Royal-Exclusiv / Vertex Cone Skimmer Club

[Jeremy B.]

I have this problem every now and then. My pump seems to push itself out of the skimmer body a little bit and then doesn't produce the swirling in the chamber.
To fix that, I put the pump right against the side of the sump.

It sounds like the red pipe that goes through the body wall of the skimmer and into the bubble plate is not pushed in all the way, and keeps backing out. This pipe is a really tight fit, and as long as it's in all the way it shouldn't work it's way back out.

 

[Notjohnwayne]

I cleaned the impeller but not the berring two days ago. The whole pump literally turns off after a given (sometimes random) period of time

 

[Jeremy B.]

The block could be starting to fail. There is a chip in the block that shuts it down if any resistance is sensed from the impeller not spinning correct. Generally calcium carbonate will build up between the shaft and end bearing, causing a significant amount of excess heat in there. This will cause the end bearing to seize to the shaft, thus providing resistance from the spinning of the impeller. The block senses this and shuts itself off. If you just unplug and plug it back in this will reset that safety measure, and the same thing will happen over and over. If you reset it too many times the damage to the block itself will occur and you'll need to replace the motorblock. I'd suggest pulling the end bearing and giving all of it a thorough cleaning, soaking it in vinegar overnight would not hurt either.

 

[Techbiker]

I got a IN-250, is only 2 years old and there is no replacement pump for it, I spoke to the Warranty Services Manager at Vertex and she only have gusses, what may work on it , she mention that maybe the bubble blaster works, but that guess will cost $256.00 versus the original pump that sold for $75.00, or just add some money and get a real brand name skimmer, my bad for not do a better research before, I got this.
This brand is a joke, better just get a chinnese product at least they are behind everything they sale

 

[Notjohnwayne]

Thanks Jeremy- I took it apart and scrubbed it down- there was a lot of buildup around the end berring. Soaking it in vinegar now- all I had was the apple cider kind...

 

[Klaus Jansen]

@Techbiker

Sorry to heard this. Please noticed, the IN-Series has nothing to do with Royal-Exclusiv, its Chinese made Skimmers.
Royal-Exclusiv produced the Alpha Line for Vertex and the Partnership is ending middle of 2013. Royal-Exclusiv dont work anymore for Vertex/Proline.

 

[Jeremy B.]

Thanks Jeremy- I took it apart and scrubbed it down- there was a lot of buildup around the end berring. Soaking it in vinegar now- all I had was the apple cider kind...

That will be enough to dissolve the calcium / magnesium buildup. However, if it's been that way for a while it could have already damaged the block itself. You'll know after you get it completely cleaned out and back up and running. If it's still turning off at that point then you will need a new motorblock for it.

 

[Notjohnwayne]

IS that a warranty item? Would I be better off with a new pump (assuming it is just a little bit more)

 

[Jeremy B.]

It is indeed under warranty for two years. Did you get it through us, or somewhere different?

 

[Notjohnwayne]

I purchased it second hand. I put it back together and it has been on for half an hour as of this, but the level of "extra white" bubbles is only about half an inch thick. Micro bubbles come right out and push up tot he base of the skimmer neck, but the next layer of bubbles isn;t as big as it used to be.

 

[Notjohnwayne]

Here is a picture

 

[Jeremy B.]

Any chance you can get a more clear picture? Also, when was the last time the air silencer was cleaned out?

 

[Notjohnwayne]

It hasn't been that I am aware of. Is this better?

 

[Jeremy B.]

It could be a a bit clogged, refer to page 8 of this pdf for instructions on how to clean it:

http://premiumaquatics.com/prodimages/bubbleking/re-dc150-manual.pdf

 

[davesolo29]

How much water is it sitting in? Doesn't look like enough from that picture.

 

[AndreMF]

First of all, thank you jeremy for being such a resource here at Reef central. 6 months ago or so I got a chance to buy a RE 250 Deluxe internal. It is a beauty and I really love the skimmer design, build quality, constant levels of foam +++ the issue I am having is that the neck gets clogged with "mud" while the skimmate is tea-like. I tried fixing this by installing a self cleaning kit, a swabbie from avast marine. This got rid of the buildup on the sides, and instead all the mud (seems to be the same amount) gets all over the swabbie :facepalm: The skimmate is still quite pale.

I suspect the skimmer is too large for my Aqua Medic 120 (530 litres?) and that this might be the issue. The aquarium is heavily stocked with sps, lps, and softies + fish, so I think the bioload is quite high. I´ve tried skimming wetter without much luck, dryskimming made it worse.
So what do you suggest?
I am a pretty decent DIYér and was wondering if I should take the time to make a "prostetic" inner tube for the skimmer, i.e. making the inner tube narrower? The thought is that later on I can remove the removeable inner tube and use it on a larger system if I get one later.

Would ozone help?

Or do you think I should try selling it and getting another RE model? If so, which one?

Thank you in advance Jeremy, your constant fedback and willingnes to help people on this forum is in part why I want to continue investing in RE products instead of going the cheaper route.

Best regards André of Norway.

 

[Jeremy B.]

Hi Andre, that 250 is definitely way too big for a 140g system. This is the reason why the inside of the neck just mucks up really fast and you don't get a good balanced skimmate put out of it. You really need to be in their 180 series skimmers, such as the Mini 180 or the Double Cone 180. A 200 series might even be just slightly on the large side for you in my opinion.

 

[AndreMF]

Hi Andre, that 250 is definitely way too big for a 140g system. This is the reason why the inside of the neck just mucks up really fast and you don't get a good balanced skimmate put out of it. You really need to be in their 180 series skimmers, such as the Mini 180 or the Double Cone 180. A 200 series might even be just slightly on the large side for you in my opinion.

Thank you Jeremy. I thought maybe that the new RD3 pumps might help with a oversized skimmer? (I.e DC200 for my tank?)

You are the expert and I will follow your advice. My goal is to have a low nutrient tank for sps, especially acropora species, and at the same time have a skimmer able to remove the biological load from several fish. In other words, the skimmer I am looking for should be able to:
a) reduce nutrient levels to a very low level in a aquarium full of sps.
b) Being capable of handling the bioload of several fishes.

What model would you recommend for my spesific setup and goals please.

Best regards André.

 

[Jeremy B.]

Oversizing is more related to body and neck diameter than it is the pump on the skimmer, although that does play into it as well.

For your size tank the Double Cone 180 would be a perfect fit (140g system). The Double Cone 200 would still be borderline on the large size, and wouldn't make sense given the availability of a Double Cone 180 and that being a perfect match for any bioload you could put on it with that volume.

 

[AndreMF]

To the point and explanatory as well, excellent as always. RE DC180 it is then, And I guess the RD3DC motor is a given?
Thank you once again Jeremy, your input is much aprechiated.
André.