Patrick Cox
Active member
I am getting ready to order a sump and skimmer. Do you know if the 30 is actually 30" tall? My stand area is 30" so maybe I could fit a 30 with short cup but not sure. My tank will be 108G.
The Life Reef Skimmer Club
- Thread starter d2mini
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I am getting ready to order a sump and skimmer. Do you know if the 30 is actually 30" tall? My stand area is 30" so maybe I could fit a 30 with short cup but not sure. My tank will be 108G.
LifeReef4Life
New member
You're getting a lot of nasty gunk!
I can always tell when mine needs cleaning because the tubing where
it enters the elbow in the cup, would get an increase in moisture
causing the extra moisture to gurgle/crackle and it was audible.
I just run a Q-Tip in each side of the elbow and jet stream with a garden hose
the tubing, and flush out the elbow.
This is routine maintenance and so much better than the older skimmers
Jeff made that did not have this self cleaning venturi.
You can try using Weld On 16 and cement a piece of plastic, PVC or plexi glass
inside in a manner that the gunk that hurls off of the popped bubbles
is deflected away from the opening, but really, just clean it as needed.
The tubing can be cleaned with an old sheet or thin material cut to fit
and a wooden skewer or similar or maybe .22 cal gun cleaning tip a patch
might fit I don't know. Tubing is cheap to replace too.
LifeReef4Life
New member
Awesome! Jeff can make it fit.
My VS3-36 was almost 36" tall if you measured the upward loop of the tubing
for the self cleaning venturi. Without the loop it was 34".
I surely wish I had never sold that skimmer :headwallblue:
I would tell Jeff your exact dimensions and he'll make one to fit.
You won't be disappointed
Are you using external pumps with this sump?
iced98lx
New member
I keep tubing on hand but this is clogging up in 2 days or so, which to me is a little too quick. I still think I'll end up pulling air from an external silencer and then let a pump kick some water through the venturi every so often to keep it cleaned out. It's really working very well for such a heavily fed system outside of the clogging air tube.
oh and if anyone cares, this is being fed with a DC-9000, for the record.
LifeReef4Life
New member
Perhaps I misunderstood. Are you talking about at the venturi
or at the elbow in the cup?
Edit:
[Maybe cleaning the cup before the foam gets that high just swabbing it out real quick.
The elbow is drawing in heavy dirty foam in that pic.]
If you break this chain either way, expect your skimmer to lose effectiveness
as the venturi will clog if you are not pulling moist air from within the cup with
its' lid on. It is the nature of a venturi to get salt creep which lowers air draw
and reduces performance.
You could get a 4" PVC coupling
cut it to cement inside the lid
so that it hangs down far enough to deflect the junk,
but if you start pulling dry air in, you'll have issues eventually.
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iced98lx
New member
The elbow will clog if I leave it long enough, but the tube is the major problem imho. I certainly get some dense foam:
lifted the lid right off today:
I think I either need to do something to reduce the foam around the intake in the cup, or move to a system where the air intake is not in the cup but auto-flushes some water through the airline every so often to keep the venturi clean.
While I could just clean the cup every day, I bought this skimmer specifically looking for low-upkeep. I've already given up on the idea of collecting skimmate externally between cleanings as the airline can't make it past 2-3 days without clogging up, I shudder to think what 7-10 days would do, it would just stop getting air eventually I guess.
I cleaned the skimmer today:
And I'll do a status update each day so you can see the progression.
Every once in awhile I'll take some microwaved DI water (maybe 150 degs.) and inject it in the elbow with a turkey baster (while the skimmer pump is running). The venturi will suck the water in and clean the airhose, including any salt creep in the venturi itself.The elbow will clog if I leave it long enough, but the tube is the major problem imho. I certainly get some dense foam:
lifted the lid right off today:
I think I either need to do something to reduce the foam around the intake in the cup, or move to a system where the air intake is not in the cup but auto-flushes some water through the airline every so often to keep the venturi clean.
While I could just clean the cup every day, I bought this skimmer specifically looking for low-upkeep. I've already given up on the idea of collecting skimmate externally between cleanings as the airline can't make it past 2-3 days without clogging up, I shudder to think what 7-10 days would do, it would just stop getting air eventually I guess.
I cleaned the skimmer today:
And I'll do a status update each day so you can see the progression.
iced98lx
New member
I do that, but I don't inject it into the elbow I guess, I just take the hose off and let it suck the water out of a glass. Cleans the hose and venturi out but I'd have to do it every morning after day 2 to keep things moving.
Maybe a sprayer/washdown setup that knocks some of the foam down would be best.
jerseypete
New member
Maybe the 8in cup. It's a little wider then the standard. If it's that much of a problem if you have a controller you could buy a brs dose pump. $75. Leave the line open with a tee and pump some Rodi once a day.
Yes, I do that too when I clean the cup and have the hoses disconnected. Probably overkill, but I'm not sure you can over clean it
LifeReef4Life
New member
I clean my skimmer cup monthly, the neck twice/mo sometimes more.
However I do run an external collection which gets a cup to a gallon
every week depending on how wet I set it.
I'm curious what your NO3 and PO4 are as in this pic you posted
the sump water is nearly the same color as your skim mate.
