Coral Box/Jebao skimmer D500 pump died. Help

[Webmanny]

Hey team,

The pump on my skimmer just died tonight. I called Fish-Street and to my surprise, they told me they are shipping a replacement set tomorrow. My question is, how long can I run my setup without a skimmer? They say it will take a week to arrive, but I expect the actual to be more like 2 to 3 weeks.

While removing the skimmer, I must have stirred things up quite a bit and my tank now looks white/milky.

I'm planning on doing a water change tomorrow, but would like to get your feedback and see how far I can go without skimmer.

I would like to avoid having to buy a pump just for two weeks.

 

[CrazyEyes]

Unless you're doing some sort of carbon dosing I.e biopellets, vinegar etc I wouldnt worry about it too much. Just keep up with water changes and change your socks. The biological filtration should do its job. Maybe cut back on feedings a bit for now though.

 

[BryanS4]

Unless you're doing some sort of carbon dosing I.e biopellets, vinegar etc I wouldnt worry about it too much. Just keep up with water changes and change your socks. The biological filtration should do its job. Maybe cut back on feedings a bit for now though.

Agree, 100 per above. I've had my skimmer offline for a week with no problems. I believe I made one extra WC and changes my socks every day io once of 3 days.

 

[Webmanny]

Thank you for your response. I am dosing Vodka, both to the tank and myself. should I stop the vodka on the tank until I get the skimmer back up and running or just reduce the amount I am dosing?

 

[bigzman]

I agree with above. But since you are using vodka I would stop. Check PH if very low drop airstone. You might have a CO2 building up from Vodka bacteria. You should be good for a few days along with water changes.

 

[Webmanny]

I agree with above. But since you are using vodka I would stop. Check PH if very low drop airstone. You might have a CO2 building up from Vodka bacteria. You should be good for a few days along with water changes.

Awesome. Thank you all for helping me not go crazy and buy a new skimmer of pump.

 

[FloMotion]

That's pretty early for the pump to die. Are you still happy with the skimmer? I've been looking at the d700, but my only concern is availability of replacement parts.

 

[Webmanny]

I agree. It has only been 6 or 7 months. Now, in their defense, I have never cleaned this pump and I had a slime outbreak that could have clogged it. Also, they have agreed to send me a full new pump at no cost to me.

Having said all that, I am happy with the skimmer and the design. It is very customization and very reliable when it comes to skimmate.

If I could recommend one thing, get the skimmer and buy an extra pump, just in case. I am ordering an extra, in case this happens again, I am not stuck with no skimmer while they get it replaced.

 

[FloMotion]

I agree. It has only been 6 or 7 months. Now, in their defense, I have never cleaned this pump and I had a slime outbreak that could have clogged it. Also, they have agreed to send me a full new pump at no cost to me.

Having said all that, I am happy with the skimmer and the design. It is very customization and very reliable when it comes to skimmate.

If I could recommend one thing, get the skimmer and buy an extra pump, just in case. I am ordering an extra, in case this happens again, I am not stuck with no skimmer while they get it replaced.[/QUOTE

I wonder if you could fit a different brand replacement pump in there. The specs for the coral box skimmer are very similar to bubble Magnus curve series. Probably manufactured in the same place... Just a thought :thumbsup:

 

[Webmanny]

I did considered that. However, are those controllable? Meaning, can they be turned down for smaller applications?

 

[FloMotion]

I did considered that. However, are those controllable? Meaning, can they be turned down for smaller applications?

I don't think the old Curve series are DC. However, I just saw on reef builders, that BM just announced the Curve DC series at reefapalooza.

 

[Webmanny]

That is pretty cool. I love these DC pumps. They are dead silent and push a lot of water through them. I hope I can get a decent one for a good price once the Bubble Magnus ones come out. Thanks for the info. That skimmer design from BM looks a lot like the D500 I have. At least that tells me that this is a good design, just a crappy pump. LOL

 

[Webmanny]

Update:
Dosing pump (Vodka) is now off
I added an air pump with two stones to the sump
I have been changing the filter sock daily
Water now looks a bit cleaner and corals seem to be doing better