DAS skimmer club

[reef2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10895994#post10895994 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PaintGuru
Just got my skimmer today!!! Now I need to figure out how to hook it up in my sump. That may take a little while . I'll probably go with a MJ1200 and see if I can plumb it that way. For those that have a "skimmer compartment" with baffles between it and the return area....do you have your skimmer output go into the "skimmer compartment" or into the return compartment? I'm not sure how big of a deal it is if I have the skimmer output returning into the skimmer compartment area.

i have my return water go to the skimmer compartment. i think if u have it go to the return pump part u might have micro bubble problem.

 

[PaintGuru]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10897489#post10897489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vickreyreef
got mine today too! can't believe how fast that was....ordered sunday late afternoon!! It came completely assembled....I think we will tackle this over the weekend...as we want to remove the submersed sump and create a fuge in the compartment.....plus we are both inept when it comes to doing anything like this...and it came with zero instructions....so will be relying heavily on this board probably lol

Thats not a bad idea. Maybe I'll try doing that with my "skimmer compartment" too.

 

[vickreyreef]

yeah, we have been really wanting to set one up and this seems like the golden opportunity...a liitle sand, live rock rubble, chaeto and a cheapo light from HD and we are in business I believe (someone correct me if I am over simplifying and missing something

 

[er1c_the_reefer]

still no word on mine =\

did anyone order an EX3 recently?

 

[PaintGuru]

Well my EX1 is up and running. It really is amazing how little there is to a skimmer. Everything fired up ok and we will see how long it takes to break in. Thanks for all the help everyone....I will post opinions as they become available.

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10903277#post10903277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by er1c_the_reefer
still no word on mine =\

did anyone order an EX3 recently?

Did you check the website?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10904378#post10904378 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PaintGuru
Well my EX1 is up and running. It really is amazing how little there is to a skimmer. Everything fired up ok and we will see how long it takes to break in. Thanks for all the help everyone....I will post opinions as they become available.

Mine was skimming the next day. It had a nice foam head too!!! I ran it kinda wet for the first week of so.

 

[Fliger]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10880486#post10880486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USC-fan
The valve has nothing to do with saving money by DAS.

Looks at the similar design skimmers:

Deltec APF600

H&S Axxx-2001 line of skimmers:

These skimmers are design to run with a certain amount of water being pump into them. If a gate valve was needed to improve performance then deltec or H&S would used them.

With the correct flow the water is set at the right level. For the ex-2 the mj1200 wide open set the water level correctly.

Honestly i don;t feel any performance mods are needed to these skimmers. For the body size you are really at the limit of air. You will not find any other skimmer of the same body size pushing this much air through.

I really think a lot of people in this thread are used to buying skimmer that do need to be modded to perform well. For example the people who mesh mod these pumps just to have the skimmer overflow.

I don't know if you got corrected on this - but you're absolutely wrong. The H&S uses a wedge pipe, above the T. Exactly the same as Bubble King. The wedge pipe controls the water level, indendent of the recirulating pump(s) and is invaluable. Also why I prefer all acrylic builds - so you can fine tune the water level w/o taking the lid off.

Deltec uses BV's starting with their Eheim models - but many Deltec users have put a BV on their APF skimmers.

EDIT - if you look at the pic you linked, with the larger H&S, there are two white dots. When those dots are aligned - there is no backpressure. A slight turn either way acts as a flow restricter.

 

[er1c_the_reefer]

yup... i checked it with the confirmation number. still says status ordered and no shipping info.

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10904646#post10904646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fliger
I don't know if you got corrected on this - but you're absolutely wrong. The H&S uses a wedge pipe, above the T. Exactly the same as Bubble King. The wedge pipe controls the water level, indendent of the recirulating pump(s) and is invaluable. Also why I prefer all acrylic builds - so you can fine tune the water level w/o taking the lid off.

Deltec uses BV's starting with their Eheim models - but many Deltec users have put a BV on their APF skimmers.

EDIT - if you look at the pic you linked, with the larger H&S, there are two white dots. When those dots are aligned - there is no backpressure. A slight turn either way acts as a flow restricter.

Thanks for clearing that up.


I have looked at the H&S manual and i didn't see anything about that.

