Via Aqua Skimmer Club - Page 3

luke33 · #51 05/02/2007, 11:48 AM

Kirk, your skimmer should produce many small bubbles stock, when i ran mine stock it worked well. The mesh mod did make more bubbles though.

fatrip · #52 05/02/2007, 11:51 AM

if some one does the mesh mod...could they post some pics and explainations....just curious... thanks

luke33 · #53 05/02/2007, 03:12 PM

I'll try and post some pics later....its a very inexpensive 5 min mod that works well at pulling more air and chopping up the bubbles smaller.

luke33 · #54 05/02/2007, 03:13 PM

Oh, fwiw, i could only get 1 layer of enkamat 4 on the stock sk388 pump but it did seem to work better.

luke33 · #55 05/02/2007, 08:28 PM

Fatrip, here's a pic of my meshmod. Basically you get some enkamat 4 and cut a piece off that fits the impeller and then zip tie it on there with the smallest zip ties you can get. Usually 4 works great. The stock pump with the 388 will only take one row any more and it stops working. Here's a pic of what it looks like.

luke33 · #56 05/02/2007, 08:36 PM

OK, here's the last two days worth of skimmate, i've been skimming really really dry, i'll skim wetter from now on to see what i can get. Here's a cup of skimmate in the last two days, but there was tons of gunk on the lid and the riser tube as well as around the outside of the riser tube with dry gunk. Here's a few pics, and i'll be adding my fish next week! So there will be an actual bioload! lol, and by then i think it'll be broken in.

Here's the lid top

Here's a pic of the skimmate cup

And here's the skimmate in a glass........don't tell my wife! lol, no worries those are my old bachelor glasses!

And for final analysis, i decided to drink it to see how nasty it really was........after puking for 8hrs i decided, it was nasty skimmate. lol

sherm71tank · #57 05/02/2007, 09:11 PM

And it's a great ab work out! Looks good Luke!

luke33 · #58 05/02/2007, 09:24 PM

Thanks sherm......but if this is all it does there will be much to improve, but i still have faith in it. FWIW, my sk200 pulled much more than this in its glory days......much much more. I'm still tryin to think about a pump i'd like to throw on here and really milk it out. Maybe a 4100 with a slow down gph venturi that i'll make. But i'm not gonna do anything new until after my bioload is there. I want 2-3 cups of that skimmate per day minimum.

OnlyCrimson · #59 05/02/2007, 10:35 PM

daaang luke things lookin good

luke33 · #60 05/03/2007, 09:43 AM

Well, the skimmate looked much nastier the smornin before work so i'm guessing by the time i get home and mow the lawn it'll be stinky as heck. I just don't think i have enough bioload to really let the skimmer go nutzo.....yet. Next week that'll change. I'll try to post some more pics if its real bad.

Anyone's skimmer starting to produce yet?

OnlyCrimson · #61 05/03/2007, 11:10 AM

Sadly mine hasn't done anything yet : (

luke33 · #62 05/03/2007, 11:53 AM

Bummer, but once it breaks in its good. Usually a week to break in and start collecting and another week to figure out how you want it to skim, wet or dryer. Then its pretty much empty the cup every day or so and put it back........but it stinks seeing it everyday and its still fizzin like soda! lol

OnlyCrimson · #63 05/03/2007, 11:54 AM

hahaha thats exactly what its doing to! fizz fizz fizz

luke33 · #64 05/03/2007, 12:25 PM

I found a 1000gph odyssea NW pump that i'm going to get and try out on this skimmer. I'll probably first boar out the volatule and make my own venturi and have a ball valve added to it to slow it down if need be, but i'll be working on that next for a mod. Then i'll have more fizz as well......breakin in again, but that won't be for a couple weeks and i'll take pics.

crázy clowntang · #65 05/03/2007, 06:15 PM

Well i have mine running and will try to post some pics soon. I haven´t cut the inner tube yet cuz I wanted to see it work with the tube in it and after i take the tube out. I will have before and after pics.

luke33 · #66 05/03/2007, 07:45 PM

Crazy, just remember, if you cut the tube down, you may have to get a different pump, so go for it if thats the risk you want to take. It will still work, but it works waaaay better with a different pump. But crimson's looked pretty good stock!

crázy clowntang · #67 05/03/2007, 07:55 PM

Yea thats why i was gonna just mod it and leave the stock pump but i will buy another pump when i get the $$$$$

luke33 · #68 05/03/2007, 08:27 PM

Ok guys, here's the nastiest skimmate i've ever pulled. 20hrs with no bioload, just some live rock.

And next the closeup!

In a glass

And now on my hand......this ain't what it looks like...not real sure what it is, but it stunk bad.

There was lots of thick nasty stuff in there that didn't make it to the glass.

OnlyCrimson · #69 05/03/2007, 10:50 PM

Wow thats really thick. Looks like its skimmin pretty dry. I like!

GuySmilie · #70 05/03/2007, 10:57 PM

Ya didn't even lick yer fingers??

luke33 · #71 05/04/2007, 06:57 AM

I'm skimming a bit wetter now and i had about 3x as much skimmate as normal the smornin, and its the color i'm use to and like. Seems if i skim a bit wetter, my tank is always looking crystal clear, if i skim really dry, its clear but doesn't have that gleam.

crázy clowntang · #72 05/05/2007, 07:22 AM

That aint skimmate that´s mudmate lol . This skimmer keeps impressing me more everyday. Good job luke.

OnlyCrimson · #73 05/05/2007, 07:48 PM

Damn, still not getting anything. I just dumped a bunch of fish food in the tank. We'll see if that helps.

jasonak · #74 05/06/2007, 02:23 AM

Hey Luke

thanks for the enkamat link got some on the way.You should post it on here,so others now where to get it at.
thanks again

Also i saw someone post that they were not getting any micro bubbles.I havent done any mods to mine yet,and it was producing them right away.There was alot of oil on the pump that i cleaned off but other than that.i just put it in and turned it on.MY air is all the way on,and my water level is even with where the main tube gets skinny.So yours should be producing them.Im new to this so i dont have any pointers on why it wouldnt be sorry.

luke33 · #75 05/06/2007, 04:16 PM

Yes, i noticed these pumps have more oil on them then any other pump i've ever used.....note the 7 day break in period or more. I've heard a few people say it takes 10-14 days to break in. My first one took a week i'd say, but really two weeks to start pulling consistent. My skimmer i have now the 388 is pulling sick stuff. I was gone for the weekend and i'll take some pics of what it did over the last two days.....i'm going to say around 4 cups of sickness and mud all over the place as well.

I need to look back at who's having the prob. with the no bubbles, i'm hoping either there's two high of water or they have the air valve completely turned down. If its pumping water, it should be an easy fix....if not there's a prob.