Remora Splatter Cap Mod

[matt_rogers]

I've had a AquaC Remora skimmer on my hex for months now and, although I am impressed with it's ease of use, I've always thought it needed a splatter cap on the lid.

See the lid is actually close to 2 inches above the lip of the skimmer tube. As a result, the bubbles have a hard time adhering to the lid. Most of the time it's blowing giant bubbles that shoot out the tube and explode splattering all over the collection cup.

As a result, I really think it is not as efficient as it could be. The skimmate is not dark enough for me.


SO, I drilled a hole in the lid and used a plastic bolt and wing nut to hold a cap that I took from a Gel shaving cream can. The cap is perfect and is wider that the skimmer tube by a 1/4 inch around the sides and goes down a couple inches too.

The plastic bolt is just long enough to go in the skimmer tube about 1/8 of an inch. What that should do is pop those big bubbles prior to reaching the lip of the tube and condense the bubbles more in the tube.

Check it out!

(Ignore the string, that was for something else)

 

[Zebo]

Very good idea, when you put the collection cup low, u get alot of watery collection and when placed high, you dont get much collection, so this seems to be a mod. worth while, thanks

 

[matt_rogers]

Thanks Zebo, I should know how it's working in a couple days - I'll keep you posted.

 

[matt_rogers]

Update - It works!!

 

[Zebo]

Awsome, that was the only comlpaint i had about my remora pro, is that it never had hardcore sludge either none, or very watery stuff, good work there

 

[matt_rogers]

Thanks!

This is working great - the proof is in the pudding - check it out:

THIS SKIMATE IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the original, which, at best, could be described as 'opaque.'

I'm psyched!

 

[MarkS]

I have the Remora on my 10 gallon and get that quality of skimmate. Have been from day one. I keep the cup on it's lowest setting. Right now, the tank has some snails and live rock.

I wonder what would cause the difference between your skimmer and mine?

 

[matt_rogers]

I don't know. You found the sweet spot!
What kind of pump are you using?
I'm using a Maxi-Jet 1200.

 

[MarkS]

Yeah, Maxi-Jet 1200.

How heavy is your bio-load? Since mine is almost non-existant, I should not be pulling out much skimmate at all. The tank has been set up with the skimmer running for over two months.

 

[matt_rogers]

My bioload is really light too. Just some shrooms and a clean up crew until I get some horses. Been up around 4 months I think.

Why does it foam a lot?, it's NSW with local sand and DIY rock, so who the heck knows!

I do like that the cap keeps the splattering down in any event. And it certainly has helped me tune it in, so it's been worth it to me.

 

[MarkS]

I think I'll try it out anyway. It's a VERY cheap mod and cannot hurt.

 

[matt_rogers]

Cool! Keep me posted.

 

[MarkS]

OK, it's been a few months, but this is rendering of what I am about to do...

I decided to one-up you and use a 1" piece of 2" OD acrylic tube...

I sent AquaC a zip file containing this rendering and the DXF file. I also supplied them with a link to this thread. This is a great mod and could be added to the Remora and Remora Pro without adding much to the cost.

 

[matt_rogers]

One upped me eh?

In all seriousness, I really think my bolt plays a part in condensing the bubbles. I will be curious to see if we find a difference with or without.

Anway, cool! Let me know what AquaC has to say.

NICE CAD? WORK!

Easily the most impressive computer drawing I've seen around here!

Keep me posted!



Matt

 

[raddogz]

This looks like a good idea that seems to be turning into a great idea.

I have a slight off topic question and that is what kind of O-ring is used to adjust the waste cup? I purchased my Remora way back when, and they were using plastic screws.

 

[MarkS]

I have a slight off topic question and that is what kind of O-ring is used to adjust the waste cup? I purchased my Remora way back when, and they were using plastic screws.

It looks like a 3/16" o-ring. I have not measured the diameter, but you can probably buy it directly from AquaC. Their site is: www.proteinskimmer.com

 

[MarkS]

In all seriousness, I really think my bolt plays a part in condensing the bubbles. I will be curious to see if we find a difference with or without.

Actually, the foam sticks to the sides of the tube and collapses. Without the mod, the foam will have to fall toward the two close sides of the collection cup to collapse. However, what I noticed is that the foam sticks to the top of the cap and the foam head stays motionless. It eventually collapses back into the neck. With the mod, this will no longer be an issue.

 

[MarkS]

I got a reply from Jason at AquaC...

Mark,

Thanks for the message, it looks like the mod works pretty well and I will run some tests here on our own tanks to see if I can get the same result. We used to include a cap just like this on our EV Series skimmers, but after many tests I wasn't able to find conclusive evidence that it actually increased the quality of the skimmate. Our results showed that while the cap does increase the darkness and concentration of the skimmate, it also leads to a reduction in the overall volume of skimmate and the net result is essentially the same. In other words, you can collect a lot of yellowish/watery skimmate or a little super-dark sludge, but the net longterm effect is the same.

That was with the EV skimmers, however, and I will run some tests on the Remoras to see if we get different results. It will definitely be interesting, and I always appreciate feedback and ideas such as these from customers! It helps us to improve our product line and keep them working as best as possible, which is our ultimate goal.

If you have any other questions or comments do let me know!

P.S. Very nice schematic!
-----------

Jason Kim
President

AquaC, Inc.
9825 Carroll Center Rd., Ste. 400
San Diego, CA 92126

858-689-1121 customer service
858-564-3419 fax
www.proteinskimmer.com

AquaC Spray Injection Skimmers
U.S. Patents #6,156,209 & #6,436,295

This part is interesting and makes a lot of sense...

Our results showed that while the cap does increase the darkness and concentration of the skimmate, it also leads to a reduction in the overall volume of skimmate and the net result is essentially the same. In other words, you can collect a lot of yellowish/watery skimmate or a little super-dark sludge, but the net longterm effect is the same.

Mark

 

[matt_rogers]

That was fast! :eek1:

That's an interesting point he makes on the skimmate.

For me, I have to adjust it a lot less now. I simply had trouble finding the sweet spot before. It's also A LOT cleaner and easier to deal with for what it's worth as it lasts longer between changes.

I was going to respond earlier about the differences between yours and mine. Having the cap, the bubbles will stick in either yours or mine, but the bolt, from my observations, causes more bubbles to condense in the reaction tube which in my experience, makes it behave more like skimmers I used to own with the suds going up and down. The Remora previously would just launch big bubbles straight up and out.

Hope this makes sense.

Maybe you will get the same results regardless, I look forward to your observations.



matt

 

[Navymedic]

Matt i want to say you have a great Idea, and I'm going to try it as soon as I find a cap to put in, thanks for sharing :beer:
Mike