When you look at the side of your cup and notice the large bits of DOCs
the venturi has to suck in, it's no surprise the line and venturi is fouling.
The skimmer seems to be doing a fantastic job.
Have you contacted Lifereef about this?
You have ample room for a Mazzei on that skimmer which if you are careful
enough, you can plug the hole for that elbow in the cup, and tap a new elbow
(50 cent part) for 1/2" tubing and connect that to the 1/2" Mazzei check valve.
I didn't have a tap handle and used a 1/2" drive female socket carefully
backing it out every thread cut.
The tap was for 3/8" in this pic and costed ~$15 give or take.
Just follow the link to Kisco I posted earlier, their Kelnar 1" Mazzei is ~$73 +sh
Then you'll be drawing on a larger I.D. tubing.
Ideally the tubing is arced upwards rather than on its side.
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LifeReef4Life
New member
Then here's the VS2-48 (long out of production) I bought in '94
with this mod in the cup to self clean the venturi.
The self cleaning venturi came along after this skimmer was made.
It was by accident that Jeff learned the idea of making this mod.
The flash reflects the moisture in the 3/8" tubing as white
demonstrating that it does indeed draw moist air from the cup.
Having this skimmer over 21 yrs now, safe to say it's professional equipment.
Plus, he's willing to mod it to emulate the newer VS3-48 and still offers
customer support too :thumbsup:
with this mod in the cup to self clean the venturi.
The self cleaning venturi came along after this skimmer was made.
It was by accident that Jeff learned the idea of making this mod.
The flash reflects the moisture in the 3/8" tubing as white
demonstrating that it does indeed draw moist air from the cup.
Having this skimmer over 21 yrs now, safe to say it's professional equipment.
Plus, he's willing to mod it to emulate the newer VS3-48 and still offers
customer support too :thumbsup:
Last edited by a moderator:
Patrick Cox
Active member
Awesome! Jeff can make it fit.
My VS3-36 was almost 36" tall if you measured the upward loop of the tubing
for the self cleaning venturi. Without the loop it was 34".
I surely wish I had never sold that skimmer :headwallblue:
I would tell Jeff your exact dimensions and he'll make one to fit.
You won't be disappointed
Are you using external pumps with this sump?
Thanks! Well, I placed my order. Going with the flanged skimmer cut down from 30" to fit my stand height. I also ordered a CLF2 sump. I will be using internal Sicce pumps for my return, skimmer and reactors. Hope to be up and running end of January to early February!
iced98lx
New member
If I could collect externally and clean it once every couple weeks I'd be thrilled, that was the "original" plan.
The sump is clear bottom and sits on a natural wood stand, that's why it looks that color
The skimmer does do a great job, I'm just not sure how others don't have the same fouling problem of the air intake.
No, I was mainly making sure I wasn't missing anything obvious.
Here is 24 hours of skimming:
Another thing I do when mine builds a head like that, I skim just a touch wetter (I move the gate valve the slightest bit clockwise). The wetter head breaks down faster and doesn't build like that. Mine is a VS3-48 so YMMV!If I could collect externally and clean it once every couple weeks I'd be thrilled, that was the "original" plan.
The sump is clear bottom and sits on a natural wood stand, that's why it looks that color
The skimmer does do a great job, I'm just not sure how others don't have the same fouling problem of the air intake.
No, I was mainly making sure I wasn't missing anything obvious.
Here is 24 hours of skimming:
LifeReef4Life
New member
ah, I see. I looked at your build thread for more recent FTS
to try and get a feel of nutrients before I posted that.
If the nutrient levels were lower, this would prolong the fouling
and need to remove the nutrients from the collection cup
that the skimmer is manually doing. We have to manually follow through
with the performance of the skimmer, that's all.
If your maintenance or husbandry is frequent,
your skimmer maintenance will be all the less frequent.
Why didn't I think of that?
Yes but the cup will still need tending to just as often, to remove the
now less concentrate, more liquid that will follow.
Well maybe 1/2 as often, depends.
This adjustment is where this type of skimmer shines being less finicky
and easier to make subtle changes with more control.
iced98lx
New member
Hey thank you for the actual suggestion, I've always tried to skim as dry as possible, so I'll try a little wetter and see if that helps!
Conor_K
Member
I'm in the club!!! Pictures later. After I get the thing put together.
Few questions, I have a 40 gallon breeder for a sump.
1.Recommendations on square fottage for the skimmer/drain section?
I am not set on a fuge in the sump yet so I plan to start with just the skimmer drain section, bubble trap and that's it. Want to maximize sump volme.
2. I bought my 30" skimmer used and think I have extra parts, i assume there is only one big gasket between the body and the neck? I have 2.
Thanks!
C
Few questions, I have a 40 gallon breeder for a sump.
1.Recommendations on square fottage for the skimmer/drain section?
I am not set on a fuge in the sump yet so I plan to start with just the skimmer drain section, bubble trap and that's it. Want to maximize sump volme.
2. I bought my 30" skimmer used and think I have extra parts, i assume there is only one big gasket between the body and the neck? I have 2.
Thanks!
C
Reel North
New King of Quarantine
Connor - you have a spare gasket.
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