Proper Skimmer Size For A Five Foot Tank
- Thread starter studboy36
- Start date
slief
RC Sponsor
You will absolutely LOVE that pump!
Yeah I think I will love it. At $1099 in going to love it. It's controllable in the way that I want it to be controlled. It has the power to push water where it needs to go, and I can fine tune it to match the gph requirements of my rollermat which is approximately 600-700 gph. I need to grow my sump a little more to accommodate it and the two heaters. Other then that the sump design is nearly complete. The skimmer comes in today! What I can do is use the skimmer pump as a starting point to model the 150.
I also need to model the skimmer so I can design a cover for it and the zeovit reactor which I still need to buy from Japan next week. Looks like everything will fit according to what I modeled as mock ups for the skimmer and reactor.
The sump is based upon elite aquatics rollermat sump with my changes. It's going to look similar to a dreambox only in acrylic. I'll post pics of the skimmer tonight, and the sump design.
I also need to model the skimmer so I can design a cover for it and the zeovit reactor which I still need to buy from Japan next week. Looks like everything will fit according to what I modeled as mock ups for the skimmer and reactor.
The sump is based upon elite aquatics rollermat sump with my changes. It's going to look similar to a dreambox only in acrylic. I'll post pics of the skimmer tonight, and the sump design.
slief
RC Sponsor
:beer:
Wow! What a skimmer! It's built like a tank and beautiful! It's heavy and well crafted. It looks like the pump has 0-10V control. That feature wasn't listed on the premium aquatics site. I've never owned a skimmer like this before. This is the first time that I've spent this much on a skimmer. It looks like it's worth the money and it will last years when it's put in service. I am disappointed though that I thought that I was buying this skimmer with the anti-lime bypass feature. It doesn't have it. Having paid $1200 for it. I should expect it to be flawless. It's not. There is damage to the volute, and it makes me not trust that it will be fully functional when it's put into operation. This is not acceptable.
The last pic is of the rollermat sump based on Elite Aquatics design only mine is bigger and it will have covers.
The last pic is of the rollermat sump based on Elite Aquatics design only mine is bigger and it will have covers.
Last edited:
slief
RC Sponsor
That is the latest RD3 with the latest controller. Not only does it have 0-10v but it also has the disconnect between the pump and controller. AKB is not needed on that pump. They run silly cool and don't transfer heat and calcium buildup has never really been an issue in these pumps like it is in their AC counterparts as the heat is dissipated at the controller. The RD3 50 skimmer pumps don't include the AKB for that reason. In fact, even the RD3 on my Supermarin 250 doesn't have the AKB. Additionally, there is no room inside the Mini 200 with the RD3 50 with the AKB as the AKB extends to the back of the pump and on top of the volute. Not only would it interfere with the bubble plate but it would also interfere with the back edge of the pump inside that skimmer body. If you look at the images on the Royal Exclusiv website, you can see the pump doesn't include the AKB and if you look through the website at the RD3 50 skimmer pumps, you can see they don't include the AKB either.
http://royalexclusiv.net/en/skimmer...ubble-king-200-vs13-with-rd3-mini-speedy.html
As for the nick in the volute, that is nothing to be concerned with. It's likely that the RD3 controller rubbed up against the volute in transit and definitely won't impact anything.
Last edited:
slief
RC Sponsor
Clean the skimmer with some vinegar on a rag before you put it into serice. I suggest a speed setting between 26-32 watts for that particular skimmer. Around 8.5" of water should be ideal. I think you will be VERY pleased with the skimmers performance. Frankly, I'd forgo the 0-10v control. You have finer control via the RD3 control interface anyway as it makes tuning the skimmer a breeze without the need for playing with 0-10v settings. By the way, that is a very nice sump!
ReefClownMIA
.Registered Member
We'll have a look tomorrow if we have a replacement volute for the MBK RD3 pump - if we do, we'll go ahead and swap it out for you. We want you to be fully satisfied with your new Royal Exclusiv gear!
As scott mentioned regarding the AKB, the RD3 50/60 do not have or require the AKB due to the design and specs.
As scott mentioned regarding the AKB, the RD3 50/60 do not have or require the AKB due to the design and specs.
Ok Scott. I'll take your word for it, and not be concerned about it. I really I like this skimmer. I feel like I should put it in a display case. Thank you for putting my mind at ease.
One thing I noticed is that Royal exclusiv ships a lot of air in that skimmer box. You probably ship in a 20 ft container for the most part and you want to fill it with product not air. It appears that the packaging was an after thought. The presentation matters as well as adequately protecting the product from shipping damage. A few pieces of bubble wrap doesn't cut it. Ditch the peanuts as they are a total pain to deal with. Bio degradable foam inserts designed to surround the product that are easily removable would be great. They're using the wrong zip lock bag for the manual. Needs to be a little bigger. If I'm going to pay $1200 for a skimmer and another $1100 for a RD pump, I expect it to be professionally packaged. They should contract out to a packaging engineer to redesign the packaging.
