ETSS Skimmer Club!
- Thread starter reef_only
- Start date
ostrow
It's Dr. Goodluck Himself
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15054499#post15054499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nomadic
no..that should not be the case. His packing may well be foam injected. The gives max protection. If so, UPS will then cover the cost of dammage due to the method of packing. Checking with Gary on that would be a good thing
Gary ships that way, yes. But last I checked, most hobbyists lack the equipment to foam-inject a package!
UPS doesn't have that at their shops either.
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
a garbage bag and a couple cans of spray foam will work
cnaegler
New member
I imagine that would work but i still would have to deal with the actual cost of shipping, which i would imagine to be approx. $100.00 each way (?) I checked on a 1/2 HP Iwaki pump.... $596.00 for the pump, plus i'm sure extra weight on the shipping.
It has a 3- phase, 230v motor. I can just see the meter wheel flying out of the case! :eek1:
The whole reason i asked about upgrading to a 1500 was because i was going to upgrade my tank to a 375 (96 x 36x 25) or 450 (96 x 48 x 25) when i build the new house and I was trying to save some cash by simply (ha-ha) upgrading what i have.
As a side note, i think you guys are awesome for all your help and input. That's why i hang out here on RC.
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
no problem ,glad to help
wow. the hammerhead is a powerful pump. I had everything T-ed off but the ball valve on the skimmer was closed and all of the outlets (chiller, return, and refugium) had perfect pressure before i added the skimmer. now when i add the skimmer, i would think that i'll be losing all of the pressure and flow rates that i had. i just can't decide if i should keep it on the maine line of plumbing or set up a seperate pump (my iwaki) for the skimmer.
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
i really like running them on there own pump if practical.they are easier to keep adjusted in most cases with a constant pressure and when you add a few variables in there its possible for the skimmer to not get proper pressure.
I ran a Reef Devil deluxe on my previous system for quite a while an it consistantly pulled dark smelly skimmate.
System was a 75g w/30g fuge & a 100g Rubbermaid sump.
Granted, the system was running for years before I added the ETSS and had a heavier load, but I can't get it dialed in on my new tank.
It was in the sump b4, now it's next to the sump/fuge
Running Rio 2500+ @ 792gph and it isn't consistant. Initially, I thought that I had made a mistake with the right angle, but this is the piece that ships with the skimmer for the outlet.
It skimms, then dies off and I need to clean it - been cleaned several times and the system has only been up since March. Cleaned it a week ago and ended up with it over running with clear water - installed an adjustment valve on the pump and it seems to be better - now a week later I can run the pump @ full output. Strange.
Thinking I need more of a load and to leave it alone for a while.
-Eric
System was a 75g w/30g fuge & a 100g Rubbermaid sump.
Granted, the system was running for years before I added the ETSS and had a heavier load, but I can't get it dialed in on my new tank.
It was in the sump b4, now it's next to the sump/fuge
Running Rio 2500+ @ 792gph and it isn't consistant. Initially, I thought that I had made a mistake with the right angle, but this is the piece that ships with the skimmer for the outlet.
It skimms, then dies off and I need to clean it - been cleaned several times and the system has only been up since March. Cleaned it a week ago and ended up with it over running with clear water - installed an adjustment valve on the pump and it seems to be better - now a week later I can run the pump @ full output. Strange.
Thinking I need more of a load and to leave it alone for a while.
-Eric
From AETech:
"Both air and waste containers hook up to the E.T.S.S.® with 3/4 in tubing to their respective hose barbs.
The waste container must be placed below the drain fitting on the skimmer to allow water to drain freely into it. The air inlet hose can be run to any convenient spot. Including running it to a remote location (such as to draw air from outside a window etc.) if desired. Up to 30 ft. of ¾ in hose can be used for the air intake.
Note: Three or more feet of proper tubing attached to the air intake totally silences it, without any loss in performance. This applies to all ETSS filters."
I used 3' of tubing and it made it quiet with no effect on the skimmer.
A.E. Tech ETSS Owner's Manual
I never used a mag 12 so i could not recommend...i have used a 3 mdq-sc. It was supposed to be a 4 but, i stuck with it. That pump had a little rubber stopper on top so like 2 drops of household lube oil could be added every 6 months to the housing. The pump ran hot, however it never did fail and served as a good backup pump after finally replaced.
After that, i used a Iwaki 55-RLT,(which we never tryed before), and my setup became a test. The 600 took on a life of it`s own with that pump...ummm it was a bit much. After that, a Gen-x PCX-40. It ran cool and was a stable pump in Garys arsenal. I currently use that Gen-x PCX-40 on my "patent pending" 600 heh . I would recomend that OR an Iwaki 40 RLT(jap model) if you can get it. You may just have to wire the plug on that one but, it`s a high quality pump for the $.
I also run a Iwaki 70 RLT for my return to the main, tee off to the 150 cryptic refuge and tee off to my Rowa-phos reactors. Hope that helps.
