The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[Deep Reef]

That will work thanks

 

[d2mini]

Hey Dennis

I have tee'd my intake line. One end to the cup and one end ten feet to my CO2 scrubber. I used the same diameter hose and didn't notice any performance drop from the skimmer. I know it is drawing air from the skimmer as the pH has gone up.

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[Yogre]

Is anyone running a long air line to the venturi to pull in outside air?
I could run about 12-15' of line straight up the wall and into my attic to pull in fresh air.
Was wondering if anything about the skimmer performance is altered by the long air line and if I need to upsize the airline or anything?

Dennis,

Only thought I had is that you'd want to do like shaggss did, and tee the outside airline into the venturi. If you're pulling straight outside air into the venturi, it may not be moist enough to keep the salt creep buildup down in the venturi.

 

[d2mini]

Dennis,

Only thought I had is that you'd want to do like shaggss did, and tee the outside airline into the venturi. If you're pulling straight outside air into the venturi, it may not be moist enough to keep the salt creep buildup down in the venturi.

Yes, thank you... this is what I was planning on doing for that exact reason.
I already have the Tees because I used to run ozone that way.

Although, its so humid around here it probably would be enough! :lol:

 

[Deep Reef]

Like this?

http://www.marinedepot.com/Insert_E...Plumbing_Parts-FT7533-FIFTFIHB-FT7544-vi.html

Would 3/4" be the right size?

 

[ct_vol]

:hb2:

Would 3/4" be the right size?

Nope. You'd need a 1 inch thread. The barb size would depend on the pump you're running. PM me if you're running a one inch output pump and I can swap the straight for the elbow. Unfortunately, I don't have 1" thread to 3/4" barb, so can't help you there.

 

[azjohnny]

I was able to find a used VS3-24 on line. It is coming with 2 straight barbed fittings 1 each on the inlet and outlet. View attachment 320263

I need to install the skimmer in sump and would like to change the inlet barbed fitting to a 90 degree as shown on the lifereef site.

Does anyony know where can I get this 90 degree fitting?

You want 1"
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sched...hread-1-d4f31b020955e1892af61ebff0e3e4d0.html

Flex PVC is my go to for odd size fittings

http://flexpvc.com/

 

[shaggss]

If anyone needs convincing about getting one of these then check this out. A brand new tank one month old.

 

[Deep Reef]

Thanks for the input

 

[Deep Reef]

Anyone use an eheim 1262 pump on the VS3-24?

 

[Deep Reef]

No one?

 

[shaggss]

Anyone use an eheim 1262 pump on the VS3-24?

I asked Jeff about the eheim compact 5000 for my 28". He said it should be fine so I guess a 1262 on a 24" will be ok. Of course a bigger pump is better as you can always add a gate valve to turn it down. FYI I'm running a Fluval SP4 on my 28" wide open and it works very well.

 

[d2mini]

The skimmers Jeff sells/recommends for each skimmer on his website is a good baseline and guide to go by. These are what he feels function very well for the majority of people with that specific skimmer and a perfect place to start. He says you can always go with a more powerful pump if you'd like. So use his website as a guide and pick a pump based on what he recommends. If the eheim is equivalent to or a bit more powerful than the magdrive pump he recommends you should be fine.

 

[Deep Reef]

Thanks

 

[Brother D]

d2mini, do you still run ozone? I took my ozone off line and just monitor orp. I find that the skimmer performance is great without ozone for my 180. Like 469 overnight.

 

[d2mini]

d2mini, do you still run ozone? I took my ozone off line and just monitor orp. I find that the skimmer performance is great without ozone for my 180. Like 469 overnight.

Ozone doesn't improve skimming, if that's why you were running it.
When I did my rebuild, I decided to try a UV this time instead of ozone so I shelved the ozone kit for now.

Without ozone though, my ORP is kinda low, around 280-300.

 

[Brother D]

I should have worded that better. I found, for me, that ozone wasn't really needed to achieve a good orp. The water is crystal clear and that is something that I attribute to the skimmer performance. What uv unit do you use?

 

[d2mini]

I should have worded that better. I found, for me, that ozone wasn't really needed to achieve a good orp. The water is crystal clear and that is something that I attribute to the skimmer performance. What uv unit do you use?

Ah, gotcha.
I have an Aqua UV Classic 80w.

 

[sean2sean]

Hey guys... Im thinking about jumping the bandwagon and get a 4, 5, or 6 footer lifereef. I'm curious on how the recirculation setup is plumbed. I'm not understanding how everything needs to be hooked up for the larger skimmer. Any insight would be appreciated!

 

[grizzly123]

I just set up a vs3-48. There are three inputs. Two at the base and one toward the top. The Venturi goes into one and for recirculating you can hook a pump to one of the outputs(there are two) and pump that water into the second input. You can also send that water to the third input (which. Is higher on the body) and have a countercurrent recirc if not clear just ask I will try to explain better.