making a skimmer more efficient

afbengochea · 05-24-2006, 08:52 PM

I was given a sealife systems skimmer and was wondering what can I do to make it foam up. Its a venturi downdraft skimmer with a cap 2200 which is supposed to be a 800 gph pump. It just doesnt seem to create any foam. I see some bubbles, but I dont think they are fine enough. I was looking at the input for the skimmer and it doesnt seem like if the venturi is removable. Any ideas on mods I can do to fix it? heres a link to what it looks like http://www.bioreef.com/skimmers.jpg thanks again for the help guys.

fchidsey · 05-24-2006, 11:05 PM

is the venturi clean?, is the water level in the skimmer ok or raising into the collection cup? try running water through the venturi hose make sure nothing is blocking it. I use to have one of those and I did nopt like it much. Now I have a newer model and dont like it much either i thinking of going to and aqua c. the new model is kind of maintance free just clean it and the water level and air is controled by a little intake in the power head. It is a neat design but I dont know how efficient it is comared to others.

afbengochea · 05-24-2006, 11:25 PM

yeah Ive checked to make sure that the venturi isnt clogged. I dont think its the type that can be removed. I was thinking of maybe cutting that piece off and adapting it so I can put a kent venturi on it. Maybe even try putting some sort of airstone at the bottom of it to produce more bubbles. Ive got the water level right up to the point where the neck of the skimmer gets narrower. Any ideas on what else I can do?

Geoff · 05-24-2006, 11:55 PM

what other pumps do you have lying around?

could not find a pump curve for that pump, but looking at it, it does not look very powerfull. i am betting if you put a Mag 9.5 on that puppy you will see a significant increase in bubble performance. mags in general are pretty good pressure pumps compared to other submersible pumps.

does the Cap 2200 have a screw on volute or a twist on? if it is a twist off, than that is most of your problem. that pump just can not push a venturi correctly. it would not surprise me if you could get better performance out of a Mag 7.

if you can find one to try before you buy, that would be best, but i am pretty sure a decent pump would make a world of difference.

G~

PowerManJ316 · 05-25-2006, 12:00 AM

One other thing...is the skimmer brand new? Is your tank relatively new? If so the skimmer WILL need to go through a break in process. I just got an Aqua C EV120 and it didn't do a thing for about 4 days. I am curing rock and I could not even get a drop of foam into the collection cup. However, today (day 5) I came home and the collection cup was full plus 1/2 of a gallon milk jug. The thing went from hardly any bubbles to overflowing bubbles just like that.

Give it time if it is a new skimmer.

afbengochea · 05-25-2006, 12:31 AM

Well I have a surge 6000 I can try, I just have to see how to attach this thing. The pump is connected through a 1/2 inch (or so) of pvc and the pump is basically just pushed into this piece of pvc. The skimmer has been broken in already so I dont think its because of lack of use. The pump is made by pro clear aquatics and according to their site, it pushes 581 gph. Their website doesnt say much else other than that. Thanks again for the help guys.

automag928 · 05-25-2006, 05:34 PM

I'm having the same issue at this point...I thought it was just the crappy cap-2200 pump, just got a mag 7 two days ago...the first 30 seconds the bubbles rose up the neck and into the cup, after that, they just died back down...no bubbles anywhere near the cup now...I'll post pics when I get home of my setup.

Geoff · 05-25-2006, 09:25 PM

Welcome to TRT, automag928!!

i would be very interested in seeing some pics of this skimmer and how it is running.

G~

automag928 · 05-26-2006, 06:11 AM

Thanks for the welcome --- a friend of mine who I got into fish tanks, pointed me over here when I vented my frustration with another reef site not being able to search....

Anyways, I took the pics last night, and didnt get a chance to upload the photos...Hopefully I'll get around to it tonight.

Casey · 05-26-2006, 06:13 AM

Yea I say a stronger better pump to see what that will do.

automag928 · 06-01-2006, 10:23 PM

Ok - finally got around to posting pics...I'm wondering if I have to much water in my sump, with the water level being too high over the mag7?? Like I said, in the previous post, the first 30 secs or so, bubbles shot up the column into the cup, after that they wont go half way up the column...

Geoff · 06-02-2006, 09:31 AM

give it a day or two. allows the organics to start collecting in the bubbles.

how is the water level controlled in the skimmer? is there a valve or a riser on the outlet tube?

G~

automag928 · 06-02-2006, 02:26 PM

Its been over a week, same situation...just took me too long to post the pics! The outlet tube (which is directly behind the main part of the skimmer in the pic and cant be seen) can be raised/lowered to adjust the water in the skimmer, right now its as high as it can go.

afbengochea · 06-02-2006, 02:28 PM

there is a riser tube to control the water level of the skimmer. I finally got some more bubbles inside the skimmer, but it keeps rising and then dropping. I think its a combination of a bad pump and the fact that the tube going into the main chamber of the skimmer was not sealed correctly and eventually slid out. I put some epoxy to seal it back in place but i think I might try to get a stronger pump to see if that helps. I was wondering how you installed the mag to that skimmer? My cap2200 just slides inside the skimmer opening.

automag928 · 06-02-2006, 02:33 PM

I'm going off of memory on sizes, but I'm using a female threaded end on the mag7 with about 1.5" in length 1" wide clear tubing connecting up with a clamp. You can barely see the length of tubing, and clamp in the pic...and yes, my cap-2200 slid right in as well, but never made a "good" seal, if I lifted up on the skimmer body, the pump fell right off. I thought for sure the mag7 would outperform the cap-2200...