Having said all that. I don't regret buying the skimmer. It's the right size skimmer, and I have you to thank for assisting me. I'm going to buy the RD 150 pump in the next month and I have you to thank for that as well. I've never spent this much money on a skimmer or pump before. They will last for years with proper maintenance.
:thumbsup: :spin1::beer:
One thing I noticed is that Royal exclusiv ships a lot of air in that skimmer box. You probably ship in a 20 ft container for the most part and you want to fill it with product not air. It appears that the packaging was an after thought. The presentation matters as well as adequately protecting the product from shipping damage. A few pieces of bubble wrap doesn't cut it. Ditch the peanuts as they are a total pain to deal with. Bio degradable foam inserts designed to surround the product that are easily removable would be great. They're using the wrong zip lock bag for the manual. Needs to be a little bigger. If I'm going to pay $1200 for a skimmer and another $1100 for a RD pump, I expect it to be professionally packaged. They should contract out to a packaging engineer to redesign the packaging.
Having said all that. I don't regret buying the skimmer. It's the right size skimmer, and I have you to thank for assisting me. I'm going to buy the RD 150 pump in the next month and I have you to thank for that as well. I've never spent this much money on a skimmer or pump before. They will last for years with proper maintenance.
:thumbsup: :spin1::beer:
We'll have a look tomorrow if we have a replacement volute for the MBK RD3 pump - if we do, we'll go ahead and swap it out for you. We want you to be fully satisfied with your new Royal Exclusiv gear!
As scott mentioned regarding the AKB, the RD3 50/60 do not have or require the AKB due to the design and specs.
Excellent! Thank you!
slief
RC Sponsor
Ok Scott. I'll take your word for it, and not be concerned about it. I really I like this skimmer. I feel like I should put it in a display case. Thank you for putting my mind at ease.
One thing I noticed is that Royal exclusiv ships a lot of air in that skimmer box. You probably ship in a 20 ft container for the most part and you want to fill it with product not air. It appears that the packaging was an after thought. The presentation matters as well as adequately protecting the product from shipping damage. A few pieces of bubble wrap doesn't cut it. Ditch the peanuts as they are a total pain to deal with. Bio degradable foam inserts designed to surround the product that are easily removable would be great. They're using the wrong zip lock bag for the manual. Needs to be a little bigger. If I'm going to pay $1200 for a skimmer and another $1100 for a RD pump, I expect it to be professionally packaged. They should contract out to a packaging engineer to redesign the packaging.
Having said all that. I don't regret buying the skimmer. It's the right size skimmer, and I have you to thank for assisting me. I'm going to buy the RD 150 pump in the next month and I have you to thank for that as well. I've never spent this much money on a skimmer or pump before. They will last for years with proper maintenance.
:thumbsup: :spin1::beer:
While the packaging could be better, we have never really had any issues with damage to the skimmers in transit. If anything, I might change the boxes that the pumps go into. Also keep in mind that die cut foam inserts aren't cheap and they take up a lot of space in a warehouse. Especially when you have dozens of different skimmer models that would each require different cut foam inserts. While the peanuts are a pain, (god knows, I know as I have unpacked and repacked dozens of the skimmers at the trade shows) the peanuts are universal, inexpensive, light weight and have proven to be effective. The box the skimmers go into are huge so there is plenty of protection in there for the skimmer itself. Plus, they add Germany adds extra attention to detail with that nifty Royal Exclusiv cloth bag that the skimmer ships in. :thumbsup: You do have a good point about the container shipments though. It would save some space having smaller tighter fitting boxes but larger boxes for domestic ground shipments even if filled with peanuts adds extra protection.
As for the zip lock bag that the manual ships in.. Not sure what to say there. Mine came in the same bag when I bought my Supermarin and I never noticed it. I am sure they use a readily available zip lock bag to place the manuals in. Besides, who looks at manuals these days. :lmao:
Scott I'm a mechanical engineer. I used my cad tool (Solidworks) to layout the sump based on Elite Aquatics initial design. The rollermat that you see in the pic is one that I bought and modeled. It's really accurate down to the actual gear size. I need to discuss with elite a few dimensions for verification.
