The Life Reef Skimmer Club
- Thread starter d2mini
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Celtic_Fox
New member
I've joined the Lifereef club
I've joined the Lifereef club
Yay!
Testing my picture posting ability below ... and building anticipation...
Unboxing and more pictures soon! =)
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/36090826681_91d6affacf_b.jpg" width="702" height="1024" alt="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50" title="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/36090826681_91d6affacf_t.jpg" width="69" height="100" alt="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50"></a></script>
I've joined the Lifereef club
Yay!
Testing my picture posting ability below ... and building anticipation...
Unboxing and more pictures soon! =)
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/36090826681_91d6affacf_b.jpg" width="702" height="1024" alt="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50" title="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4321/36090826681_91d6affacf_t.jpg" width="69" height="100" alt="LifeReef_Boxes_Cropped50"></a></script>
Last edited:
Bpb
New member
Got it all cleaned up and ready to go. Ordered the Jebao DCP10000 today so that will arrive next week. The skimmer and pump likely will not fit in the same sump chamber though so I'll have to run the pump in the third chamber next to my return pump and just have the output pipe travel backwards to the first chamber. Luckily the pump is oversized so I'll still have plenty of flow
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Orcus Varuna
New member
Got it all cleaned up and ready to go. Ordered the Jebao DCP10000 today so that will arrive next week. The skimmer and pump likely will not fit in the same sump chamber though so I'll have to run the pump in the third chamber next to my return pump and just have the output pipe travel backwards to the first chamber. Luckily the pump is oversized so I'll still have plenty of flow
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I am very excited to see it up and running @Bpb
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FullBoreReefer
New member
If anyone is curious and just to get an idea, my apex eb832 is saying my dct12000 on my 30" is using 74watts at 100%, not horrible i guess.
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Orcus Varuna
New member
That's fantastic my mag 12 pulls 119 watts according to apex [emoji24]
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Bpb
New member
Finally got my SVS2-24" up and running. I put my DCP10000 at 80% power and immediately it was producing skimmate. I DID clean the sump before installing it so the water was really murky so that helped to get it loaded with organics fast so there was literally zero break in. I got about 1/4 cup of dark skimmate in just the first 12 hours.
Problem though. I'm using a Phosban 150 reactor for soda lime. I know it's recommended to run the air line in a loop to the cup that way humid air is drawn in to prevent the Venturi from clogging. My experiment was to see how quick it clogged by just running the air to the co2 scrubber instead. Much to my surprise and dismay it was already clogged when I woke up this morning. 12 hours. I didn't unclog it because I didn't want the cup to overflow while I was at work and potentially make a mess, but that was surprising. I suppose I can flush Rodi down the Venturi a couple times a day but that will get tiresome. Can I run the air intake from the co2 scrubber back to the skimmer cup and will that provide adequate humidity? It'll be a challenge getting that to fit because the skimmer barb is 1/4" airline sized and the phosban is much larger. Not sure on size. Will require finding lots of reducers for a very small run of tubing. Or is running a co2 scrubber maybe just not going to work?
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Problem though. I'm using a Phosban 150 reactor for soda lime. I know it's recommended to run the air line in a loop to the cup that way humid air is drawn in to prevent the Venturi from clogging. My experiment was to see how quick it clogged by just running the air to the co2 scrubber instead. Much to my surprise and dismay it was already clogged when I woke up this morning. 12 hours. I didn't unclog it because I didn't want the cup to overflow while I was at work and potentially make a mess, but that was surprising. I suppose I can flush Rodi down the Venturi a couple times a day but that will get tiresome. Can I run the air intake from the co2 scrubber back to the skimmer cup and will that provide adequate humidity? It'll be a challenge getting that to fit because the skimmer barb is 1/4" airline sized and the phosban is much larger. Not sure on size. Will require finding lots of reducers for a very small run of tubing. Or is running a co2 scrubber maybe just not going to work?
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LQT
Active member
You could try reducing the CO2 scubber line down to 1/4", then add a 1/4" tee from the cup to venturi and hook up the 1/4" CO2 scrubber line off the branch of the tee. When I get my tank up and running, that's what I plan on trying... although I have a newer skimmer with the 3/8" line, so I'll need a 3/8x1/4x3/8 tee for my older generation 1/4" line BRS CO2 scrubber.
FullBoreReefer
New member
I plumbed my air intake from my basement up to my attic, totally bypassing the skimmer cup intake point. It has been almost 30 days and no clogs. Crossing fingers. As its helped raise my ph by bringing in fresh air(maybe not "fresh", but atleast away from the living occupied space. I felt co2 was settling in my basement while running the AC and not "venting" the house, so far so good.)
Bpb
New member
The Life Reef Skimmer Club
Well it wasn't the Venturi that was clogging. I discovered that I had accidentally opened back up a repaired body-crack near where the skimmer effluent gate valve comes out. Water was basically gushing out of the crack and the effluent destroying any contact time and turbulence making it looks like I wasn't getting any flow or bubbles in the skimmer
Now my problem is i am without a skimmer. I have no idea how to repair that crack. Not quickly anyway.
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Well it wasn't the Venturi that was clogging. I discovered that I had accidentally opened back up a repaired body-crack near where the skimmer effluent gate valve comes out. Water was basically gushing out of the crack and the effluent destroying any contact time and turbulence making it looks like I wasn't getting any flow or bubbles in the skimmer
Now my problem is i am without a skimmer. I have no idea how to repair that crack. Not quickly anyway.
