The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[ken6217]

There is a hole in the lid of the cup. Doesn't this allow fresh air in to mix with the humid air in the cup?

I would think so. Again, I have no idea if the venturi actually stays cleaner by taking air from the skimmer or if the PH rises by taking air from outside the collection cup. Actually, I take the tube from the venturi suck a few ounces RO water every few days to make sure the venturi is clean.

I'm just pointing out that some of the things on his website makes him sound like a snake oil salesman.

Remember that person on another thread who called Jeff about something not being clear on the website? Jeff responded that he makes the website a little confusing because he wants his customers to call him so that he can personally explain his products. Huh???

 

[bayoupr]

Who knows if it drops or not. My issue is the contradictory claims on the website (and I am a Lifereef owner). He tries to cover every base by shotgunning everything.

I monitor my PH with my Profilux 3 Unit. My PH drops during the night when my lights are out. My PH has dropped like this using Lifereef, ATB, BK, Reef Octopus, MRC, ETSS and the list goes on. So it's not limited to one type of skimmer.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

My issue with this, is that the smell which comes from gas is now recirculated back into the skimmer and into the water, and to some extent CO2.

For years people have said that you should try to have your venturi input bring fresh air into the tank to help raise PH.

Jeff, who never met a sales pitch he never liked tries to cover all bases here from his website:

* NO STINK, NO ODOR, NO SMELL! Since the air is recirculated within the skimmer none of the stinky odors will foul your home.

* YES, outside air can be plumbed to the venturi for pH.
increase

You can't have it both ways here.

To take this a step further, every skimmer manufacturer has ALWAYS copied someone else's good ideas. How come no one has ever copied this one?
Ken

These are not contradicting posts....

If you pull air from the collection cup yes the smell gets filtered and may not stink your house... if this is even an issue...

Yes if you have high co2 in your home you can OPT to pull air from outside to increase your pH... this is a known and common fix....

you seem to just want to bash him...

Your pH will not change whether you are pulling air from the collection cup or not... Dependent on co2 load in your house it will change whether you pull from inside your home/collection cup vs pulling from outside...


Also, Jeff has told me that he has a ton of info on his page and could put even more information. But chose not to so he wouldn't overwhelm less knowledgeable/technical people... he would rather speak with people and explain things to them as he enjoys it and it is a huge part of customer service...

And his high reputation is proof of this.

 

[ken6217]

He's NOT saying to pull air from outside the house. He is saying pull air from outside the skimmer!

It is a fact that skimmers pull CO2 out of the water. Why do you think they say to run the output of your calcium reactor into the skimmer? It's to blow off CO2. Where do you think that CO2 is going? It's rising from the water in the skimmer? Where is it going from there? To some extent back into the venturi and then into the tank.

Again, he acknowledges this by adding to his website that you can vent outside the skimmer.

Your second to the last paragraph where you quote Jeff is insulting to anyone with an IQ above 10.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

He's NOT saying to pull air from outside the house. He is saying pull air from outside the skimmer!

Anyone with an IQ above 10 would realize there is no plumbing required to pull air from outside the skimmer... You would just disconnect or remove the air intake hose...

* YES, outside air can be plumbed to the venturi for pH.
increase

Once again, plumbing air from outside your house to your skimmer... This is outside air. Call jeff he will even tell you that. Have you ever even spoken to the guy, do you actually own a LR product?

Your second to the last paragraph where you quote Jeff is insulting to anyone with an IQ above 10.

You are sensitive... Many people understand things far better when they have a discussion with someone about it and are able to ask questions... So no, that is not insulting to people unless they are sensitive...

 

[ken6217]

Anyone with an IQ above 10 would realize there is no plumbing required to pull air from outside the skimmer... You would just disconnect or remove the air intake hose"¦

Wow you don't get it. My point is right in your comment above. He is saying that if you want to raise your PH, then you can plumb the venturi to the outside. It can be ANY outside. You pick"¦. outside the skimmer, outside the house.

So if Jeff is saying is saying plumb to outside to raise your PH, then logic would tell you that the PH of the air in the skimmer is lower. Is it measurable? I don't know, but evidently he thought enough of it to put it on his website.

Once again, plumbing air from outside your house to your skimmer... This is outside air. Call jeff he will even tell you that. Have you ever even spoken to the guy, do you actually own a LR product?

And are you a relative of Jeff?

I have a SVS30 with a Mag 12. I spoke to him for about 30 minutes on the phone. 25 minutes was him bashing every skimmer, and 5 minutes was talking about his skimmer. If he wants to sell me on his skimmer, talk about HIS skimmer and not what he thinks is bad about everyone elses.

I don't have an issue with his skimmer. I have an issue with him and used car salesmen sales technique.


You are sensitive... Many people understand things far better when they have a discussion with someone about it and are able to ask questions... So no, that is not insulting to people unless they are sensitive...

I guess you need things spoken to you. Many people have some basic knowledge and can read. Again you misunderstand. For him to say that he purposely sets up his site in such a way so that people have to call him so he can explain is ludicrous.

Anyway lets not continue this argument. It has gone on long enough.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

Ludicrous is believing hear say... I doubt he ever said that

 

[rEeFnWrX]

And no, I definitely don't need things spoken to me.

Been in this long enough. But 99% of people starting off in the hobby definitely benefit from it and to deny that is also ludicrous...

you are bashing someone that is known for what is probably the best customer service in this industry... and you are misinterpreting the simplest thing and making a big deal about it.

 

[bayoupr]

It is a fact that skimmers pull CO2 out of the water. Why do you think they say to run the output of your calcium reactor into the skimmer?