Now that I have the skimmer I'll model it over the weekend and place it. I know it will fit based on a preliminary layout with the zeovit reactor, but now I can start to design a proper lid. I'm going to use Solidworks to route the piping/fittings for best placement in the stand. I need to make the pump chamber a little wider for the pump and heaters. All the cords will be routed in the sump like they are done in a dreambox. You'll start to see the progression.
slief
RC Sponsor
Ahhh. I didn't realize that was your design.. Very nice! Mechanical engineer huh?? That explains your keen attention to detail about our packaging! :lmao: Your observations were a first for me since I came on board over 2 years ago. Now I understand why. :thumbsup:
Been putting my time to good use this long weekend. I still haven't mocked up the pump yet probably tomorrow. I finished the PRS Auto Zeovit Reactor this evening. It fits along with the skimmer. The skimmer compartment is currently 21.5 X 12.50. The pump compartment is 5.71 X 17.00. I think I can easily add another 3-4 inches per compartment in length to get a little more room, or add the to the width by 4 inches. I mocked up the 80/20 aluminum stand that I'm designing and I think I can do that.
I'm not sure where to put the heaters. Either in the back or in the pump compartment. I'm leaning towards the pump compartment if I widen it. I'd like to mount the controllers on acrylic brackets to the sump, but I'm not sure if there is room for both. The tank adapter can be moved closer together, and I can move the pump tank adapter away from the back to give me some mounting room for the controllers. I won't know for sure until I order the RD3150 and have it on hand to measure the controller. I already modeled the Mini200's controller and I can mount it to the back of the sump.
I'm not sure where to put the heaters. Either in the back or in the pump compartment. I'm leaning towards the pump compartment if I widen it. I'd like to mount the controllers on acrylic brackets to the sump, but I'm not sure if there is room for both. The tank adapter can be moved closer together, and I can move the pump tank adapter away from the back to give me some mounting room for the controllers. I won't know for sure until I order the RD3150 and have it on hand to measure the controller. I already modeled the Mini200's controller and I can mount it to the back of the sump.
I've been busy. :spin1: I was waiting for Premium Aquatics to get more 150's in stock. While waiting I started looking for 80's. I saw that there were some available in 110 from Europe and I was about to order one when I saw two pop up here brand new still in the box for a good deal. I bought them and I'll have them here probably by the end of the week. I wanted two pumps with one as a spare. That's what I was going to do with the 150.
I have almost 95% of the sump designed. I just need to make a cover for the skimmer area and some pieces to hold down/route the cords and brackets for the controllers. I'll have to bump up the return lines to 1" to match the RD3 80s output which will again increase the cost of the pvc pipe and fittings. The drain lines are 1" from the overflow to the sump. Height from the top of the RD3 50 used as a place holder to the approximate locations of the returns is 48-50 inches.
The two pumps that you see in the sump are 50's that I was playing with for placement. I was actually considering running two of them. At this point I might just leave that part of design as it is.
The 80/20 stand is also 95% complete. I need to finished making the rest of the components then I'll start routing the plumbing. I'm almost finished modeling the DOS and the DDR has been completed. There's plenty of head room to service the skimmer and the zeo reactor. I'm not sure about placing the Apex classic inside the stand. I haven't modeled the controller and modules yet, but it might be good to remote them in a little Ikea Besta Box with a door close to the tank mounted on a wall.
Scott I do appreciate all your assistance. I think I'm pretty much a Royal Exclusiv skimmer and pump person now. My next tank after this build will be a clownfish harem 50-70 gallon cube tank with a dreambox sump.
Tell me about Aquadriver...
I have almost 95% of the sump designed. I just need to make a cover for the skimmer area and some pieces to hold down/route the cords and brackets for the controllers. I'll have to bump up the return lines to 1" to match the RD3 80s output which will again increase the cost of the pvc pipe and fittings. The drain lines are 1" from the overflow to the sump. Height from the top of the RD3 50 used as a place holder to the approximate locations of the returns is 48-50 inches.
The two pumps that you see in the sump are 50's that I was playing with for placement. I was actually considering running two of them. At this point I might just leave that part of design as it is.
The 80/20 stand is also 95% complete. I need to finished making the rest of the components then I'll start routing the plumbing. I'm almost finished modeling the DOS and the DDR has been completed. There's plenty of head room to service the skimmer and the zeo reactor. I'm not sure about placing the Apex classic inside the stand. I haven't modeled the controller and modules yet, but it might be good to remote them in a little Ikea Besta Box with a door close to the tank mounted on a wall.
Scott I do appreciate all your assistance. I think I'm pretty much a Royal Exclusiv skimmer and pump person now. My next tank after this build will be a clownfish harem 50-70 gallon cube tank with a dreambox sump.
Tell me about Aquadriver...
slief
RC Sponsor
I've been busy. :spin1: I was waiting for Premium Aquatics to get more 150's in stock. While waiting I started looking for 80's. I saw that there were some available in 110 from Europe and I was about to order one when I saw two pop up here brand new still in the box for a good deal. I bought them and I'll have them here probably by the end of the week. I wanted two pumps with one as a spare. That's what I was going to do with the 150.
