The Life Reef Skimmer Club
- Thread starter d2mini
- Start date
d2mini
Premium Member
So I recently switched from dosing to a calcium reactor, and back when i was dosing I was getting a lot of precipitate clinging in thin sheets to my sump and unknowingly... my skimmer inside the body! I was looking at it this weekend and notice that even though it still seemed to be skimming fine I noticed that I didn't seem to have as many bubbles in the body of the skimmer. I could actually see the pvc pipe inside the body which is normally obscured by bubbles. So first I ran just the pump in a vinegar bath, but that didn't seem to do anything. Then I checked the whole venturi area and that seemed pretty clean. That's when I had noticed all the build up inside the skimmer. So i broke it all down and started hosing out the body. I had sheets of calcium carbonate or whatever it was falling out in big flakes. After getting all of that out of there, I put it all back together and ran it in a vinegar bath for around 4 hours. After that I opened it all back up and wiped it all down, all squeaky clean. Once that was done I put it all back in my sump and started it up. BAM! The body was completely thick, milky white... completely opaque with bubbles. This was like 10pm at night. By the next morning I had a half inch of nog in the 8" cup. Might have had more but I had accidentally left the drain valve open. Oops. 
Here's the "after" pics...
Here's the "after" pics...
d2mini
Premium Member
Ken, this was from my two-part dosing, not the cal reactor.
I was getting it in the sump, too but not anymore.
hey d2, great idea on starting this thread. you are correct that LifeReef is not spoken about much. i just took out my SWC 250S skimmer with a bubble master 5000 pump and setup back my LifeReef vs3-30. i never really took the time before to dial it in as i was trying to run it like i was running my euroreef rs-180. i now have it dialed in pretty well so watching it . have no complaints. Jeff is a great guy with great personal support. i am actually helping a friend out who wants to setup a 300 gallon system and i told him to check out lifereef and call jeff for any questions that he mite have. there must be an untold truth about a skimmer that has not really changed design in 30 years.
Lucifa
Lucifa
What exactly does that mean? The only dialing in should be the water/air level in the skimmer below the neck. There is no other adjustments to be made.
Ken
hi, ken, in a nutshell i got the lifereef from my bro to replace my euroreef that had a broken pump shaft. i was trying to run the water too far up in the neck of the lifereef as i was in the euroreef.
was not having much luck and bought a swc 250s from a friend of mine. the pumps eventually started giving too much trouble and changed them to a bubble master 5000.
recently put back in my lifereef to give it another shot and so far i am happy with it. after getting a few pointers from jeff.
thats what it means. hope that clarifies for you.
was not having much luck and bought a swc 250s from a friend of mine. the pumps eventually started giving too much trouble and changed them to a bubble master 5000.
recently put back in my lifereef to give it another shot and so far i am happy with it. after getting a few pointers from jeff.
thats what it means. hope that clarifies for you.
I ordered a LifeReef vs3-30 with a Mazzie injector and Mag 12 today from Jeff. Jeff is a great guy to work with over the phone. Cannot wait to get my hands on the bad boy. any pointers or tips about the setup would be welcomed. My skimmer would be plumbed outside the sump
I am replacing a Tunze 9430 skimmer. Will keep you guys posted.
I am replacing a Tunze 9430 skimmer. Will keep you guys posted.
I ordered the exact same setup as you and installing it outside the sump as well. I received it today. That mazzei is long. Looks about 9".
Ken
AcroporAddict
There is no substitute.
I might as well post here as well......I just ordered a VS3-60 with the ozone kit with a Mag 24 to run it for my 465 gallon SPS tank. I have a 155 gallon sump, and the sumps sits on a foot tall platform. Thought about buying the VS3-72, but I'd have to get on a step ladder the reach the cup!
Thanks to Dennis for answering some questions about his skimmer.
Thanks to Dennis for answering some questions about his skimmer.
AcroporAddict
There is no substitute.
I haven't bought one yet. None in the country to buy.
This skimmer purchase is purely elective. I decided to try something different than my Alpha 300, and that I would go for one with a long riser tube that operates on a Mazzei injector vs the same needle wheel technology of the BK/Alpha 300 types.
The Alpha is very close to the BK SM 250/300 in the way it operates, needle wheel, etc. Great skimmer, but I am curious about the LifeReef. I haven't heard a bad thing about this line, and they have been around for 30 years.
I had an Orca 200 with a Beckett injector years and years ago, but never a Mazzei based skimmer.
Who knows, I may buy a BK SM 250 as well and do a direct comparison. I am an admitted equipment junkie.
If there is any downside to needle wheel skimmers, I have always thought that with my Alpha 300 I have to skim wet to get the best performance out of it. Never been an issue for me, as I have always skimmed wet. Cone skimmer technology, as I understand it, is based on making the exposure time of the bubbles to water longer. A broad base on the bottom and bottle neck small diameter opening at the top is how this is achieved. In the LifeReef skimmers it is old school with a tall reaction chamber. I think I can play with dryer skimming with this type of skimmer better than I can with a BK. I may be wrong, but whenever I have tried dryer skimming in a cone type, I get a huge buildup of goop on the inside of the riser tube. Wetter skimming helps stop this, but then you only can do one type of skimming.
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