Skimmer Q&A Thread

Mojo...I got sent an SRO-5000EXT by error, I was wondering if you think it would be enough for a medium stock mixed reef 540g display tank. Or if for that case an SRO-XP5000EXT would even be good enough? My original plan was to use an SRO-6000EXT but they are currently out of stock for the next few months.
 
montrealreef said:
Wow what a great thread! Thanks Mojo!

I have a Bubble King Mini 200 Gen 2. It is great. Built like a tank, super quite, super easy to use (I love how you can effortlessly lift the collection cup off the main body) It is also super easy to clean (you can take the whole thing apart in less than 5 minutes).

Now for the question, the skimmer comes with a pre drilled hole that Royal Exclusiv calls an "absorbate drain". It is 10mm wide and is closed with a removable silicone plug. Has anyone managed to find an adapter or a hose of some sort that would fit in that hole? I'm going crazy trying to find one.

Thanks

sam
Click to expand...


anyone?
 
birdman1979 said:
Mojo,
What do you recommend cleaning a skimmer with pump with? I have a BK180 mini that doesn't produce much skimmate, never has in the 5-6 weeks I've had it operating. I wonder if it became clogged? I dose vodka and MB7 so I'm wondering if bacteria clogged the intake or something?
Click to expand...

birdman1979, i would check the pin wheel to make sure nothing is caught in there. My BK mini 200 did not work for a few days. When I checked it, I found a brittle star totally entangled between the pins. After i removed it, the skimmer went back to its usual monster performance.

Also make sure that your skimmer is in 9 to 10 inches of water with a stable water level (as per manual)

HTH

sam
 
Mojo, would the Octopus XP-1000SSS Cone Skimmer have the same performance as the
SRO 1000?
 
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yes sorry, i think the 5000 would be fine. the only difference between it and the 6000 is the body size. it uses the same pump. I think its a little on the small side but being external you can adjust your water through put through the skimmer. Must be hard to get things in guam..
 
Hi Mojo, I have a Euro Reef CS 8-2. It's running on a 90 gallon tank with two tangs, a clown and three chromis. It is pretty well stocked with SPS and LPS. The skimmer originally came with a Sedra 5000 pump, but was upgraded to a Sedra 9000.

The skimmer seems to work well, but I can't help but to think it could be more efficient at skimming, with a smaller pump. Either the stock Sedra 5000 or something in the same ball park. I just think the 9000 is pushing way too much water through the skimmer at a faster pace than was originally intended. I get a lot of turbulence in the body and towards the neck, but it stops right where the "cone" begins. At that point, the bubbles get very fine and slowly move up the cone and become a nice froth. Thinking about maybe putting in a PVC elbow pointing down into a diffuser to help with the turbulence.

I would think with a smaller pump, I would get more air/water contact time therefore improving efficiency. Don't get me wrong, the skimmer does a good job and I'm thinking, "why fix something that's not broken?". But I can't help but think that I could drastically improve it's performanace.

Any ideas? Should I leave well enough alone?? Maybe it's that I just don't have a big enough bio-load? Thanks in advance!
 
mojo~ said:
yes sorry, i think the 5000 would be fine. the only difference between it and the 6000 is the body size. it uses the same pump. I think its a little on the small side but being external you can adjust your water through put through the skimmer. Must be hard to get things in guam..
Click to expand...

Thanks Mojo...You have no idea how hard it is to get large packages out here to Guam. I was trying to get some larger skimmers, but no one would ship out here so the large Octos were the best I could get. How much water do you think I should run through the skimmer?
 
Mojo,

I am currently running the BM NAC6 on my 40 gallon breeder and love it. I mean for the money, it does a great job. I only have 3 small fish so my bio load isn't large but I do vodka dose so it is nice to have the larger skimmer.

I am however looking at upgrading my skimmer a bit. I am more worried about the pump than anything. The Atman pumps don't seem to be too bad but I really don't like the mesh and the bubble plate is really cheap.

There is a local guy in my club that builds Bubble King replicas. I mean you could put them side by side and not tell which was the real Bubble King if there was no labeling. His prices are really good and I can get the Bubble Blaster pumps at wholesale so it got me thinking to try one out.

Here is my question, do I go with the HY-1000S or the 2000S? I am afraid that the 1000 would only be good on my 40 and if I ever upgraded then I may be SOL. On the other hand, is the 2000 too big? The cone would be a 6" body with a 4" neck. I just can't seem to find a ton of info on the Bubble Blaster pumps.

Thanks and sorry for the novel!

Ryan
 
SRO 2000 Internal Questions

SRO 2000 Internal Questions

Mojo or anyone else:

Hi. I just received my Super Reef Octopus Internal Skimmer 2000. I have two questions. I am running it in 6 inches of water in my sump. Is that appropriate? Also, at what height do I want to adjust the gate valve on the skimmer to make the internal water height in the skimmer body (bubble line). I read somewhere that you want to adjust the gate valve of the skimmer so that the water line inside the skimmer body is between the top of the reef octopus sticker on the skimmer and the think black plastic piece where the the neck of the skimmer cup attaches to the skimmer body. Is this correct?
 
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Stuart60611 said:
Mojo or anyone else:

Hi. I just received my Super Reef Octopus Internal Skimmer 2000. I have two questions. I am running it in 6 inches of water in my sump. Is that appropriate? Also, at what height do I want to adjust the gate valve on the skimmer to make the internal water height in the skimmer body (bubble line). I read somewhere that you want to adjust the gate valve of the skimmer so that the water line inside the skimmer body is between the top of the reef octopus sticker on the skimmer and the think black plastic piece where the the neck of the skimmer cup attaches to the skimmer body. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

What's the max level the space saver version can run well in? Thanks!
 
Mojo,

Just got the SWC-120 cone. Super quiet little skimmer, finally found a quiet one for a decent price for living room use. My sump baffles walls are 9" tall. Skimmer appears to run ok in that deep of water, recommended is 6-8". Can I leave it in the 9", or should I set the skimmer on something raising it up a little? How does leaving it in deeper water affect skimmer performance?
 
Mojo,

I just built my first skimmer and was wondering what would be a better mod: A pin wheel impeller or a mesh mod? It has a gen-x 1000 lph pump, needle wheel impeller, reaction chamber is 4.5" OD and 12.5" tall, the neck is 2" OD.

Based on the dimensions, I was wondering what the maximum tank volume with a heavily stocked tank would be? I don't have air draw numbers at this time, and don't know if you need them.

It does work and has been running for 48 hours and has about a 1/4" of skimmate in the collection cup which is a dark tea color with a tinge of green.

My tank has never had a skimmer and as far as I can tell does not need one, I simply built this for fun and thought I would share, and it cost under $100 and a weekend.

Thank you and Happy Reefing.

DSC01306.jpg


Diy Venturi:

DSC01290.jpg
 
nice job, I would say around 120 gallons tank or so for that skimmer.

Just a couple things I noticed right off the bat. Every time you put in a elbow after the pump output you will loose about 10% in performance. OTherwise good job. I just finsihed my skimmer this morning. Building two of them. THe first of two is done. But again. Good job.
 
Thanks!, So...... What do you think would be a better mod a pinwheel impeller or a mesh mod to the current needlewheel?

Crap, now i need to get a bigger tank, it's installed on a 20L with a 15g sump.

I'll do a update in about a month when it's broken in.

I'm looking forward to seeing your skimmer build.
 
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