I have almost 95% of the sump designed. I just need to make a cover for the skimmer area and some pieces to hold down/route the cords and brackets for the controllers. I'll have to bump up the return lines to 1" to match the RD3 80s output which will again increase the cost of the pvc pipe and fittings. The drain lines are 1" from the overflow to the sump. Height from the top of the RD3 50 used as a place holder to the approximate locations of the returns is 48-50 inches.
The two pumps that you see in the sump are 50's that I was playing with for placement. I was actually considering running two of them. At this point I might just leave that part of design as it is.
The 80/20 stand is also 95% complete. I need to finished making the rest of the components then I'll start routing the plumbing. I'm almost finished modeling the DOS and the DDR has been completed. There's plenty of head room to service the skimmer and the zeo reactor. I'm not sure about placing the Apex classic inside the stand. I haven't modeled the controller and modules yet, but it might be good to remote them in a little Ikea Besta Box with a door close to the tank mounted on a wall.
Scott I do appreciate all your assistance. I think I'm pretty much a Royal Exclusiv skimmer and pump person now. My next tank after this build will be a clownfish harem 50-70 gallon cube tank with a dreambox sump.
Tell me about Aquadriver...
View attachment 380160
View attachment 380161
View attachment 380162
View attachment 380163
Glad to help. Your 3D rendering skills are amazing!! That design looks terrific! I would suggest designing the intake section where the roller mat will be so that if your roller mat setup becomes more trouble than its worth, you can remove it and put socks in there or bypass the mat setup all together. Reason being is that I question the longevity of some of the roller mat setups on the market.
After giving my design some thought over the weekend. I've decided to simplify things. I already have a Synergy Reef CL-34 sump brand new in the box. The Mini200 fits easily in the skimmer compartment. I can design a cover for it to minimize evaporation/salt creep. The RD3 80w will fit in the return compartment. I'll have to enlarge the hole to accept a 1" bulkhead for the return. The sump will hold about 25 gallons. I'm going to design a refugium that will feed into the sump sock compartment using the existing 1.5" bulk heads on the sump. It's not going to kill me to change socks once in a while. I'll just get a box of them. I can still create brackets for the pump controllers and attach them to the existing sump.
There's plenty of room for a refugium 15x18x18 that can sit next to the sump. Ill be in the range of 10-20% of the DT. I've always been fascinated by refugiums. I'll either sell the rollermat or save it for my Percula Clownfish tank for my office. I've decided to go either Triton "other methods" or Aquaforest because I'll be running a calcium reactor. I'm going to upgrade my apex to the 2016 model for future use of the Trident when it's released probably later next year.
I think simplicity would be the best approach.
There's plenty of room for a refugium 15x18x18 that can sit next to the sump. Ill be in the range of 10-20% of the DT. I've always been fascinated by refugiums. I'll either sell the rollermat or save it for my Percula Clownfish tank for my office. I've decided to go either Triton "other methods" or Aquaforest because I'll be running a calcium reactor. I'm going to upgrade my apex to the 2016 model for future use of the Trident when it's released probably later next year.
I think simplicity would be the best approach.
Last edited:
slief
RC Sponsor
:beer:
Well I've been tinkering with my virtual setup. I made a refugium which at it's current size is approximately 27 gallons 17.5 x 20.5 x 18. it's actually taller then 18 inches (23.5") but the exit bulkhead is 18.318 from center to the bottom of the refugium. There is enough clearance for two schedule 80 bulkheads so it can be disconnected from the synergy reef sump easily. I've decided to not go with the 80/20 stand, and instead have it built out of wood as it's a lot cheaper. Cost was definitely a concern, and I'd rather put the money towards other stuff for my aquarium. I can cut length down a couple of inches depending on how the wood stand is made. I'll have to give SC Aquariums a layout to follow if I need to adjust it to meet the build requirements for the stand. I basically want the tank to be flush with the stand and have it open in the front with no center support which would prevent me from putting in the sump. 80/20 stand in the layout is the size that I would like the wood stand to be.
If I can lock the stand design down, I should be able to order the tank and stand next month. I've decided to go with a triton setup. Rather then spend more money on a Triton sump, I'm going with the sump I already have, and I think the added advantage is that the refugium is separate from the sump. Refugiums can get really gross, and I'd rather keep the mess in one area as much as possible.
If I can lock the stand design down, I should be able to order the tank and stand next month. I've decided to go with a triton setup. Rather then spend more money on a Triton sump, I'm going with the sump I already have, and I think the added advantage is that the refugium is separate from the sump. Refugiums can get really gross, and I'd rather keep the mess in one area as much as possible.
Similar threads
