Red Sea Max Owners Club - Page 36

Hodge · #**876** 10/13/2007, 11:04 AM

I won my Ebay auction for 5 zoo frags (12 polyps ea) mounted on LR ($70.00 total). The seller is only 12 hrs away , so hopefully shipping works out ok.
I've been reading about dipping zoo's. Any easy tips out there?? I won't have the ability to buy any fancy stuff in a small town before they arrive on Tues. Read where one guy just dips in RO/DI water?? instead of some kind of iodine based stuff (lucols) everone else was talking about ??

Dave..Really wanna see that skimmer mod?? Will drilling holes for lowered pumps require a teardown??

mbdave · #**877** 10/13/2007, 12:11 PM

Amigos,
I will take pics tomorrow when the silicone dries and tonight of how its done,"unless it goes to crap" The mod for dropping the pumps to the bottom will be in pics tonight its sooo easy you just need a dremel tool "the moders best friend" , two barbed fitting from lowes or HD, some vinyl tubing I think its 3/8" that mod drops the micro bubbles but with the stock skimmer you wll stil have some bubbles just not as much.
Stay tuned!

Reefmack · #**878** 10/13/2007, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mbdave
.........Stay tuned!

The suspense builds......

josh&jana · #**879** 10/13/2007, 05:21 PM

reefmack
not a prob mate, might have to email the pics to you as my bro is away for two weeks and im hopeless as doing anything but talking to you guys and checking out ebay..
yeah your right, between racing and fixing my off road buggy and looking after my fish tanks theres not many days left to do much else.

Rue · #**880** 10/13/2007, 05:26 PM

...congrats Hodge! On your eBay purchase! Looking forward to pics!

...on the scraper end of things...either I didn't scrape right (but how does one scrape wrong?) or I have a dud...

...however, even though I was unable to scrape...I WAS able to reach everywhere I had to reach with it...

*grump*

Reefmack · #**881** 10/13/2007, 05:27 PM

Josh - no problem & no rush. If you want me to post them for you let me know.

Rue - same problem I had with the Kent scraper - I thought it was just me. I did get the metal blade for it and use it just to scrape coralline off. For green algae the mag scraper is still best for me.

Got the RSM water change done this morning & then the RO & new SW makeup for next week routine done this morning. Killed a few majanos & found a few more after

Reefer82 · #**882** 10/13/2007, 07:06 PM

Hodge - Lugol's Solution. Basically an antiparasite/prophylactic ...its an iodine and distilled water solution similar to what they give people when there is a danger of radioactive fallout or when someone has an iodine deficiency....just a lot less potent. Sorry for the vocab lesson there! Just my .02! Kent marine makes some...its fairly cheap...seen it for $10-$15.

Rue - Huh, who'd have known you can scrape wrong. Does it have the yellow and stainless steel blade? I know the plastic red one isn't worth a darn on the rsm.

Rue · #**883** 10/14/2007, 11:19 AM

...no...it has the red plastic blade! Okay...so I need to get another blade for it...

Good to know...thanks guys!

mbdave · #**884** 10/14/2007, 12:18 PM

This is by no means perfected !! Do this mod at your own risk I take no responcibility. Getting that out of the way here is my skimmer mod. This is not a real easy mod but so far has been effective with improvements and suggestions from all it might be great

First cut the suction line down on the pump to around the elbow.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Then drill a hole in the bottom of the skimmer to fit a 3/4" pipe center the hole on the discharge side of the skimmer

mbdave · #**885** 10/14/2007, 12:24 PM

Slide the pipe up into the hole to mark your next hole on the angled part of the skimmer.

Drill another hole at your mark remember to drill slow take your time so you don't break the plastic. Using a dremmel (or whatever you like) oblong the hole to accomadate the pipe going through.

mbdave · #**886** 10/14/2007, 12:30 PM

Cut a pipe to fit from the bottom of the skimmer to up by the cup this is going to give you the ability to maintain a level in the skimmer.

The bottom.

Now cut peices of acrylic to cover the front hole bottom hole and bottom of the skimmer then glue them on so the only entrance and exit is the pump hole and the pipe.

mbdave · #**887** 10/14/2007, 12:42 PM

I used silicone, but if the mod keeps working well I plan to buy another skimmer body and re-due it using weld-on glue and more attention to detail to make it pretty this is definately a prototype.

