Installed a Bubble Blaster 5000 Skimmer Pump

Brian Prestwood

Premium Member
I replaced the mesh modded Laguna (Askoll) 1500 on my skimmer with a Bubble Blaster 5000. It seems to be working as advertised.

It is drawing about 2200 LPH of air and 40 watts of power.

2200 LPH is an extrapolation. My airflow meter shows 1800 LPH. However attaching it increases the power draw from 40 to 60 watts.

The airflow meter the club owns doesn't increase the power draw nearly as much. I'm going to check it out and get a better air flow reading.
 
Brian-I have the same pump on my Vertex 180. It's now a totally different skimmer. Great pump-may get the waterblaster for my return. Keep us posted.
 
I use a water blaster for my return pump, and love it. It is quiet and does not use much electricity. I was actually thinking of modding a body I have for a bubble blaster pump.
 
Hey John

The BB 5000 box says 2200 - 2400 LPH of air draw and that's what it does. How often do you find that these days.

My (shameless ripoff of Hahn) rule of thumb is 800 LPH of air draw per 100g of tank capacity. At 2400 (3 X 800) LPH of air draw the BB 5000 is ideal for my 300g tank.

I didn't look closely at the Water Blaster pricing. A Laguna (i.e. Askoll) PowerJet 1500 pond fountain pump costs around $150. It pumps 1500 GPH and is designed to pump water up (i.e. pressure rated high head pump). If you need more go to the 2000. If you need less got for the 1300 or lower.

Unless the Water Blaster is significantly cheaper I'd go with the Laguna (Askoll) pump.

Peggy carries a full line of Laguna pumps at O Street and AquaWorks. I think Doug carries a full line at AquaLife too.

Note that the pictures on the boxes will confuse you. They show the cage the pump sits in. Also the pumps have barb fittings on them that can be adapted to fit just about anything. Their power consumption is so low (no heat) that you can install them in your sump with little concern about heat.
 
You need to come down one of these days and measure mine. I think you're right in that I'm not skimming as much as I should be. I'd love to pick your brain on how to maximize what I got.

"If you teach it, the beer will come..." :beer:
 
Brian, based on your findings, I hope that my bubble blaster 2000 draws the 1000-1200 lph it claims. I've been contemplating starting carbon dosing again, but it left such a bad taste in my mouth the last time I used it.
 
Justin, if you were imbibing your carbon ( bad taste in the mouth), you need to upgrade to something better, like Johnny Walker Black perhaps. LOL
 
Boom! Wonderful assist Marc! :lol:

Only, I thought we could only use vodka, so the popov was leaving me with nasty hangovers.
 
You need to come down one of these days and measure mine.

Not going to touch that with a 10" pole :D

I think you're right in that I'm not skimming as much as I should be. I'd love to pick your brain on how to maximize what I got.

"If you teach it, the beer will come..." :beer:
Sounds like fun and it is the least I could do after you shoufered my @$$ around on the road trip. So far I'm available this weekend. The problem is I don't have the club's airflow meter. Anyway, YGPM.

I think I'm going to check it out at the next opportunity and keep it out until somebody wants it.
 
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Carbon dosing without a good skimmer is like using a leaf blower to get the dust out of your house.

Feldman's vodka dosing recommendation, possiby a quote from someone else, of 2.5 ml / 100g of tank capacity / day works well for me. My tank is pretty full and I feed heavily by any standard.

Brian, based on your findings, I hope that my bubble blaster 2000 draws the 1000-1200 lph it claims. I've been contemplating starting carbon dosing again, but it left such a bad taste in my mouth the last time I used it.
 
You are probably under skimming if...

You are probably under skimming if...

For reef tanks my rule of thumb is 800 LPH of air draw for every 100g of tank capacity. In other words a 100g reef tank should have a skimmer that draws 800 LPH of air. Don't start carbon dosing until you know you are in that range.

Some hints...

1) Your skimmer pump is a modified water pump. If its rated water pumping capacity is much below 800 GPH per 100g of tank capacity you are probably under skimming. If it is below 600 GPH you are definately under skimming.


2) if your venturi looks like this...

venturi.gif




3) Air draw drops rapidly as the height of the skimmer increases. If your skimmer body, to the base of the neck, is taller than 16" you are probably under skimming.
 
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