The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[jerseypete]

Thanks — By design, the sump is too small to house the pump. If a bigger pump is needed later, I did not want to be restricted by the sump size. I also want to keep the pump heat to a minimal, now moving from LED to metal halide lights. You can see with limited stand space, the extra area at the pump is nice for other equipment, like UV and doser.

The Lifereef system is not wet yet, but soon! I am still working on winding down Zeovit, moving to metal halide, and adding a frag tank & refugium in an adjacent room. I will post a rebuild shortly.

So are you changing from zeovit because of cost? How did it work for you? It seems you have nice set up there. How much did it actually cost to run the system monthly? Did you see good results?

 

[rmchoi]

What all is behind the controllers? Just the excess cables? It looks super clean and something I might steal for my own setup so curious what you have behind those false walls...

You hit the nail on the head! Excess cables, EB8's and transformers — the stuff know one wants to see. I had to go with extra height in the stand to make this work. Good luck.

 

[soulpatch]

I love the doors to still have access but also hide the clutter. Great and very simple idea

 

[rmchoi]

So are you changing from zeovit because of cost? How did it work for you? It seems you have nice set up there. How much did it actually cost to run the system monthly? Did you see good results?

Zeovit works, but I found it too maintenance intensive for me. There are a lot of additives (which are expensive), but its the constant dosing regimen of the many additives and changing out zeostones each 6 weeks that I'm done with.

I am finding there are many effective methods out there and you need to find one that works best with schedule, motivation (and budget). I have seen some nice reefs by those using Lifereef skimmer and refugium. It seems simple and effective.

 

[kirkaz]

I have a VS3 72 on a 465 gallon FOWLR as well as a 60 on a 450 gallon reef. The reef is MUCH more lightly stocked, they are both running on a MAG 18, the 60 on the reef is producing FAR FAR FAR more and better skim than the larger 72 on the more heavily stocked FOWLR.

I have tried downdraft to no avail on the 72. Any other suggestions? I have emailed Jeff and am anxious to hear back....Could the 72 need a more powerful pump??

 

[bayoupr]

I would say yes, a bigger pump for the 72 and I'm surprised the Mag 18 is working that good on the 60.. Are you running external or internal?

 

[kirkaz]

I would say yes, a bigger pump for the 72 and I'm surprised the Mag 18 is working that good on the 60.. Are you running external or internal?

Internal....Mag 18 is well above what he says for a minimum.

 

[bayoupr]

Internal....Mag 18 is well above what he says for a minimum.

Might be above the min. but the head pressure with the Mag 18 is knocking the flow rate down. What injector are you running? I would get a 1078 for the 72" if running the Mag18 although I have found a good external pressure rated pump like the Panworld 100PX or equal works better with the 60 & 72 " Lifereef skimmers with the 1078 or 978 mazzei injectors. This is all based on my past experiences with these skimmers (30" thru 72") and my opinion only.

 

[kirkaz]

Might be above the min. but the head pressure with the Mag 18 is knocking the flow rate down. What injector are you running? I would get a 1078 for the 72" if running the Mag18 although I have found a good external pressure rated pump like the Panworld 100PX or equal works better with the 60 & 72 " Lifereef skimmers with the 1078 or 978 mazzei injectors. This is all based on my past experiences with these skimmers (30" thru 72") and my opinion only.

Hmmm, didn't frankly know there was a difference in the injectors....What comes on the Lifereef??

And am I missing something on the pump? The Pan you mention is only like 800 gph, correct?

 

[iced98lx]

Got my 24 running in the sump.

 

[EvMiBo]

Hmmm, didn't frankly know there was a difference in the injectors....What comes on the Lifereef??

And am I missing something on the pump? The Pan you mention is only like 800 gph, correct?

Pictures would help.

It's a pressure rated pump, these venturis perform best (especially with the larger bodies) with pumps that are built to battle head loss.

 

[kirkaz]

I have been very surprised at how little water is returning to the sump from the skimmer, so the Mag is clearly not moving the kind of water it does on the return to the tanks (it is my return on both systems). I tried this morning adding a Rio pump that I believe moves about 750 gph, I hooked it up on the right side from where the mazzei is hooked up with the Mag 18. Definitely moving a lot more water through now, wait and see if I get more skim.

The pic shows about 4 days worth of skim on a heavily stocked system, clearly not what I'm looking for. What would be the best submersible pump to use on this??

Thanks.

 

[GINNY]

That Mazzei need a minimum of 1100gph pumping through it. More is better. Adding a pump to the other side just adds water volume to the skimmer. That other side i believe is just to be used as a drain.
One thing is the Mazzei flowing in the right direction ???

I would hook up the mag 18 to the Mazzei.

 

[kirkaz]

That Mazzei need a minimum of 1100gph pumping through it. More is better. Adding a pump to the other side just adds water volume to the skimmer. That other side i believe is just to be used as a drain.
One thing is the Mazzei flowing in the right direction ???

I would hook up the mag 18 to the Mazzei.

The Mag is hooked up to the Mazzei, and yes it is in the right direction.

 

[Conor_K]

Wooosh, that was an impressive 103 pages of reading...

After page 3 I knew I was going with one of these...

Now I know I'm going with the 30" in sump with a Fluval SP4 for my 125 gallon DT/40Gal Sump set up.

Going to get the fancy venturi too.

Party on... Thanks for all the great info everyone. :dance:

 

[SlvrZ]

Seriously who keeps a home/office at 79 degrees???

I'm at 85 during the summer. Seriously, not even exaggerating.

 

[iced98lx]

This is 5 days of skimming:



I can't keep the airline from gunking up though, I had started work on an external muffler/silencer to just not connect it to the cup but any other suggestions?

 

[Patrick Cox]

All,
Is the Mazzei Venturi worth the cost of upgrade for a 24" in sump skimmer? Thanks.

 

[LifeReef4Life]

All,
Is the Mazzei Venturi worth the cost of upgrade for a 24" in sump skimmer? Thanks.

I would say yes, but...
Not being a fan of Jeffs 24" skimmer due to lack of reaction area
contact time too, I am a fan of the PVDF (Kelnar) Mazzei venturi.
I have a new PP Mazzei venturi and it is softer, and I am having issues with
some bigger bubbles all of a sudden, possibly from adding salt to a "sterile"
system with the skimmer and return running (4 cups added to 50g capacity)
raising SG.

I ran a 24" on a Rio 3100 with the Lifereef venturi and felt it was a dud
compared to his taller skimmers. I've had the 24, 36 and older VS2-48
which I'm currently running on a 40B.
The Lifereef venturi is a spa injector according to Jeff.
It would be nice to have both, to have a back up or isolate any issues
that may arise, which I find myself in that predicament currently.

Just know the plumbing will change a little to accommodate the longer venturi.
Mine is 7-3/4" long between fittings (threads inside fittings not measured).

Do you already own the SVS skimmer?
Personally I feel the VS3 flange upgrade is worth the extra $65 :thumbsup:
I hate not being able to open my skimmer body up now that I've owned a VS3.

If you're ordering a Mazzei, with a new skimmer, this link is not worth the price
https://www.kiscosales.com/index.ph...cts_id=19201&zenid=oguvmqtsik64pqe0im6v1gbb20
If you're just ordering a Mazzei to upgrade a current skimmer and have
access to a 1/2" x 3/8" vinyl tubing adapter, then Kisco sales can save you a few bucks.
HTH

 

[LifeReef4Life]

The Mazzei has a 1/2" barb
the Lifereef self cleaning venturi vinyl tubing to cup is 3/8" on all of mine.