HOB Deltec MCE clone

[reefplicate]

This was what i came up with, when a friend of mine setup a nano tank and really wanted a Deltec MCE, but was not willing to pay with an arm and leg for a HOB Skimmer for a nano tank.

After going through the design of the MCE, i found it not that difficult to copy, mainly flat acrylic sheets cut to size and don't need any CNC or laser cutting which i don't have any access to unless i pay up.

this is the first half of the skimmer

after all the glueing using acryfix 192, this is the completed 2nd half

this would be another view of the sides.

 

[dhnguyen]

Nice work. I 'm curious to find out how that OR performs in this design. Keep us updated.

 

[reefplicate]

after allowing to cure, i did a water test insump for major leaks

after i found no leaks i went on to construct the return flow outlet and collection cup. i didn't want a cup that needs to be emptied every other day, so i made them deeper, of cuz the upper half of the body had to be taller to allow for the depth of the cup.

i found the pump outlet was too turbulant and i made a simple device just to spread the water/bubbles sideways to reduce the flow, something like a diffuser.

 

[reefplicate]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7854974#post7854974 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dhnguyen
Nice work. I 'm curious to find out how that OR performs in this design. Keep us updated.

dhnguyen

thanx for the support. the OR i'm using is known in Singapore as a PH2000nw, i could have used the PH2500nw but thought it might be too much. the pump works well insump, but when hooked up back of tank, there was a drop in performance. (reduced flow of water/air)

 

[reefplicate]

the reason this pump seat outside of the skimmer is due to issue with heat in Singapore, perhaps those in US or europe don't have this concern, maybe during summer. here in Singapore it's almost summer every freaking day. and of cuz the electric bill here would be a pain if the chiller had to work overtime. price of electricity here is insane, like Germany.( i was told by chief of AquaMedic Germany )

this is a close up of the bubbles with the return running insump.

and this would be the results outsump. it's not that clear with this picture, but i can tell the differents over here. there was more bubbles escape under the baffles to the overflow when ran insump, but now barely any bubbles manage to return.

i had some problem with the air intake and had to redo the venturi, had to use a smaller collar to constrict the the in take to get bubbles to start sucking into the pump.

 

[reefplicate]

and finally the completed skimmer. it will be going to it's home in a few days time, and only then i can get some result to show. well the good thing about this Aquamedic's pump is that if the PH2000nw don't perform as intended or use on a bigger capacity tank, i can change out for the PH2500nw. the pumps dimension are identicle so there won't be any issues.

will try to update when possible.

 

[reefplicate]

here is something i hope would work, but many ppl have reasons to believe not. well at least this is the first step i took to try to show that it's not a waste of time.
well not really waste of time, cuz it's free time i have and there's nothing to do.:lol:

will do more test.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7855001#post7855001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefplicate
dhnguyen

thanx for the support. the OR i'm using is known in Singapore as a PH2000nw, i could have used the PH2500nw but thought it might be too much. the pump works well insump, but when hooked up back of tank, there was a drop in performance. (reduced flow of water/air)

Its not an OR, its a Hailea (the OEM who makes OR). Its the same pump thats on the smaller Octopus most likely.


Nice work on the Iwaki/Genx/whatever needlewheel. Youd probably get more air if you moved the venturi to the other side of the union.

Any idea what sort of air that thing is pulling?

 

[reefplicate]

RichConley
i know that hailea made those pumps, but it's sold under aquamedic brand. it's slightly different from those hailea pumps. the NW are also slightly different.

http://www.aqua-medic.de/en/service/pdfs/oceanrunner PH series _102.020_.pdf

this is the pump without those NW.

with regards to the amount of air. i don't have a flow meter so can't tell about how much it's pulling.

the pump seems to cavitate very easily. could be due to the small intake that's why not able to get enough water through. perhaps if the outlet was smaller then it'll be more balance. well thats why Spazz did mention about external Mag pumps not ideal for this type of application due to the intakes being too small to handle the flow needed.