Volcano club
- Thread starter tom obrecht
- Start date
frog.pauley
New member
has spazz stopped building these? Are the bugs too much to be worked out? I tried to contact him again today through the website. Is it better to just call?
frog.pauley
New member
dang! Now i have to find something to match...this a blow to my planning..
tom obrecht
Active member
IMO this is a blessing in disguise! I think you'll find other quality companies out there that can help you achieve your goals. ATB, Bubble King ect. If you REALLY want to try a Volcano I have a couple people that you could contact that might have interest in selling. PM me if interested.
JRaquatics
New member
You can always look into the performance proven Reeflo line of skimmers.
Scott finally got back to me the other day after about five months, and I'll be getting my 80"x24" and 85"x 25.5" acrylic tubes shipped back here, hopefully soon....
So it looks like I'll be DIY'ing my volcano, with all of these issues I'm not sure on pump selection but it will most likely be based off the laguna 4200.
I'll start at 3' sections and flange to add on additional sections later, but I want to see how much I can get the laguna to pull with a three foot body first before i have to go to force feeding....
I'm at a loss for some of the system ratings on these larger skimmers, I'm just doubtful of a skimmer holding 10-15 gallons skimming multi thousand gallon systems, but I guess there are too few systems of this magnitude running these high end skimmers to tell.....
Maybe I'm just old school and to me there is no replacement for displacement......
So it looks like I'll be DIY'ing my volcano, with all of these issues I'm not sure on pump selection but it will most likely be based off the laguna 4200.
I'll start at 3' sections and flange to add on additional sections later, but I want to see how much I can get the laguna to pull with a three foot body first before i have to go to force feeding....
I'm at a loss for some of the system ratings on these larger skimmers, I'm just doubtful of a skimmer holding 10-15 gallons skimming multi thousand gallon systems, but I guess there are too few systems of this magnitude running these high end skimmers to tell.....
Maybe I'm just old school and to me there is no replacement for displacement......
it's good idea to do it as you said , to start 3' section but IMO if you have space go with 3 pieces (3 skimmers) instead of one at this way it will be easy with the laguna pump and you will get better result then a big skimmer also you may end this project with total less pumps and better performance .
Thats something to think about, but it depends on the cost of fabrication for the cone and collection cup as well as the flanges. Those costs can add up in a hurry.
Has anyone thrown a laguna on a volcano yet, I really would like to see what the 4200 can pull with some head height
Has anyone thrown a laguna on a volcano yet, I really would like to see what the 4200 can pull with some head height
if you handy you can do that look here :
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1499240
as far as the laguna it's all depend on the mod here you can see what i get with 2400 at 18"x20" 12"H water level about 110 SCFH (it will change on higher level ) i also working right now on 4200 volute and going to test it to.
and this is the watt use (it's can change between 65-70watt):
tom obrecht
Active member
frog pauley....trying to pm you back but you are not set up to do so.
frog.pauley
New member
got it
got it
i was changing my settings and got messed up...back on now
got it
i was changing my settings and got messed up...back on now
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13721399#post13721399 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lvpd186
Here is the first photo, this one shows the water level. The pump is running but it isn't sucking in hardly any air:
This photo shows the air connected and the bleed valve totally open:
Here is the body with the valve totally open, not too bad, but it gets better:
Here is a "tuned" shot of the valve and the body:
I think the last shot shows some progress. I was thinking about getting a kill-a-watt and using that to help tune it as well, but that might be premature if I get the new NW. Any thoughts?
I would try the enkamat mesh mod combined with an air pump. 4-5 layers would be enough with your dart. I am using 8 layers of mesh without an air pump. But my pump is 1HP.
kdblove_99
New member
That is one beast
I have a Deltec AP902 with cleaning head and am starting to look around at other skimmers.
Warner has some large ATB-like conical designs in the works which sound promising. These Volcano skimmers look fantastic too, like a Deltec on steroids with better pump, larger volume, and a wet neck instead of brushes to keep the riser clean.
I find the brushes do keep the riser clean for a few days, but they pretty quickly get saturated with nasty sludge which then gets spread on the riser tube. And it is a lot more work to clean the brushes and SCH top than it is to just wipe the riser down and clean the collection cup, without the SCH in place. If I squirt tank water on the inside of the riser -- simulating a wet neck -- it effectively pushes out the sludge layer and keeps stuff from accumulating on the riser. So I think a wet neck is a much, much better solution than brushes.
Anyway I have sent Spazz a few messages in the past via his website, and got no reply. I was going to try again but seems the Aquaticacrylics.com site is now offline. Are Volcano skimmers still being made ?
Warner has some large ATB-like conical designs in the works which sound promising. These Volcano skimmers look fantastic too, like a Deltec on steroids with better pump, larger volume, and a wet neck instead of brushes to keep the riser clean.
I find the brushes do keep the riser clean for a few days, but they pretty quickly get saturated with nasty sludge which then gets spread on the riser tube. And it is a lot more work to clean the brushes and SCH top than it is to just wipe the riser down and clean the collection cup, without the SCH in place. If I squirt tank water on the inside of the riser -- simulating a wet neck -- it effectively pushes out the sludge layer and keeps stuff from accumulating on the riser. So I think a wet neck is a much, much better solution than brushes.
Anyway I have sent Spazz a few messages in the past via his website, and got no reply. I was going to try again but seems the Aquaticacrylics.com site is now offline. Are Volcano skimmers still being made ?
Short bit of an update on our 1860.
