The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[coffeetwitch]

neck size.... you would think that other skimmer companies would look into that wouldnt you?
air bubbles... check
energy efficient pump... check
body design to compete with other brands... check
something appealing to consumers... check
neck diameter that is known to work better than a big gaping hole.... screw it

 

[rEeFnWrX]

I wouldn't really call the mag pumps efficient, not that they are horrible. However, the reasons I think Jeff chooses them as his default option is that they are a very reliable pump, moderately priced and can be ran internally or in line.

His skimmers are designed so simply that one day it could be in sump and the next you decide to run it externally... which makes them a great option. And they will work with practically any pump.

 

[ksed]

neck size.... you would think that other skimmer companies would look into that wouldnt you?
air bubbles... check
energy efficient pump... check
body design to compete with other brands... check
something appealing to consumers... check
neck diameter that is known to work better than a big gaping hole.... screw it

More people are concerned with air numbers , short skimmers, therefore larger neck is needed to work.

 

[bernie lyons]

simmers

simmers

neck size.... you would think that other skimmer companies would look into that wouldnt you?
air bubbles... check
energy efficient pump... check
body design to compete with other brands... check
something appealing to consumers... check
neck diameter that is known to work better than a big gaping hole.... screw it

+1
As I said before ,marketing hype and saving dollars seems to be the main motivation for these "stubby" skimmers with high air volume...and don't get me started on "cone" skimmers...shees !

 

[coffeetwitch]

i guess if you have to explain a joke it was never really funny in the first place...

the check list was meant to insinuate that thats how modern skimmer manufacturers operate.

air numbers are fine... they mean nothing to my saltwater system and that my lr skimmer that doesnt use that as a selling point. but i am very impressed with how well this skimmer works for me. i want to stress that this skimmer works better than anything i have tried. FOR ME. i am not going to say that other skimmers dont work or one is better than another.... what i am saying is that until i put this skimmer to work i have never been really happy with the performance of anything i have used before.

will i recommend this skimmer vs the others ive tried to other people i know??? absolutely.

 

[rounder45]

the lifereef has been removing more than the rd. fills the cup faster. darker than the rd. the rd shut down when i feed the tank. the lifereef i have will skim through the whole cube of mysis. never stops! the lifereef is more stable, meaning to me. that i could could kill my rd by putting my hand in my tank to adj a power head and it would take an hour or two to come back online. the lifereef doesn't stop. my arm has to be in the water for a short bit before the lifereef shuts down. oh another comment about the foam from lifereef is better. idk how to discribe it. like a staircase of foam once in the cup. the rd would spit foam over the edge of the cup and then it would pop and liquify. i dont know if that was descriptive enough to get the point across.

build quality... rd has some impressive build quality. thick plastics. welded joints. lifereef is solid but utilitarian.

to me, lifereef is an all around better skimmer than the reef dynamics.

i had a mag 9.5 as a return pump once. that could remove the need for my heater. the mag 12 with the lifereef still needs a heater. weird right? same tank same sump.

awesome... I have been waiting for your results(have the ins135 also). do you know how much sump flow your running to it? I assume you have it in your sump?

 

[coffeetwitch]

i would be guessing but i think its around 300-400gph. its a quiet one 2200. about 5' head and im using 1.25"pvc.

and yes to in my sump.

 

[azjohnny]

I now have the VS3-36 on line and have the water level in the skimmer about 1" below the flange. I didn't do a vinegar bath before using, Dennis had commented his skimmer was producing skim mate after 12 hours so that me me rethink the vinegar bath theory and if it is needed

 

[clorox]

I'm thinking about getting an SVS3-24 to replace my Vertex Omega 130 that I am currently using in my 60g cube. The tank is in my living room, so a quiet in sump pump is my primary concern. THe sicce pump that comes with the Vertex is ok, but I would not call it quiet. Has anyone used a DC pump with a lifereef skimmer? Any recommendations?