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Bpb
New member
Where do you find that. I'd obviously like to get it fixed quick and back up and running so I'm not skimmerless. I have a carbon dosed sps dominant tank so I don't like drastic changes like this too much. I can't seem to find any acrylic glue locally. I'll post a close up of the damage later but it's been repaired and there's a mountain of glue already on it.
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LQT
Active member
Weldon 16 is more viscous than the stuff used to put sumps together.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003...=weldon+16&dpPl=1&dpID=41XkHqOnoML&ref=plSrch
I'm not sure how well super glue or epoxy bonds to acrylic.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003...=weldon+16&dpPl=1&dpID=41XkHqOnoML&ref=plSrch
I'm not sure how well super glue or epoxy bonds to acrylic.
Orcus Varuna
New member
Weld on is basically MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone) with bits of acrylic dissolved in it. Most standard pvc glue is MEK based so you can just grind up some acrylic in the glue and it will do the same thing as weld-on. It creates a nice strong MEK-acrylic lattice.
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Bpb
New member
All is well! Update on my install. It was not without some drama. So my first mistake was to not cement my plumbing. My lifereef is too large to fit in my skimmer chamber WITH a pump so I have my skimmer pump in the return chamber with a pvc pipe going up and over back across the sump to the first chamber. I figured being attatched to the skimmer would be enough stability and any slow drips would go back into the water. No big deal right? Wrong. I didn't look closely enough at the Venturi and didn't respect how much it reduces the line creating a tremendous amount of pressure.
It worked fine at first. 12 hours after last laying eyes on it I get home from work and notice pitiful water level and almost no air. Pump says it's running 80% still. Odd...so I hit feed mode which shuts it off, then I turn it back on. Boom flow galore just like it should be. Ok good. Minutes later I can watch it piddle down to nothing. So I'm first blaming the pump thinking I got a dud somehow. I reset the feed mode several more times. Great flow and immediately dies to nothing. ***.
I then notice the huge crack where the effluent pipe has come loose from the body and water rushing out. I think maybe too much water escaping is reducing turbulence meaning the foam doesn't hang around long enough. Doesn't make sense but I'm trying to rationalize.
I hit feed one more time and turn it back on and BOOM! The pvc pipe attatched to the pump shoots off and in the blink of any eye 5-10 gallons of water goes everywhere. Soaked the co2 regulator. Inside of the stand. Shot across the room and made a massive puddle, and worst of all soaked all the pump drivers and power strips behind the stand. In a flurry I hit feed again to shut it off and yank the equipment cabinet out to assess the damage. I put about 15 towels on everything and redirect my canopy fans down to the floor and begin soaking up all the water. Luckily nothing was damaged. I expect the linoleum to be peeling up under the stand when we move out. Oops.
In my haste I accident pulled the ato line out of the sump and on top of the mess my 5 gallon bucket siphoned onto the floor as well. At this point I'm ready to quit the hobby entirely. But...everything is dried up. Skimmer pulled out and I leave the tank alone for the day.
Today rolls around and I get to inspecting everything. When taking apart the plumbing I happen to notice the real problem. The Venturi was completely obstructed with tiny pieces of rubble. That is what was killing the flow and ultimately created the water pressure explosion off the pump. So after a good cleaning and patching up of the crack on the skimmer body, I cement the plumbing all back together. Reassemble it all. And position the pump more carefully. As of now it has been running for 6 hours perfectly. Producing skimmate. No leak. No blockages. No problems. Hopefully it stays that way.
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It worked fine at first. 12 hours after last laying eyes on it I get home from work and notice pitiful water level and almost no air. Pump says it's running 80% still. Odd...so I hit feed mode which shuts it off, then I turn it back on. Boom flow galore just like it should be. Ok good. Minutes later I can watch it piddle down to nothing. So I'm first blaming the pump thinking I got a dud somehow. I reset the feed mode several more times. Great flow and immediately dies to nothing. ***.
I then notice the huge crack where the effluent pipe has come loose from the body and water rushing out. I think maybe too much water escaping is reducing turbulence meaning the foam doesn't hang around long enough. Doesn't make sense but I'm trying to rationalize.
I hit feed one more time and turn it back on and BOOM! The pvc pipe attatched to the pump shoots off and in the blink of any eye 5-10 gallons of water goes everywhere. Soaked the co2 regulator. Inside of the stand. Shot across the room and made a massive puddle, and worst of all soaked all the pump drivers and power strips behind the stand. In a flurry I hit feed again to shut it off and yank the equipment cabinet out to assess the damage. I put about 15 towels on everything and redirect my canopy fans down to the floor and begin soaking up all the water. Luckily nothing was damaged. I expect the linoleum to be peeling up under the stand when we move out. Oops.
In my haste I accident pulled the ato line out of the sump and on top of the mess my 5 gallon bucket siphoned onto the floor as well. At this point I'm ready to quit the hobby entirely. But...everything is dried up. Skimmer pulled out and I leave the tank alone for the day.
Today rolls around and I get to inspecting everything. When taking apart the plumbing I happen to notice the real problem. The Venturi was completely obstructed with tiny pieces of rubble. That is what was killing the flow and ultimately created the water pressure explosion off the pump. So after a good cleaning and patching up of the crack on the skimmer body, I cement the plumbing all back together. Reassemble it all. And position the pump more carefully. As of now it has been running for 6 hours perfectly. Producing skimmate. No leak. No blockages. No problems. Hopefully it stays that way.
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Orcus Varuna
New member
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