new skimmer

T

timrandlerv10

New member
ok, so we FINALLY got the plumbing sorta straight for the skimmer. we used a rubbermaid for the sump :)

we have an overflow box (with no airhole...working on that this weekend...) dropping into a 1" pipe, into the rubbermaid, runs through the octopus needlewheel 110, then through a mag 5 and 3/4" back into the tank.

1) lots of flow from that mag 5...we blew sand everywhere today. tomorrow we will put in a 'T' and have it blow sideways.

sound ok?

2) the ball valve wouldnt adjust well enough for us to balance it...it was either just / / much too much or not enough. gate valve goes on tomorrow morning. home depot rocks.

will that be fine enough control to balance it?

3) there was a TON of water in the skimmer cup today. and some mysis (note to self...turn off pumps for more than 5 minutes...). i ran the skimmer for a week to help clean it.

how do i adjust it to skim best?

any other skimmer advice will be greatly appreciated. we hope to have happy hermits and clean crabs soon!

(have fun in nashville!!! anyone want to spend $25 for me?!)

tim
 
I am not clear on what you are trying to do with your equipment. Are you feeding your skimmer with the drain? Is there any pump on your skimmer?

A gate valve mod is usually for adjusting the water height inside the skimmer.

Tomoko
 
we are retarding the down flow to match what the mag 5 returns at 4.5 feet of head.

we were able to match it MUCH EASIER with the gate than the ball valve (that was $4 wasted!), but starting the siphon is still awkward. i think a vacuum pump on that would make the difference.
 
You don't need to resrict the flow from the overflow box too much. As long as the flow from the return pump is less than the capacity of the drain on the overflow, the display can't overflow if that is your concern.
I'm not a big fan of putting any type of flow restriction on an overflow drain. Shold something get snagged in there (snail shell, hunk of corraline, etc.) you have a flood on your hands as the pump will probably fill the display faster than it will drain.
I'm still not 100% clear on you objective.
 
I have a DNW-200 on my 120 and am running a maxi-jet 1200. The total volume flow recommended for the Octopus skimmers is 1 1/2 times the system water volume. How are you liking yours thus far? I am really happy with mine and created a gatorade collection cup by siliconing pvc with cap creating a continuous drain. The only kicker I am having is the cleaning, this stuff smells nasty!
 
if i dont restrict the down flow, the water POURS out the overflow and is very loud. and water splashes everywhere. and salt dries everywhere.

edwar-i'm not making any usefull skimmate yet...it makes a ton of bubbles, but i havent been able to adjust it to 'bubble over' without making it 'water over.'

i hope to figure that out today!

tim
 
~10 at home depot.

but i've also been to home depot EVERY DAY for the last week, so...

i've been thinking about how EVERYONE reacted to me putting a gate valve in there. i think we are going to drill a hole in the side of the overflow box, high up, and run another bulkhead through to a 1" line down. If the first becomes completely fouled, this one can pick up the slack. that gives me time to 1) hear something wrong and 2) fix it.
 
Is the gate valve made of PVC or brass?

I am looking for a 1" PVC valve to do a mod on my ASM skimmer. I am still just contemplating since the mod does not add anything to performance. It's just the convenience to change the skimming level. Online shops sell them at more than $10 for the PVC gate valve. No one in town had a 1" PVC valve when I checked including HD, Lowes, Lewter's, Ace, etc.

Tomoko
 
Yes do check it and make sure the internal valve when closed isn't brass. I have had this same issue, couldn't find what I needed locally. Tomoko which ASM do you have? I have the G-2 and would like to do that mod as well. I was also thinking of doing the pump swap on mine as well to increase performance.
 
Mine is also a G-2. What pump are you considering? One of the Gen-X pumps or a larger Sedra? I hear some pump comes with a mesh type impeller that a lot people are trying to immitate. I don't remember which one it was, though. Do you?

Tomoko
 
(Borderline threadjack)
I was thinking of going with the sedra. Not sure about the pump your talking about, but when you find out let me know
 
Gate Valves

Gate Valves

A couple of years ago when I was building a skimmer I found that not all gate valves are created equal. I wanted something I could open and close gradually (regulate) that would give me a straight through flow. I found that the ones from Home Depot or Lowes made the flow go through and around some internal parts and was little better than a ball valve. I finally found one at Ace Hardware that was straight through.
 
Ace usually has the gate valves your looking for. I just did the gate vavle on my G-3 last weekend. The 1.25 gave valve was about $12 at Ace I belive. The 1" gates are $7.99
 
Good point Harry, and its one of the problems i had, in the end I got the gate valve etc in a kit from the web
 
mine was mostly brass, which begs the question, why not u...oh...duh...corrosion.

are you saying the parts INSIDE the gate valve are pvc? or is it still brass in there?
 
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