DIY Red Dragon Pumps, gathering ideas.

[hahnmeister]

4200 should have somewhere between a 5" and 6" diameter volute that is 2" thick (massive, I know). 2" inlet/outlet. The reason for the 'variable outlet' is that I really dont know what the head pressure handling will be for your skimmer. On the ATB's, the waterline is kept very low in the skimmer, and with the 4200 it would most likely be recirculating as well, so its not a major concern, and the largest volute possible is the way to go.

The 4200 will be on a skimmer that has been coined the 'Giga'. It will be something like 24" diameter at the base, 12" at the neck, about 42-50" tall, and be for commercial or very large reefs like 2000 gallons on up.

 

[slowpork]

hi

After reading this thread, I went ahead and bought Laguna 2400 and here is picture of its disc.

How can I attach mesh on it? Do I have to cut it all flat? Is the top disc detachable from ceramic shaft? It seems to stick together and I'm afraid to break it if I force it. Does anyone has extra PF4 that I can buy from?

Thanks!

 

[hahnmeister]

Seems ADHD has struck again... nobody wants to read before asking a question...lol.

Page 25.

Grind off the blades on the impeller.

No, the disk cant come off the shaft, it is fixed.

You can drill holes in the disk with care, perhaps using the part of the support that has an opening in it to allow the drill bit to pass through without higging it... not that its a big deal if you do end up putting holes in that support disk anyways...

Premium Aquatics sells enkamat.

 

[patedship]

I really want to make a DIY BK mini 160 which AquaClear pump would be the proper one to use?

 

[hahnmeister]

160... so something like 6" diameter... Hmm... The aquaclear 70 is more for the 4-5" diameter. The Laguna 900 might be your best bet actually... but you will need the shaft support on the inlet for that one. Make a volute about the same size as a eheim 1260/Sicce PSK (what is that... something like 70mm diameter and 20mm thick? cant remember off the top of my head... but about that). Otherwise, yeah... thats your best bet. The outlet on the 900 isnt tangential either, and to get the most out of the pump, it needs to be about 1" ID... although for a 6" diameter, I dont know that its that important.

 

[customcolor]

where do i get one of those air flow monitors?

 

[markywmson]

i've got a 90g tank i'm setting up (will be approx 150g total), and i've got about 32" usable under my stand. would it be reasonable to try to build a 24" tall reaction chamber (width can be up to 12") and using a 1500?

patedship-- GO SPARTIES!!!

 

[JCTewks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12658277#post12658277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by customcolor
where do i get one of those air flow monitors?

www.dwyer-inst.com Look in the section labeled "flow meters" and "RM series". Their site seems to be down right now or else I'd get you the direct link

 

[patedship]

That sounds like a pretty legit idea. I've been going thru prices of the Acrylic tubing and it looks like it is going to be hella expensive because of the quantity you have to buy. 6' usually being the least amount. I have drawn out all the plans for my skimmer in extensive detail but the tubing alone would cost about $300 add a pump to that and it is nearly half the price of the skimmer new. Anyone know where I can buy Acrylic tubing cut to my specs?

I tried out emachineshop but I dont have any CAD skills. It wont let me select Acrylic for the building material... pshh making it all difficult. If that wasnt an issue I would have been done in about 5 minutes.

 

[customcolor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12659655#post12659655 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JCTewks
www.dwyer-inst.com Look in the section labeled "flow meters" and "RM series". Their site seems to be down right now or else I'd get you the direct link

thanks i will check them out tomm then

 

[JCTewks]

www.mcmaster.com sells cast acrylic in small lengths...they are a little pricier than other places though. Check out the sticky in this forum about DIY plans and links, there are several acrylic co's listed there as well!

 

[customcolor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12659679#post12659679 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by patedship
That sounds like a pretty legit idea. I've been going thru prices of the Acrylic tubing and it looks like it is going to be hella expensive because of the quantity you have to buy. 6' usually being the least amount. I have drawn out all the plans for my skimmer in extensive detail but the tubing alone would cost about $300 add a pump to that and it is nearly half the price of the skimmer new. Anyone know where I can buy Acrylic tubing cut to my specs?

I tried out emachineshop but I dont have any CAD skills. It wont let me select Acrylic for the building material... pshh making it all difficult. If that wasnt an issue I would have been done in about 5 minutes.

if your looking for one heck of a skimmer body check out this guy. he has pvc from 6" all the way up to 24" in diamiter for cheep buy the foot! i got some 12" wide by 24" long and 1/2" thick wall ($67shiped) that i will be building and useing this mod to a pump for the recerc through a bubble plate in.
email him cuz like i said his prices are by the foot so shipping varies. by the way his cuts are nice and clean but not perfectly smooth(light sanding maybe)

 

[customcolor]

hey hahnmeister let me be the first to say "boy do you look smart in your new avitar "




must be the peanuts !

 

[xJake]

I'm going to ordering a case of pumps from azponds to split between me and a couple of friends and I've noticed that the pump names have changed. All I see on the site are the 2000 and 5000. I noticed the 5000 has about the same flow as the Laguna 1500. Is there any difference? Or would this be about the same as the 1500 in terms of performance?

 

[JCTewks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12666594#post12666594 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xJake
I'm going to ordering a case of pumps from azponds to split between me and a couple of friends and I've noticed that the pump names have changed. All I see on the site are the 2000 and 5000. I noticed the 5000 has about the same flow as the Laguna 1500. Is there any difference? Or would this be about the same as the 1500 in terms of performance?

The first page of this thread has all of the pump comparisons between old models and new models and their respective RD pumps

 

[hahnmeister]

Stick with the new models for many reasons. 900 and 1300 still need the shaft support on the inlet so they require a little extra work. 1500 looks small, but is a monster, and the 2000 is really the only other one to look at (2400 and 2900 have same motorblock, just larger volute for 2400, and then larger impeller for 2900... both parts that you will scrap in the modification)... well, unless you want a real monster made from the 4200...

But those are the only ones worth looking at. When I look at the impeller on the 5000 for instance, I do see brass on the impeller... right on the top.. it has to be because its got a 'gold' tint to it. But the others are all 100% high-grade stainless on the impellers.

 

[JCTewks]

Jon, Do you know what impellers to get for the older motorblocks that won't have the brass in them? I have a 7000, and would like a second impeller to mess with....and figure I might as well get one without the brass.

 

[hahnmeister]

Get the impeller for the new pump that matches it... simple as that. If you look at AZ ponds, you can see the pics of the impellers and which of the newer pumps match up with the older ones.

 

[xJake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12666901#post12666901 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JCTewks
The first page of this thread has all of the pump comparisons between old models and new models and their respective RD pumps

Oh, wow, I feel stupid... Thanks!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12666940#post12666940 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister

But those are the only ones worth looking at. When I look at the impeller on the 5000 for instance, I do see brass on the impeller... right on the top.. it has to be because its got a 'gold' tint to it. But the others are all 100% high-grade stainless on the impellers.

Is this the new or old 5000 you are referring to? If it's the new one I'm definitely staying away from it, and I'll go with the 2000. Or was there even an old 5000. My brain is not working tonight. I need to sleep.

 

[JCTewks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12667294#post12667294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xJake
Is this the new or old 5000 you are referring to? If it's the new one I'm definitely staying away from it, and I'll go with the 2000. Or was there even an old 5000. My brain is not working tonight. I need to sleep.

There is no "new" 5000

The one you want is the "PowerJet 2000", it will be the one labeled as "electronic".