I have heard of running the output off of a bio-pellet reactor to the intake of a skimmer but not the calcium reactor. Did I miss something here? Never had a problem with low PH running my calcium reactor output into my sump away from my skimmer????

 

[rounder45]

He's NOT saying to pull air from outside the house. He is saying pull air from outside the skimmer!

It is a fact that skimmers pull CO2 out of the water. Why do you think they say to run the output of your calcium reactor into the skimmer? It's to blow off CO2. Where do you think that CO2 is going? It's rising from the water in the skimmer? Where is it going from there? To some extent back into the venturi and then into the tank.

Again, he acknowledges this by adding to his website that you can vent outside the skimmer.

Your second to the last paragraph where you quote Jeff is insulting to anyone with an IQ above 10.

Skimmers don't pull co2 out of the water. They increase water to air contact time and help equalize the tanks co2 to the air . Without a skimmer the water equalizes at the surface of the tank where water and air interchange. Some choose to run air outside the home as co2 levels are typically higher in one's home that is enclosed for long periods of time from the outside air. The co2 is higher because the occupants of the home breath in oxygen and expelled co2 and when a home is enclosed from outside the co2 levels rise. With the tank equalizing to a home that has elevated co2, the ph remains lower. This can be remedied by drawing skimmer air from outside allowing the tank to equalize with air less elevated in co2. The surface area of the tiny bubbles the skimmer draws in is exponentially higher than the surface area of the top of your tank.

 

[azjohnny]

Actually, I take the tube from the venturi suck a few ounces RO water every few days to make sure the venturi is clean.

I have done this to just about every pinwheel skimmer I have owned. With my SRO skimmer I pour a cup of boiling water in the silencer and remove the volute and and scrape away any salt deposits once a week. You know its starting to form when the water level in the skimmer starts to rise

 

[ken6217]

Skimmers don't pull co2 out of the water. They increase water to air contact time and help equalize the tanks co2 to the air . Without a skimmer the water equalizes at the surface of the tank where water and air interchange. Some choose to run air outside the home as co2 levels are typically higher in one's home that is enclosed for long periods of time from the outside air. The co2 is higher because the occupants of the home breath in oxygen and expelled co2 and when a home is enclosed from outside the co2 levels rise. With the tank equalizing to a home that has elevated co2, the ph remains lower. This can be remedied by drawing skimmer air from outside allowing the tank to equalize with air less elevated in co2. The surface area of the tiny bubbles the skimmer draws in is exponentially higher than the surface area of the top of your tank.

Sure they do. Aerating water removes dissolved gasses such as CO2. Put an airstone in water and test it. A skimmer does the same thing. They release CO2. I have no how much, if it is measurable or not, but it does do it.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

I have done this to just about every pinwheel skimmer I have owned. With my SRO skimmer I pour a cup of boiling water in the silencer and remove the volute and and scrape away any salt deposits once a week. You know its starting to form when the water level in the skimmer starts to rise

I have not had to clean my air intake hose in almost two years... there is 0 salt creep. That was the main reason for connecting the air intake into the top of the collection cup... humid air to form condensation and keep the line free of salt.

 

[rounder45]

Sure they do. Aerating water removes dissolved gasses such as CO2. Put an airstone in water and test it. A skimmer does the same thing. They release CO2. I have no how much, if it is measurable or not, but it does do it.

It is not "pulling" it out .... The water and air surface are equalizing levels. This is why outside air with lower levels of co2 also lower the tanks co2 level further than if the skimmer draws in air with higher co2 concentration. Also the opposite could happen here ... If for whatever reason the air had higher levels of co2 than the tank, it would equalize to the higher levels... Which is happening to our oceans currently I believe.

 

[azjohnny]

I have a VS3-36 skimmer and just waiting on a pump, looking forward to the reduced maintenance and the other positives of a Lifereef skimmer

 

[chiefifd]

Amen.......
Everyone has their opinion.

 

[ken6217]

It is not "pulling" it out .... The water and air surface are equalizing levels. This is why outside air with lower levels of co2 also lower the tanks co2 level further than if the skimmer draws in air with higher co2 concentration. Also the opposite could happen here ... If for whatever reason the air had higher levels of co2 than the tank, it would equalize to the higher levels... Which is happening to our oceans currently I believe.

You and I are talking about two different things. I know what you are saying and not disputing it. What I am saying is that aerating water removes dissolved gasses such as CO2. That what a skimmer does. It aerates the water and CO2 is released through the aeration process.

Do a google search on aeration of water, removing CO2 from water, raising Ph by aeration, etc.

 

[rEeFnWrX]

Yes and no... Johnny made a point that I don't think ken is picking up on... equilibrium...

Yes the skimmer will help off gas CO2... however the efficiency and speed this happens at is based on the quality of the air provided to the skimmer....

If the air is high in CO2 like my house the off gas won't happen as quickly or efficiently.... you need higher levels of oxygen to exchange place with the CO2...

This is why homes closed up for the summer with little fresh air circulation suffer from lower pH unless their skimmers are plumbed to pull in air from outside of the home...


The air quality going into the skimmer determines the ability of gasses to exchange place... the skimmer is nothing more than a vessel/tool assisting this exchange to occur...

 

[rEeFnWrX]

Think of the skimmer as a catalyst

 

[wildman926]

I have a VS3-36 skimmer and just waiting on a pump, looking forward to the reduced maintenance and the other positives of a Lifereef skimmer

You did not have to buy a LR skimmer to get the main benefit of them -