Nook's Reef!!
- Thread starter Nanook
- Start date
How much trouble have you had with the AO motor on the dart skimmer overheating and shutting down? Watch it with that combination they are notorious for overheating when forcefed, speaking from experience!! I had to put an auxiliary fan on mine to keep it cool.
So far no problems with overheating. The only thing I notice with it is that the water column in the skimmer has too much turbidity to it. I bought the American Made Dart motor from a guy that sells them and plan on changing it one of these days soon.
I am using an Alita 40 airpump to feed it as well as an Iwaki 40 RLT feed pump for the skimmer. Thanks for the heads up on the pump though. The motor I bought is the Baldor motor, much more substantial motor.
I am using an Alita 40 airpump to feed it as well as an Iwaki 40 RLT feed pump for the skimmer. Thanks for the heads up on the pump though. The motor I bought is the Baldor motor, much more substantial motor.
yeah the baldor motor does a much better job I'm not sure why reeflo didn't use them from the get go. The darts push a ton of water compared to the air thorough put so the turbulance issue is always prevalent. With an 18" body I would think you could upgrade your air input even higher than an alita 40, the AO motor wouldn't handle it, but the baldor might. What size neck is that on the skimmer?
The neck is 8". I have an Alita 80 air pump just ready to go as well as the better motor. I was going to swap them out but Geo said I was good to go with what I have, but this turbulence thing is annoying and I think I can getter better performance with a better motor. Just the size difference on the AOSmith and Baldor is huge....I just need someone who knows what they are doing to help me switch them out.
What kind of valve do you use to regulate the air from the Alita 80 if it is too much airflow?
What kind of valve do you use to regulate the air from the Alita 80 if it is too much airflow?
melev
Well-known member
Thanks for all the pictures. I'm starting to understand the layout of the room better this time. I still wish you added some documentation to your images when appropriate.
I recently traded some emails with a sand vendor and specifically we talked about black sand. He pointed out that black sand is usually black silica (glass) and has no buffering abilities like aragonite sand does. When you were deciding on your setup, did you consider that or were you just thinking about the color & look of your reef tanks? I never really thought about what black sand was made of before that conversation.
I recently traded some emails with a sand vendor and specifically we talked about black sand. He pointed out that black sand is usually black silica (glass) and has no buffering abilities like aragonite sand does. When you were deciding on your setup, did you consider that or were you just thinking about the color & look of your reef tanks? I never really thought about what black sand was made of before that conversation.
The alita's should be able to handle back pressure, so I personally used a john guest type of valve that just limited the alitas output to what I needed. Some say you should "bleed off" the extra air with an adjustable valve but that was very noisy in my case. Increased air will result in reduced water flow which should reduce turbulance, but its a very fine balance, too much and it will cause cavitation and burping of large bubbles.... You're also limited to what the 8" neck can handle as far as adjustment, it appears to be pretty tall so you've got some room for adjustment either way.
Buffering only happens if the ph is so low in the tank that inhabitants die
So, buffering was not on my list of things to care about. The company representative said the sand is baked at 1400 degrees and is chemically inert, guaranteed. He said it is very similar to obsidium. I mainly wanted black sand because it hides a lot of imperfections that white sands show so well. My Queen Conches will and Spaghetti worms should keep it clean over time as they grow and multiply respectively.
What kind of captions are you talking about? I am lucky just to take pictures truth be told and I am pretty lazy.
So, buffering was not on my list of things to care about. The company representative said the sand is baked at 1400 degrees and is chemically inert, guaranteed. He said it is very similar to obsidium. I mainly wanted black sand because it hides a lot of imperfections that white sands show so well. My Queen Conches will and Spaghetti worms should keep it clean over time as they grow and multiply respectively.What kind of captions are you talking about? I am lucky just to take pictures truth be told and I am pretty lazy.
melev
Well-known member
Dave, don't get me wrong - I don't want you to run off because of my tiny demands. 
During your updates when you post 30 or more images, there's a lot of good content that may or may not be self-explanatory to the readers. By adding extra information with some images, it helps them learn or answers questions they might be thinking about. I know I had a few questions in the past about some equipment shots. Matter of fact, I think I asked you about your sump's ability to hold all the water that is in your skimmer if the power went out. Did you ever answer that?
Thanks for the reply about the sand.
During your updates when you post 30 or more images, there's a lot of good content that may or may not be self-explanatory to the readers. By adding extra information with some images, it helps them learn or answers questions they might be thinking about. I know I had a few questions in the past about some equipment shots. Matter of fact, I think I asked you about your sump's ability to hold all the water that is in your skimmer if the power went out. Did you ever answer that?
Thanks for the reply about the sand.
The skimmer has a pretty large check valve on it that keeps the water in the skimmer body which is nice and it works. The sumps hold the water from the tanks with room to spare, about 3-4" from the top though. I don't shut them down very often though, in fact, I haven't shut them down yet since they started April Fool's Day.
Dave,
You could switch out the Dart to the gold series with the baldor motor. All you need to is unbolt the motor from the volute and replace it with the Baldor motor, it would leave your plumbing intact. I'm running this on the Volcano I have witha alita 40 pump.
It's a similar diameter to your Geo.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...mps_External_2000_GPH_and_higher~vendor~.html
You could switch out the Dart to the gold series with the baldor motor. All you need to is unbolt the motor from the volute and replace it with the Baldor motor, it would leave your plumbing intact. I'm running this on the Volcano I have witha alita 40 pump.
It's a similar diameter to your Geo.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...mps_External_2000_GPH_and_higher~vendor~.html
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I switched out the cheapy AOSmith motor for the Baldor tonight...what a difference in noise! It is much quieter now compared to that el cheapo made in Mexico pump!!
I did put the Alita 80 pump on there and it is a little too much air...too much turbulence for my liking. SO, it is running with the Alita 40 and the foam head is much more stable compared to the Alita 80. The Baldor motor has decreased the turbulence quite a bit too.
What are the dimensions on your skimmer, Volcano1?
Thanks!
I did put the Alita 80 pump on there and it is a little too much air...too much turbulence for my liking. SO, it is running with the Alita 40 and the foam head is much more stable compared to the Alita 80. The Baldor motor has decreased the turbulence quite a bit too.
What are the dimensions on your skimmer, Volcano1?
Thanks!
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