Vertex Skimmer club

[VitalApparatus]

I added some ph plus to my system today and now I cant make my IN 100 stop overflowing....

 

[JACOXVIII]

o i see

 

[franb]

i have a vertex in 180 it has been running now for 6 months without any problems but was wondering what would be a good replacement pump just in case something happens to this one from what i have been reading the resun pump is not any good.

 

[tangtang clown]

bb3000, just ask Charlie Davidson.

 

[franb]

what does bb stand for?

 

[Jared J]

what does bb stand for?

Bubble Blaster brand

 

[tangtang clown]

Bubble Blaster brand

These are the pumps used on the new Reef Octopus series of skimmer. But the BB3000, or Honya 3000 pump also acts as the perfect/better performing replacement pump for both the Octo Extreme 200, and the Vertex IN-180. These pumps are no joke, kind of like a mini Askoll.

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Franb, the 180's inlet is just under 1".. must be metric.
I had a short piece of "thinwall" pvc that fit into the 180's body and used this pipe along with a 1" union that comes with the bubbleblaster pump.
I wrapped some silicone tape around pvc piping to make up for slop on the union side of new piping.
Hope that make sense.

I don't remember where I got this PVC piping.. Sorry

 

[franb]

thanks charlie-is it possible to get a pik of that -so with this bubble blaster pump is it hard to get the skimmer dialed in.by tangtang clowns comment it sounds like a beast.

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Pic are on this thread. easy to dial in, set and forget!
meshed his so its SCFH is to high for 4" neck.

 

[Charlie Davidson]

 

[franb]

ok charlie i got it now and thanks for the quick reply

 

[tangtang clown]

So the BB doesn't mate right up to the Vertex?

I took the mesh off a week ago and it is now very stable and pulling some nasties

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Naw, it takes some modding. It was simple for me because I had the right size pipe. 1" pipe could be used but the part that slips inside the skimmer body would need to be turned down (sanded?) some. (I use scheudle 20 pipe)
Tang, do get me wrong, its fun to play around and see how much you can push pumps, I think the sicce was the funest pump I ever messed with - pushing it from 17 to over 50scfh.

 

[Kenfuzed]

I found these short pieces of thin wall ABS pipe at Home Depot. It turned out to be the perfect size to slip into the skimmer whereas 1" PVC is slightly too large without sanding it down.

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Ken, did the 3000 prove to be too small for your 250? I love it on my 180!
How has eveything turned out?
If I had know thw 5000 was coming out that soon, I would have said to wait.

 

[Kenfuzed]

Ken, did the 3000 prove to be too small for your 250? I love it on my 180!
How has eveything turned out?
If I had know thw 5000 was coming out that soon, I would have said to wait.

Well I think the 3000 is just barely strong enough and has been skimming pretty good. It would be even better if I had the correct fitting. It's been almost a month and I still don't have the male half of the union fitting. I emailed Reef Specialty last week but no response. They were suppose to contact the owner (manufaturer) who was temporarily out of the country.

For now the pump has been running with a make-shift plumbing piece but the slightest movement of the skimmer allows micro bubbles to begin seeping our into the sump. Regardless of fitting I think the 3000 is ideally suited for the IN-180 or smaller while the BB 5000 would have been a better fit for the larger/taller IN-250.

 

[Charlie Davidson]

Ken, are threads on discharge - different than MPT? ( can you just buy 1" pvc union at hardware store?)

I will tell anyone that any vertex skimmer smaller than the 180 will easily be overpowered by the bubbleblaster3000. My wedge valve is 3/4 open!
They do sell a 2000..

 

[Kenfuzed]

I believe the housing threads are metric so no luck there. I absolutely agree that the BB 3000 is more than enough for a 180. Once I don't have the restriction of my DIY fitting I think it will be fine for the 250.

 

[VitalApparatus]

OK its been a week since I added PH PLUS to the tank and the skimmer still overflows even wide open.I also heard that epoxy for fragging makes skimmers freak out...Is there anything I can do to allow my skimmer to be able to run without overflow?
Thanks!