After that, i used a Iwaki 55-RLT,(which we never tryed before), and my setup became a test. The 600 took on a life of it`s own with that pump...ummm it was a bit much
. After that, a Gen-x PCX-40. It ran cool and was a stable pump in Garys arsenal. I currently use that Gen-x PCX-40 on my "patent pending" 600 heh . I would recomend that OR an Iwaki 40 RLT(jap model) if you can get it. You may just have to wire the plug on that one but, it`s a high quality pump for the $.I also run a Iwaki 70 RLT for my return to the main, tee off to the 150 cryptic refuge and tee off to my Rowa-phos reactors. Hope that helps
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Last edited:
cnaegler
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15117689#post15117689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by llebcire
I ran a Reef Devil deluxe on my previous system for quite a while an it consistantly pulled dark smelly skimmate.
System was a 75g w/30g fuge & a 100g Rubbermaid sump.
Granted, the system was running for years before I added the ETSS and had a heavier load, but I can't get it dialed in on my new tank.
It was in the sump b4, now it's next to the sump/fuge
Running Rio 2500+ @ 792gph and it isn't consistant. Initially, I thought that I had made a mistake with the right angle, but this is the piece that ships with the skimmer for the outlet.
It skimms, then dies off and I need to clean it - been cleaned several times and the system has only been up since March. Cleaned it a week ago and ended up with it over running with clear water - installed an adjustment valve on the pump and it seems to be better - now a week later I can run the pump @ full output. Strange.
Thinking I need more of a load and to leave it alone for a while.
-Eric
Same thing mine does. What a PITA! It has a mag 7 feeding it in a compartment in my sump where the level never changes so i can't figure out what the deal is. About the time it starts foaming good, it's time to clean the riser tube. It seems like all the gunk builds up in the riser tube rather than makes it to the cup. I may sell this one and get a different skimmer to see if i can get better results that way.
I have an ETSS 1000 on my 180 and it does a heck of a job so i don't know whats up.
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15117689#post15117689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by llebcire
I ran a Reef Devil deluxe on my previous system for quite a while an it consistantly pulled dark smelly skimmate.
System was a 75g w/30g fuge & a 100g Rubbermaid sump.
Granted, the system was running for years before I added the ETSS and had a heavier load, but I can't get it dialed in on my new tank.
It was in the sump b4, now it's next to the sump/fuge
Running Rio 2500+ @ 792gph and it isn't consistant. Initially, I thought that I had made a mistake with the right angle, but this is the piece that ships with the skimmer for the outlet.
It skimms, then dies off and I need to clean it - been cleaned several times and the system has only been up since March. Cleaned it a week ago and ended up with it over running with clear water - installed an adjustment valve on the pump and it seems to be better - now a week later I can run the pump @ full output. Strange.
Thinking I need more of a load and to leave it alone for a while.
-Eric
The pump you are driving it with is not consistent or strong enough to keep it stable.that skimmer runs great with a pressure rated pump like a iwalki 20rlt or a blue line HD20.I know the manual says they can be ran with a mag pump but they never reach full potential until you put a pressure rated pump on them
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
no problem,hope it helps.mag drive pumps are like hobby grade and get weaker as time goes on along with them being inconsistent in regards with pressure.blue line,iwalki,pan world are more like industrial pumps and last for decades before getting weak and produce a more consistent pressure.i never realized the full potential of these skimmers until i used external pumps and then again when i started overdriving them
Why would Gary who has an excellent customer service reputation suggest a pump which was not sufficient for the skimmer? Just call him if you are looking to mate the skimmer with an appropriate sump. I run a MAG 9 on the SB40 and am pretty happy with the performance but know I would probably be unhappy trying to run it with a MAG7. I agree that downdraft skimmers prefer a strong consistent pump feed.
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
well i picked garys brain about 12 years ago and he was the guy that had me abandon my mag pump on a ets 500 evoloution for a blue line 30HD and i never looked back.it pulls a half gallon of gunk from a 100 gallon frag system with a low bio load(3 fish and 100 frags) weekly.that skimmer could not pull a half gallon of skimate from that system in 1 year before the switch.personally i like having a pump that is over powered so i can dial it back if needed rather then one that is maxed out to just barely work with a clean skimmer and perfect conditions.again it will work with a mag like i said but its full potential will not be seen until you put a pressure rated pump on a downdraft skimmer.JMO so i am not looking for a arguement just trying to help someone who cannot get a mag pump to make there skimmer work properly.if the mag works for you and you think the skimmer cant perform any better then good luck and keep it as is
Well, I'm not counting on luck to make my equipment work properly, just sound advice which Gary has provided in the past (we agree on that) as well as my own experience. I've never run an ETSS 500 so I can't comment on it specifically nor did I in my previous post. Definitely not looking for an argument here either but on an SB40, the MAG 9.5 has been fine for me and produces plenty of skimmate daily. Maybe Gary should revisit recommending MAG pumps on his site and in the instruction manuals if they have proven to be a problem for so many folks on some of the ETSS models over the years. He was recommending them 10+ years ago when I bought my first ETSS RD Deluxe and still does on certain models. To your point, I've had the same Iwaki pump as my circ. pump for going on 11 years. The MAG is a lesser quality pump and IME has never lasted close to this long under continuous use.
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