tunze 9410 master doc skimmer

[reeftivo]

skimmer is taking much longer to bed in (cycle) than any other skimmer I've used. If there are any other 9410 owners out there, please share any tips you may have to get this air monster to settle down. I am running it in 9 inches of water in a tote in my garage. I've tried to run it at 8 inches but did not like the 1/2 inch or so of pump that was exposed at the lower level. The lower water level made a little difference but not enough to let it settle down. I have the air clamp almost completely closed and barely can keep the bubbles from spill over. I'm in no rush to get this skimmer in sump but I'd love to have others opinions. The skimmer is a very interesting design and I'm blown away with the amount of air the body can handle. I have a vertex IN80 that I put another 9410 hydrofoamer pump on and while the body of the vertex is quite a bit bigger than the Tunze, the vertex needed to be tuned down much more than the tunze in order to handle the air.

on another note; The cup of the Tunze 9410 is a little disappointing. I had to mod the lid with adhesive tabs to keep it from rattling and also put a thin layer of 2mm neoprene rubber beneath the cup where it rests on the collar of the body to eliminate the vibration that it was also generating. The cup and lid are very thin guage plastic/acrylic and there is very little weight to it. If it were made of a heavier guage material, it would solve the issue.

I know this skimmer is going to kick booty when I finally get it going.

Any help getting things settled down with the 9410 would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance

Tivo

 

[reeftivo]

Oh BTW, I've been running the skimmer for 4 days.

 

[rvitko]

I think it mainly needs time though lowering the water level will help, it puts more back pressure on the motor and reduces the air and water flow through, only half the pump needs to be submerged.

The cup is a molded piece while many other manufacturers use glued acrylic tubing. They hold up well as long as they are not dropped and the molded design allows us to add features that are more complicated with a glued tubing design, for example the cup is molded in such away that when the cup is full skimming will stop.

 

[netboy]

I have the same skimmer and still waiting for it to settle down and its been a week. I am gradually opening the airline more and more but it does seems to take longer to break in than other skimmers I am used to. Did you wash the filter bag first? I love it, it is skimming great even when the airline is almost cut off, can't wait for it to be fully open.

 

[rvitko]

That is a good point, the bag will cause the skimmer to go berzerk if it wasn't thoroughly rinsed in hot water before use. The floss is processed with phenols and that is what causes this reaction. Also, the air will always need to be clamped off to some extent, the pump has the capacity to support a 9020.140 foam extractor.

 

[reeftivo]

I have the same skimmer and still waiting for it to settle down and its been a week. I am gradually opening the airline more and more but it does seems to take longer to break in than other skimmers I am used to. Did you wash the filter bag first? I love it, it is skimming great even when the airline is almost cut off, can't wait for it to be fully open.

Thanks for the info! I'm not using the filter assembly right now but yes, I always wash my filter socks before use. I did put a thin 2mm neoprene rubber gasket between the cup and body. It is very,very thin but do you think the 2mm raise in the cup from the body could be contributing to the extra break in time. If so, I'll remove it but if I do, the cup vibrates on the collar and is audible.

Thanks

Tivo

 

[rvitko]

I don't think the neoprene itself would contribute to a longer break in, but I am not sure how being raised 2mm would affect the performance, the gap between the plate and cup is fairly critical as this is part of the feedback loop for the antioverfoaming system.

 

[reeftivo]

Thanks rvitko! I skipped home for lunch, as I live close to my office.

Update! I lowered the water level to 7 inches and noticed the skimmer settling after about ten minutes. I seeded it with some skimmate from my other system and "POW", initial spill over which settled in to a nice foam head. It looks to have been just my water level which was too high and was not letting the transition at the air/water line form.

I will put it in sump tonight to see what happens.

Pretty excited now! I'll post pics!

Is there any plans to develope a heavier cup for the 9410? No big deal, just curious! I removed the neoprene and noticed no difference after 30 minutes so I put it back on after adjusting the water level and thats when it settled in.

Thanks for all your replies

Tivo

 

[reeftivo]

put in sump last night and settling nicely!

 

[rvitko]

We have discussed a new cup design but this requires a new mold and a lot of R&D, but it is something we are planning, likely to coincide with a future skimmer redesign. I doubt it would be something we see before 2012.

 

[reeftivo]

thanks Roger,

I was thinking of putting a ceramic ring or rubber sleeve inside around the portion of the cylinder that extends into the antioverflow chamber to give it some more weight. I most likely wont try it because I'm sure it will affect the anti overflow design and I'm very happy right now with just the gasket I'm using.

FWIW, those tiny little silicone adhesive tabs that come with the skimmer (for the bottom), work awsome to tighten the lid. I stuck four of them inside the lip of the cup lid where it's flat (right next to the grooves). They stay put and the lid is snug while still being easy to open.

 

[mcarroll]

Excellent!

 

[DDRR]

Ive had mine running for close to a year, the clamp is tightened almost all the way down to prevent to much foam. It produces a ton of waste. I had the same issue with the lid vibrating off but havent noticed it lately. Im very pleased with its performance so far.

 

[reeftivo]

Ive been able to open my air a little day by day. Initially I had to close it, then back it out about a quarter turn or it would overflow. Now I have it backed out a little less than 1/4 (not a turn but open 1/4). This morning I opened it up a little less than "1/4 turn" with no ill effects. It "IS" quieting down significantly as it breaks in so I'm pretty pleased.

So far so good!

I will remove the stock filter sock and either go with a 200 micrn or ditch the assembly all together and put my ASM sponge over the pipe.

Happy reefing!

tivo

 

[Ruffoj926]

I recommend removing the whole "filter sock/waterfall" assembly. That way the outlet is under water. No more splashing.

 

[reefdude135]

I recommend removing the whole "filter sock/waterfall" assembly. That way the outlet is under water. No more splashing.

Have you tried that? Did it affect skimming performance?

Listening in... also having a tough time "dialing in" after about 4 months! Tips welcome!

 

[TylerHaworth]

Since this thread has been resurrected, I will refrain from posting a new one - I would like to know how much tank this skimmer could support according to Roger... I had one on my 75G and it performed wonderfully, I wonder if I should just get another one for my 120...

 

[rvitko]

Removing the sock and filter bag will only work if the water level is very precise and adds the correct resistance to the column, while possible, the results will vary with water level and it will be very susceptible to changes in water level.

Yes, it should support a 120 with no problems, it might be a bit under powered for a heavily loaded SPS 120, but in a mixed reef or low fish population SPS reef, it should be fine.