I used a black foam sleve from Lowes pond department for a bubble catcher.

Thats it will see how it goes.

Jimbo327 · #**888** 10/14/2007, 12:54 PM

Great looking skimmer mod. I'm still confused with the original design of the RSM skimmer, I have no idea why there is a slanted side to the skimmer. If anyone is willing to take clearer pictures of exact what the original design is, I can add a few more suggestions. I'm surprised a lot of the Nano tanks manufacturers do such a crappy design on their skimmers.

mbdave · #**889** 10/14/2007, 01:02 PM

Jimbo theres a picture of it on the RS website remember theres no bottom on the skimmer when its stock thats what confused me.

mbdave · #**890** 10/14/2007, 01:04 PM

Heres a pic of the whole skimmer post mod.

mbdave · #**891** 10/14/2007, 01:15 PM

Nip the suction pipes down

Get a 1/2" barbed elbow fitting and grind the barbs down on one side to where there stock lock line fiittings will fit over them.

SORRY NO PIC

Put a vinyl hose between the pump and the elbow and drop the pump in the hole,

Push the barb through the return hole and slide the lock line on it.

Jimbo327 · #**892** 10/14/2007, 01:23 PM

Yes, no bottom on the skimmer is a very poor design. You did a smart thing by closing off the bottom, this forces the skimmer to take in new water that has not been skimmed yet. Also, with your new up-pipe installed, try to sit the skimmer as high as you can in the back chamber...this will allow your pipe output and sleeve to catch as much bubble as possible.

I really have nothing more to add to this design. It is great. Great job.

Reefmack · #**893** 10/14/2007, 01:40 PM

Thank for sharing the skimmer mod mbdave!. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind all of the things you did, but I've never had a good grasp of this kind of thing - I don't have much of an engineering mind! If it works a lot better that's all that matters! The circ. pump mod is a good one too - at least the pumps can't get starved. Have you figured out a way to control the flow direction yet?

mbdave · #**894** 10/14/2007, 02:02 PM

Yeah just slide the lock line fittings on the barbed fitting.

Reefmack · #**895** 10/14/2007, 03:11 PM

Confused - nothing new for me. Lock line fittings? My powerheads are screw fittings?

mbdave · #**896** 10/14/2007, 03:37 PM

The black fittings that came with the max are actually lock line fittings, they are threaded but if you push them they will slide on the barbed fitting.

Titans · #**897** 10/14/2007, 05:03 PM

Wow looks great Mbdave...I would love to try this mod but i'm not that DIY talented and may create more problems for myself =P

hexbinary · #**898** 10/14/2007, 05:11 PM

Hi

I just got my rsm a few days ago..got it all setup with 20lbs of live sand and 41lbs of cured live rock.

I'm not having any issues with it yet, except that the water is a bit hot (83 F). I brought the heater down a bit, and lifted the hood...hopefully it comes down a few degrees.

So far .. pretty exciting. My first saltwater tank.

Reefmack · #**899** 10/14/2007, 05:12 PM

mbdave - ok on the lock line fittings. Pardon my dumbness on these things

Can I pester you some more? I'm just trying to understand the reasons for the things you did. I'm curious.

1) Cutting off a section of the skimmer pump inlet does what?

2) Putting on the lucite bottom side piece, and bottom piece, does what? (seal off the skimmer so microbubbles can't escape or ?).

3) The side pipe does what? Should this be siliconed in or is it meant to be adjustable, up & down.

Although I may never run the RSM skimmer again, I'm just trying to understand the engineering changes you made. Maybe you should patent them before RSM sees this and steals your ideas LOL!

Reefmack · #**900** 10/14/2007, 05:19 PM

Hey Hexbinary - Welcome to Reef Central and our RSM Club! The tank is a great one, but as you see, some of us are modifying things.

If you haven't been there yet, check out a great website built for us RSM owners by MAXreefer:

http://www.rsmreefers.com/

Lots of owners' tank pictures & information, plus a lot of information on the RSM itself.

Saltwater is exciting indeed! Good luck with the new tank! Have you installed the small upgrade cooling fan in back? Opening up the hood and/or the back flap should help with cooling too.