Royal-Exclusiv / Vertex Cone Skimmer Club

[Jeremy B.]

@macaw1us, try running it at 9" or 9.5" of sump depth, and 3 turns out from closed on the venturi.

@nbsdsailor, take the hose and angle it upward in the hole, will solve the issue.

 

[Redhat]

While we are at it what is the optimum depth for the 200 and how many turns on the venturi?

 

[Jeremy B.]

8.5" - 10", 2-4 turns out.

 

[Redhat]

Thanks Jeremy. When fine tuning the venturi what should I be looking for?

 

[diverrad]

so I am having a strange problem with my alpha 170, I have had it running for about 6 weeks now and in that time it has really not impressed me, especially for the money it cost.
It never really pulled out nasty black stuff more like dark tea. But in the last 2 weeks something odd is happening after running for about 3 days it overflows for no reason what so ever, this has happend 3 times so far. the water level in the sump is a solid 9 1/2 inches and does not change, the overflows have happend at night so i did not see how they start. Nothing has changed in the tank in the last 3 months other than the addition of this skimmer, any ideas?

 

[bayoupr]

Sounds like a salt build up in the air venturi. Might want to pull this off and clean it out this could be restricting the air draw. Also check the sponge inside of the air silencer this could be clogged also.

 

[oaksenov]

Enjoy,

I am not sure if you found yet where that screw came from, but it looks like that screw holds swabbie on the shaft of the Avast cleaning head.

Yesterday - I pulled it all apart to clean, check for snails, or any other problems I might find. The pump looked fine, no issues I could visibly see. Once I started cleaning the skimmer body, I heard something rolling around in the bottom. Took it apart expecting a snail, and I found a Stainless Steel set-screw. It looks like it came from the skimmer somewhere, I just don't know where. The screw itself looks to be a 10-32 or smaller and only about .375 in length. Not very big.
....

 

[oaksenov]

Are Vertex Alphas 200 shipped with adjustable venturi and impeller?

 

[Jeremy B.]

Are Vertex Alphas 200 shipped with adjustable venturi and impeller?

Yes, all Alpha modles have been shipping with the adjustable venturi for the last year and a half or so. We do have the 200's in stock, ready to ship immediately.

 

[Hydrologist]

This has happened a few times now.

My Vertex Alpha Kone 300 for some reason just goes nuts and starts to overflow at least once or twice a month. I have no idea why it does this.

- The water level in my sump is static, and controlled via. optical sensor.
- Skimmer pumps are on delay in case of power outage, so pumps will not kick back when power is restored for 5min (allowing time for my sump to level off)

This is not a gradual overflowing. The water level/bubbles inside the skimmer is checked every three days and remains pretty much the same all the time. Sometime since Thursday the skimmer had overflowed into my sump.

Any ideas? It's getting pretty frustrating.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[funior]

hi all,

I wrote in this post:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2138048

how the venturi is attached to the pump - can I ask for some pictures, maybe some dimensions - I was grateful
thanks

 

[Jeremy B.]

Where do you guys run the actual water level at inside the skimmer? Sounds like you're running too high to me, then any change at all in terms of dissolved organics, water height in the sump, buildup of salt creep / crust inside the silencer / airline / venturi will cause it to overflow. Lower the water level in the skimmer chamber by a half inch or inch, and it will fix the issue.

 

[Superpuma]

Hi Jeremy

Alpha cone 170 owner from Norway dropping by for a little reasurrance.. Just set up a new tank with the skimmer sitting in 10 inches ( 25 cm ) of water and the nozzle screwed out 3 turns, wedge pipe is pretty much closed.

At the above settings l have the bubble colum half way up the collection cup. At this stage they're not fine bubbles as l imagine the skimmer is breaking in. ls there a standard kinda break in period?

Regards

Mike

 

[Hydrologist]

Where do you guys run the actual water level at inside the skimmer? Sounds like you're running too high to me, then any change at all in terms of dissolved organics, water height in the sump, buildup of salt creep / crust inside the silencer / airline / venturi will cause it to overflow. Lower the water level in the skimmer chamber by a half inch or inch, and it will fix the issue.

The water level in my sump is right at 10". The skimmer is full open

The venturi on each pump is 2 turns out.

Do you suggest I raise the skimmer in the sump, so that water level is about 8"?
Should I increase the air to the pump (turn the venturi to 3-4 times from closed position)?

Thanks

 

[CHSUB]

was thinking of buying an alpha 300 for my 280 dt and 80 gallon sump; heavy stocked reef, what do you think?

 

[Jeremy B.]

was thinking of buying an alpha 300 for my 280 dt and 80 gallon sump; heavy stocked reef, what do you think?

That's too big, go with the Alpha 250 instead.

 

[Jeremy B.]

The water level in my sump is right at 10". The skimmer is full open

The venturi on each pump is 2 turns out.

Do you suggest I raise the skimmer in the sump, so that water level is about 8"?
Should I increase the air to the pump (turn the venturi to 3-4 times from closed position)?

Thanks

Move the skimmer to 9", then adjust the wedge pipe accordingly.

 

[Reef or Die]

I just hooked up my alpha 170. I noticed it comes with a clear airline tube and a red one. I misplaced the red one which connects to the hole under the ozone port. Is this red tube necessary or will it enhance performance at all? If so I have to track down a new one. Thx

 

[bayoupr]

Not necessary unless you plan on running ozone.

 

[aravindk]

Overflow

Overflow

I have a vertex cone 200 running on a 180g. Been using over a year and works like a charm. I had a hard time to calibrate the right water level in the skimmer but once it is done, never had a problem for months always pulling tons of skimmate. Except recently.

# issue no 1

Two weeks ago for no apparent reason it overflowed. I have a float sensor programmed to turn off the skimmer when the water level goes too high. So the skimmer was switched off before it got overflowed. Few hours later when I turned it on, the skimmer was working just fine, bringing the water to the usual level. Two days later it happened again. Again as I turn on the skimmer, it started just fine. It's been a week and not a problem since then. Why would it overflow like this? It is an established tank and no maintenance work of any sort done during that time.

# issue no 2

This happened two days ago. The skimmer wasn't producing bubbles. The usual milky white micro bubble production was missing. Water was circulating inside the skimmer with no bubbles. I turned off the skimmer and turned back on and it started working just fine as before.

Any significance to these two incidents? Can they be related? I did regular maintenance on the skimmer two months ago (vinegar bath).

Any help is appreciated. thanks.

Arvind.