase a spare lid for my cup, how much would that run me and do you guys stock them in the US now? I'm also curious if the cup is stocked in the US too and how much that would be too.

Thanks again!

 

[slief]

Hey Slief, quick question - (aside, you're the man for running this thread)

I'm thinking about a neck cleaner for my Double Cone 180 with DC RD3 Speedy. I've been looking at both the Avast and the Vertex. The price on Avast is somewhat more desirable, but I certainly want to get the unit that fits best. Do you have handy the measurements for the cup and lid on the Double Cone 180? Trying to figure out which model of either the Avast or the Vertex is the best fit.

I do tend to get a lot of build up in the neck, other than that the skimmer rips out a quite horrible, foul smelling stuff.

Related, if I was to want to retro the Avast Swabbie possibly by sending the lid to to Avast, and wanted to purchase a spare lid for my cup, how much would that run me and do you guys stock them in the US now? I'm also curious if the cup is stocked in the US too and how much that would be too.

Thanks again!

I'd have to double check on the spare lid but I wouldn't bother sending it to avast anyway. If it were me, I'd likely go the vertex vectra route of those two choices. Reason being is that the vectra is routed so the collection cup goes into the lid. Avast used to have a routed out channel in the underside of the lid but as I understand it, they eliminated that feature.

For lid size, you need a 180mm Vectra or Swabbie lid which will match your skimmer. Personally, I use an AquaDriver Skim Clean which is by far the best self cleaning head you can get. It uses a gear driven motor and has a persistaltic pump built into the head that draws water up from inside the skimmer body and distributes it across the wiper blade for a wet scubbing. It works much better than the traditional wipers from Avast and Vertex but any wiper is better than no wiper in my opinion. Mine also has a wash down for the collection cup that I can activate via my Apex. This is the same head cleaner than was or is offered by Bubble King but unfortunately, they are hard to get in the US and run several hundred dollars. So now that I teased you with something that is tough to get, I'd go with the Vertex and keep your stock 180 lid in a box set aside in case you ever need it.

The stock cups and lids and not stocked in the US that Im aware of. They would have to come from Germany.

This is my AquaDriver SCH setup.

 

[jedimaster1138]

I'd have to double check on the spare lid but I wouldn't bother sending it to avast anyway. If it were me, I'd likely go the vertex vectra route of those two choices. Reason being is that the vectra is routed so the collection cup goes into the lid. Avast used to have a routed out channel in the underside of the lid but as I understand it, they eliminated that feature.

For lid size, you need a 180mm Vectra or Swabbie lid which will match your skimmer. Personally, I use an AquaDriver Skim Clean which is by far the best self cleaning head you can get. It uses a gear driven motor and has a persistaltic pump built into the head that draws water up from inside the skimmer body and distributes it across the wiper blade for a wet scubbing. It works much better than the traditional wipers from Avast and Vertex but any wiper is better than no wiper in my opinion. Mine also has a wash down for the collection cup that I can activate via my Apex. This is the same head cleaner than was or is offered by Bubble King but unfortunately, they are hard to get in the US and run several hundred dollars. So now that I teased you with something that is tough to get, I'd go with the Vertex and keep your stock 180 lid in a box set aside in case you ever need it.

The stock cups and lids and not stocked in the US that Im aware of. They would have to come from Germany.

This is my AquaDriver SCH setup.

That's a very, very BA cup cleaner. Whoa. Reminds me of the extensive cleaning set up on the GIANT skimmer at the Long Island Aquarium. Course that skimmer is multiple feet around and the wash down sprayer is a big hose. heh. But the idea appears to be the same. Very cool.

Anyway, OK cool. I'll look into the Vectra engine. It's reasonably enough priced comparatively. That's weird that Avast doesn't around the lid.

I started carbon dosing a while back and skimmate has gotten darker, grosser and tripled in volume, so I'm hoping the neck cleaner will be a great add on and save me time and keep things running peak longer between clean ups. 2-3x a week is annoying. Once a week would be nice. And not having to stick my hand down into the body/neck so deep would be nice.

Thank you sir!