The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[coffeetwitch]

these skimmers are too simple... if you have bubbles in your skimmer body that are entering your return pipe then you have something in your water making your skimmer go crazy. try carbon. if it is bubble free water returning to your sump but bubbles coming out then its the pipe its sucking air... lower pressure in pipe than atmosphere. not a whole lot more than that...

best guess.

 

[bwp]

It sounds like you may want to increase the water level in your skimmer by constricting the flow out of the skimmer. This should reduce the amount of bubbles being discharged.

 

[azjohnny]

ok so has anyone tried the fluval sp6 to drive their skimmer? if the sp4 works so good more/ bigger is better right?

You won't need a SP6, that is over 3400 gph @ 0 ft of head way to much flow. I have a VS3-36 skimmer mated with a SP4 and a Mazzei 1078. I am very happy with the results

 

[s2k]

do you think the sp4 or sp2 would be better for the VS3-30 skimmer?

 

[azjohnny]

SP2 wouldn't be enough (950 gph). I wouldn't run less than 1200 gph unless it is a high pressure external pump

 

[EvMiBo]

Agreed with azjohnny. I probably wouldn't even run a SP2 on a 24" body.

 

[Deep Reef]

Got my new to me used sv3-24 skimmer set up and running today. I have tge water level at 1" below flange as recommended in the instructions. I'm not sure if I should leave it at this setting or try to raise it. I seem to remember that most folks move water level up to the bottom of the reducer up to the cup.


This is a lot quite than my RO NWB-150

 

[d2mini]

Since it's brand new, leave it for a day or two as the skimmer breaks in.
Then start raising it a little at a time if you are not getting foam up into the neck of the cup.

 

[BillFW]

Got my new to me used sv3-24 skimmer set up and running today. I have tge water level at 1" below flange as recommended in the instructions. I'm not sure if I should leave it at this setting or try to raise it. I seem to remember that most folks move water level up to the bottom of the reducer up to the cup.


This is a lot quite than my RO NWB-150
View attachment 322383View attachment 322385View attachment 322386

Leave it there through break in then adjust to your liking after it begins to build a head. My experience with an SV3-48 is that it skims pretty dry with the water level right up under the flange. This is with a new build with a very light load.

 

[Deep Reef]

Ok thanks

 

[Kyuss]

Thinking about finally moving to a SVS3-30 and have a couple questions, if you guys don't mind. For the 30, it says "any depth up to 16"" but looking at the pic the output pipe doesn't look like it's that high up. Do you have to put an extension to raise it up above the water, and if not isn't the adjustment valve under water then?

Other question is can you run it externally with an internal pump? By that I mean having the skimmer right next to the sump and a pump in the sump feeding the skimmer and then running the output pipe back up over the top, into the sump? It looks like that's what the HVS3-24 Hang On model does, but figured I'd ask those that have some experience with these skimmers (I know I could call, but I'd have to wait til Monday )

 

[d2mini]

Thinking about finally moving to a SVS3-30 and have a couple questions, if you guys don't mind. For the 30, it says "any depth up to 16"" but looking at the pic the output pipe doesn't look like it's that high up. Do you have to put an extension to raise it up above the water, and if not isn't the adjustment valve under water then?

Other question is can you run it externally with an internal pump? By that I mean having the skimmer right next to the sump and a pump in the sump feeding the skimmer and then running the output pipe back up over the top, into the sump? It looks like that's what the HVS3-24 Hang On model does, but figured I'd ask those that have some experience with these skimmers (I know I could call, but I'd have to wait til Monday )

Yes, you can add a couple elbows or whatever to the output to get the height you need, or run the output underwater. My output is just barely fully submerged and that's with a couple elbows for added height. And all you have to do is adjust the water height in the skimmer body with the valve, which yes... could end up partially or fully submerged. I have the 30" skimmer. Water height in the sump is 10.5". My red valve handle is completely out of the water but only by a half inch or so.

And you should be able to have the pump wherever you wish.

 

[shaggss]

Yes, you can add a couple elbows or whatever to the output to get the height you need, or run the output underwater. My output is just barely fully submerged and that's with a couple elbows for added height. And all you have to do is adjust the water height in the skimmer body with the valve, which yes... could end up partially or fully submerged. I have the 30" skimmer. Water height in the sump is 10.5". My red valve handle is completely out of the water but only by a half inch or so.

And you should be able to have the pump wherever you wish.

Yep, my output is fully submerged. No dramas.

 

[EagleFF]

Kinda off topic but congratulations to Jeff and his wife, they will celebrate their 34th anniversary this week, he will not work from Wednesday to Sunday this week..Congratulations Jeff and to the Mrs.

 

[Reel North]

I just got the Lifereef 36 external yesterday. I've been running my 220 with a 125 sump skimmer less for 2 weeks with fish. Spooookkeeeeyyyy. I set the skimmer up in a few minutes yesterday and hooked it up in about 3 minutes lol.

I'm using an iwaki 55 RLT. It's already skimming and the stuff is pretty dark for under 24 hours.

OLD SCHOOL seems to be the best school when it comes to skimmers.

Here it is in the cabinet beside the tank

 

[EvMiBo]

Nice setup man. I'm pretty sure that Iwaki 55RLT is the Japanese motor, right? What's your noise level like? I've never seen the Japanese motors in action, but everyone I've seen that has one love them.

 

[Reel North]

It's not whisper silent but the iwaki 55 RLT is a pressure pump so the water comes out of it like a rocket lol. I found a pair of them used for for about a year for 280 Canadian. I couldn't pass that up lol.

It's the Japanese motor and it runs pretty cool. Over the day my temp only rises 3 degrees and that's with halides and 2 of the iwaki pumps running.

The only noise is a dull hum.

 

[Hitch08]

these skimmers are too simple... if you have bubbles in your skimmer body that are entering your return pipe then you have something in your water making your skimmer go crazy. try carbon. if it is bubble free water returning to your sump but bubbles coming out then its the pipe its sucking air... lower pressure in pipe than atmosphere. not a whole lot more than that...

best guess.

Thanks to Coffee and others who helped.

I put about a cup of carbon in each of my reactors and let the skimmer run. After about four days, there was some sort of mucus like substance at the top of the skimmer. It was a cloudy white color. I wiped it out last night. The water is much more clear and very few micro-bubbles are exiting the skimmer.

The skimmer pump continues to be a bit annoying noise-wise.

 

[Hitch08]

Any reason why I shouldn't use a Fluval SP4 on an SVS3-30 skimmer?

 

[Kyuss]

Yes, you can add a couple elbows or whatever to the output to get the height you need, or run the output underwater. My output is just barely fully submerged and that's with a couple elbows for added height. And all you have to do is adjust the water height in the skimmer body with the valve, which yes... could end up partially or fully submerged. I have the 30" skimmer. Water height in the sump is 10.5". My red valve handle is completely out of the water but only by a half inch or so.

And you should be able to have the pump wherever you wish.

Thanks! I'll be ordering a 30" as well very soon.