 

[d2mini]

I now have the VS3-36 on line and have the water level in the skimmer about 1" below the flange. I didn't do a vinegar bath before using, Dennis had commented his skimmer was producing skim mate after 12 hours so that me me rethink the vinegar bath theory and if it is needed

Brand new? Nahhhh... just plug it in and go.
But i've done vinegar baths twice now, and both times it started skimming really quickly.

 

[d2mini]

i guess if you have to explain a joke it was never really funny in the first place...

the check list was meant to insinuate that thats how modern skimmer manufacturers operate.

air numbers are fine... they mean nothing to my saltwater system and that my lr skimmer that doesnt use that as a selling point. but i am very impressed with how well this skimmer works for me. i want to stress that this skimmer works better than anything i have tried. FOR ME. i am not going to say that other skimmers dont work or one is better than another.... what i am saying is that until i put this skimmer to work i have never been really happy with the performance of anything i have used before.

will i recommend this skimmer vs the others ive tried to other people i know??? absolutely.

My experience exactly.

 

[azjohnny]

The skimmer has been running for 3 days now and no skim mate yet. I have a moderate bioload. I am guessing it needs some more time.

I let my system run skimmerless for 3 days prior to installing the VS3-36

 

[EvMiBo]

I'm thinking about getting an SVS3-24 to replace my Vertex Omega 130 that I am currently using in my 60g cube. The tank is in my living room, so a quiet in sump pump is my primary concern. THe sicce pump that comes with the Vertex is ok, but I would not call it quiet. Has anyone used a DC pump with a lifereef skimmer? Any recommendations?

Some people have ran the jebao dc6000 on the 24 body. There's a video on the lifereef website with a user of the the dc6000 model. Supposedly it's very quiet.

 

[clorox]

Some people have ran the jebao dc6000 on the 24 body. There's a video on the lifereef website with a user of the the dc6000 model. Supposedly it's very quiet.

Thanks so much for the info.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

I'm thinking about getting an SVS3-24 to replace my Vertex Omega 130 that I am currently using in my 60g cube. The tank is in my living room, so a quiet in sump pump is my primary concern. THe sicce pump that comes with the Vertex is ok, but I would not call it quiet. Has anyone used a DC pump with a lifereef skimmer? Any recommendations?

The pump doesn't matter much. as long as your pumps flow rate is near a mag9 you will be fine. Jeff currently uses a mag12 and said someone ran a mag18 on the svs24... the larger the pump the quicker it will remove nutrients, so less time with a full foam head and more dormant time inbetween.... larger pumps are overkill and not needed. The pump will just determine amount of flow... amount of air taken in through the venturi will increase or decrease with that flow rate.

 

[d2mini]

The skimmer has been running for 3 days now and no skim mate yet. I have a moderate bioload. I am guessing it needs some more time.

I let my system run skimmerless for 3 days prior to installing the VS3-36

My water level is only about 1/4" to 1/2" below the neck.
It depends a little on the water level in your sump, but you might want to raise that.
Is it foaming in the neck?
I'd raise it up a little bit at a time until you start seeing foam at the top of the neck in the cup.

 

[azjohnny]

I have had the level even with the flange, so not in the neck. This morning I raised the water level so it is now half way between the flange and the cup

Water level in sump is @ 9", the return is fully submerged. Other than the skimmer not producing foam it works great....LOL

 

[ken6217]

I have had the level even with the flange, so not in the neck. This morning I raised the water level so it is now half way between the flange and the cup

Water level in sump is @ 9", the return is fully submerged. Other than the skimmer not producing foam it works great....LOL

You should bring the level back down. Once it breaks in you will be pulling out basically water to very light tea. The neck on that skimmer is very narrow and the level you have it set at is too high.
Ken

 

[d2mini]

Yeah, you typically don't want to go above the flange.
I thought I read earlier that you had it an inch below the flange.

 

[azjohnny]

Thats where I had it when I was breaking it in for the 1st couple of days