 

[Fliger]

No problem. I guess I didn't even mention my point - that I'd totally recommend a BV on the DAS skimmers. It certainly can't hurt. Just make sure to turn the recirc pumps off when finetuning the water level after putting a BV or GV on.

 

[carlos_fb]

So the wedge pipe works as a gate valve basically? where can we get those wedge pipes?

 

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10904788#post10904788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fliger
No problem. I guess I didn't even mention my point - that I'd totally recommend a BV on the DAS skimmers. It certainly can't hurt. Just make sure to turn the recirc pumps off when finetuning the water level after putting a BV or GV on.

Thank you Fliger. I made my point and there was nothing to add but it's nice to have some supportive input.

 

[Kirk_M]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10891264#post10891264 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vickreyreef
don't count on an email...just keep checking on their website....they are shipping super fast...its awesome...

Who'd you order from?

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10906179#post10906179 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarG
Thank you Fliger. I made my point and there was nothing to add but it's nice to have some supportive input.

:thumbsup:

You were correct!

So how you liking the skimmer so far??

 

[vickreyreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10906337#post10906337 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kirk_M
Who'd you order from?

petorama.....was great and would highly recommend....but other than an order confirmation I never heard another word from them....but they updated their website quickly and information was available immediately....

 

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10906410#post10906410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USC-fan
:thumbsup:

You were correct!

So how you liking the skimmer so far??

I didnt mean it to come of as I was some type of argument winner. Just meant that I thought it was a valid point that having the added control afforded by an output valve was an advantage.

But thanks. The Skimmer is definitely one of the bang for the buck values. They built it heavy duty enough to do the job, not for the wow factor. Saved the money they would have spent on 1/4" thick cast acrylic by using a combination of what I think is a bit thinner extruded acrylic and ABS. Which is completely adequate. Maybe saved a few bucks by skipping a valve on the output (but I still could be wrong about that) And then put the budget into better pumps. Very smart! In turn you get a skimmer built on a proven Deltec and H&S design, DAS couldnt lose doing this. And you get it for a good price. Literally hundreds less than what a similiar DAS or H&S would cost. And it should work every bit as well. It's a great skimmer, I really like it.

 

[GuySmilie]

A question for EX-1 owners

A question for EX-1 owners

Just so that I'm clear on it -
The fittings where the recirc pump penetrates the main tube are 1"?
The fitting where the water input penetrates the main tube is 1/2"?
The fitting where the water output penetrates the main tube is 1-1/4"?

TIA.

 

[USC-fan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10908617#post10908617 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarG
I didnt mean it to come of as I was some type of argument winner. Just meant that I thought it was a valid point that having the added control afforded by an output valve was an advantage.

But thanks. The Skimmer is definitely one of the bang for the buck values. They built it heavy duty enough to do the job, not for the wow factor. Saved the money they would have spent on 1/4" thick cast acrylic by using a combination of what I think is a bit thinner extruded acrylic and ABS. Which is completely adequate. Maybe saved a few bucks by skipping a valve on the output (but I still could be wrong about that) And then put the budget into better pumps. Very smart! In turn you get a skimmer built on a proven Deltec and H&S design, DAS couldnt lose doing this. And you get it for a good price. Literally hundreds less than what a similiar DAS or H&S would cost. And it should work every bit as well. It's a great skimmer, I really like it.

oh, i didn't take it that way! And i agree that the outlet valve is great if you don;t want to run a lot of water through the skimmer.

Now you just need to come up with this wedge pipe design so i can put it on my skimmer...

 

[DarG]

Not just a small volume of water but a larger volume of water as well by lowering the T.

The wedge pipe design seems simple enough. Problem is that it would seem that there is some type of gasket to keep a seal when you spin the pipe to control the water flow.

If you are worried about being able to return the skimmer to stock, just buy a 1" Spears schedule 40 union and rebuild the output from the output side of the stock union using either a valve or an expansion coupler. Then , you can return the skimmer to stock by just replacing the adjustable flow output that you built with the stock piping by just removing the modded piping and screwing the stock piping back on at the stock output union.

 

[uhuru]

^^Ha ha, that's exactly what I did a few days ago. Parts should be here next week and I will give the gate valve control another try. Last time I did it I put the gate valve AFTER the T because I didn't want to cut up my stock pipe and I think this may have caused issues.