I was able to improve performance a little by slowing the flow through down a good bit and also by reducing the back pressure on the collection cup. I originally had 100% of our drain from our tank going through the skimmer. i enabled a bypass that takes problably 30% of the drain water directly to the sump (the tank uses a 4200 gph super dart for the return pump). I suspect that the vent holes in the collection cup lid have become clogged, through either skimmate getting up into them or carbon breaking down into them. Long term I need to clean them out and increase their diameter, but for now I just propped the lid open slightly. I noticed an improvement from each change (they were done a couple of days apart). But I am still waiting on the Laguna 4200 to arrive. It was supposed to have shipped the week before last, so hopefully it will be here sooner than later
.
I was able to improve performance a little by slowing the flow through down a good bit and also by reducing the back pressure on the collection cup. I originally had 100% of our drain from our tank going through the skimmer. i enabled a bypass that takes problably 30% of the drain water directly to the sump (the tank uses a 4200 gph super dart for the return pump). I suspect that the vent holes in the collection cup lid have become clogged, through either skimmate getting up into them or carbon breaking down into them. Long term I need to clean them out and increase their diameter, but for now I just propped the lid open slightly. I noticed an improvement from each change (they were done a couple of days apart). But I am still waiting on the Laguna 4200 to arrive. It was supposed to have shipped the week before last, so hopefully it will be here sooner than later
.
Last edited:
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I just wanted to chime in... for those of you who might have been thinking about that cone body swap out I mentioned before (or thought I was on crack)... here you go:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1527282
140-some watts... 80scfh 'recovered' with a dart gold... most likely higher than that though since he states in the thread that the meter is 1/2" and the inlet is 3/4" and putting the meter on causes the wattage to rise.
Looks like a champ to me...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1527282
140-some watts... 80scfh 'recovered' with a dart gold... most likely higher than that though since he states in the thread that the meter is 1/2" and the inlet is 3/4" and putting the meter on causes the wattage to rise.
Looks like a champ to me...
volcano help
volcano help
ok guys here goes nothing,
i own a volcano skimmer im the guy from west virginia that spazz was refering to.
first off let say this ive been keeping reef tanks for 24 years.
I have had tanks with very little skimmers and some with the top of the line at the time whn then tank was set up
ive been to national aquariums in the back seens and have seen there monster skimmers .
when you chose to get into the big skimmers you entered a new relm of skimming.
from what i have gathered in order for the monsters to perform you need slow flow through the skimmer you need steady air input and all the water from the system needs to flow through the skimmer
i have a 370 gallon tank 70 gallon fuge and 40 gallon frag tank.
i had a mtc 1000 on the system hich was pump fed from the over flow water i had problems with all kinds of bd algae.
i also have 100 fish in the system and fully loaded with sps corals .i decided to purchase the volcano skimmer for the added benafits of all the tank water going through the skimmer.
the tanks return pump is a dart hooked to a oceans motion 8 way
i am getting 2700 gallons an hour through it.
all this water is going through the skimmer ,i am trying at this time to run 70% less water through the system at this time but i slowed the water before to no avail (as far as seeing an improvement).
my system after 2 weeks with the new skimmer became algae free no traces of any kind.
i too in the beginning didnt have enough air but purchased an alita 40 then began producing skimmate.
if you read all the books by theil and sprung most say the skimmate should be gingerale colered to lite tea colered.
the skimmer produces that with no problem i dont see a gallon a day but it is very rank.the redox runs between 400 and 420
the water deteriates in any system after a while especially with a high bio load.
i change 90 gallon every 2 weeks at which time the redox usually is about 375.
i have very good sps groth i feed very heavy every day 1 full sheet 10 by 10 inces every day mysis plankton frozen thawed rinsed then feed them aprox 3/4 dixie cup every day.
i will up load some very good imiages in a while of the skimmer and the skimmate before air pump and after
im sorry to hear of everyone miss fortune. if i can be of any help you may pm me.
volcano help
ok guys here goes nothing,
i own a volcano skimmer im the guy from west virginia that spazz was refering to.
first off let say this ive been keeping reef tanks for 24 years.
I have had tanks with very little skimmers and some with the top of the line at the time whn then tank was set up
ive been to national aquariums in the back seens and have seen there monster skimmers .
when you chose to get into the big skimmers you entered a new relm of skimming.
from what i have gathered in order for the monsters to perform you need slow flow through the skimmer you need steady air input and all the water from the system needs to flow through the skimmer
i have a 370 gallon tank 70 gallon fuge and 40 gallon frag tank.
i had a mtc 1000 on the system hich was pump fed from the over flow water i had problems with all kinds of bd algae.
i also have 100 fish in the system and fully loaded with sps corals .i decided to purchase the volcano skimmer for the added benafits of all the tank water going through the skimmer.
the tanks return pump is a dart hooked to a oceans motion 8 way
i am getting 2700 gallons an hour through it.
all this water is going through the skimmer ,i am trying at this time to run 70% less water through the system at this time but i slowed the water before to no avail (as far as seeing an improvement).
my system after 2 weeks with the new skimmer became algae free no traces of any kind.
i too in the beginning didnt have enough air but purchased an alita 40 then began producing skimmate.
if you read all the books by theil and sprung most say the skimmate should be gingerale colered to lite tea colered.
the skimmer produces that with no problem i dont see a gallon a day but it is very rank.the redox runs between 400 and 420
the water deteriates in any system after a while especially with a high bio load.
i change 90 gallon every 2 weeks at which time the redox usually is about 375.
i have very good sps groth i feed very heavy every day 1 full sheet 10 by 10 inces every day mysis plankton frozen thawed rinsed then feed them aprox 3/4 dixie cup every day.
i will up load some very good imiages in a while of the skimmer and the skimmate before air pump and after
im sorry to hear of everyone miss fortune. if i can be of any help you may pm me.
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