EuroReef Club - Page 27

Fuzzy · #**651** 02/13/2007, 05:24 PM

You might want to look into a hang on back (HOB) fuge along the lines of a CPR Aquafuge.
I think they even have one with a built in Bak Pak skimmer.
We had a 17" HOB Aquafuge on our 30long that seemed to work.
It certainly kept the pod population up there.

BryanJ · #**652** 02/13/2007, 07:20 PM

you could run it externally if you do the recirculating modification. You definitely have more then enough skimmer for a tank that size. Fuzzy brought up a good point HOB fuges work well I have a eco40 on the back of my 55 and I love it. put the skimmer in the sump and hang the fuge on the sump,

steveoutlaw · #**653** 02/13/2007, 07:27 PM

The skimmers that come as part of these fuges really suck. I would recommend doing like I did and take the skimmer cup out and mod it to use the entire thing (including the skimmer compartment) as a fuge.

arbee · #**654** 02/13/2007, 07:28 PM

Hi all~
I just got the RS-250 from Marine Depot yesterday. After scanning the ER threads, I'm not certain how I know for sure if I have the updated version of this skimmer? I see no 'wedge' shaped pipe and am unable to open the pump to see if it's black or white wheel. Can you tell by the pic?
It's not running yet as we are still setting up our new tank.
Thanks for any help.
(Sorry for the bad pic...just learning to use a new camera

Lunchbucket · #**655** 02/13/2007, 09:59 PM

you do not have the wedge design you have the old riser pipe. i suggest swapping it out for a gate valve

you should be able to twist the front of the pump off and see. the part w/ the grey intake nipple is glued to the black part and those two pieces together should twist off and seperate from the pump housing. then you'll see what color the needles are

Lunchbucket

arbee · #**656** 02/14/2007, 07:07 AM

Thanks for the reply Lunchbucket.
I did get the pump open and it is the newer black impeller.
I am calling ER today to see why I got the older version outlet. I don't have any more room in the sump for extra gatevalve and pipe to control the flow on this thing. That and it's near impossible to get the gatevalve mod anywhere (out of stock) but on ER website and they are asking $45-$50 for it.
I was really hoping for a plug and play skimmer--I'm not into the mods and DIY if I can avoid it. And when I get to where I need to do that, my husband heads for the hills--not alot of help there LOL
Thanks again.

sjm817 · #**657** 02/14/2007, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oringhater
mnestroy,
I should add some additional information. The RC 180 and bigger units started shipping with Eheim pumps in October '06. The 80 and 135 still use Sedra pumps.

The RS units that have already been converted (80, 100 and 135) now come with the new Euro-Loc union. The 180 and 250 will also.

After reading through some posts, There seems to be some confusion about gate valve mods and what pump comes with which skimmer. The new foam level adjustment pipe replaces any need for a gate valve assembly. The new style skimmers have no need for, and will not accept the gate valve assembly. The skimmer outlet pipe and elbow are glued together at the factory. Only the pluming after the adjustment tube is removable. The RS skimmers use Sedra pumps on the 80, 100 and 135 models. The 180 and 250 use Gen-X.

I hope this helps to clear up any confusion.

I didn't see a mention of which models have the new wedge pipe, but I think they are being phased in. The RS250 may not have it yet.

Premium Aquatics has the GV kit listed. Not sure ifit is in stock.

BryanJ · #**658** 02/14/2007, 09:12 AM

Jay

ecosystem 40 does not have a skimmer and CPR sells 3 versions of HOB fuges only one of them has a skimmer. For your application I would look at the smallest CPR as the pump is on the inlet side verses the outlet side on the ecosystems. With the pump on the inlet side you can lower the water level in the sump to avoid overflows in case of power outages. Just make sure the water is deep enough for your skimer to operate properly. You may need to look at using a 15 gallon tank for a sump.

arbee · #**659** 02/14/2007, 09:47 AM

Quote:

I didn't see a mention of which models have the new wedge pipe, but I think they are being phased in. The RS250 may not have it yet.

Thanks sjm817. I just ordered it from PA and hope it is in stock AND that it will fit into my sump configuration. The RS is going into a 55 gallon.
Squeeze time.

corywilson · #**660** 02/14/2007, 12:13 PM

i talked to chip at Euro-Reef the other day about how to determine if a skimmer has the new wedge pipe. he said that all new models with the wedge pipe are packed in pre-formed white styrofoam. apparently the old models were in a grey spray-in styrofoam that expaned to fit the size of the package. i just ordered a RS-135 from marinedepot and i had them go to the warehouse and check the package to confirm it was the new model with the white packaging. hope this helps...

CarlosS · #**661** 02/14/2007, 02:46 PM

Hi guys:

I made the recirc mod on my ES5-3. Here are some pics:

Original Skimmer:

Some stuff that I bought:

Parts for DIY Ball Valve mod:

I made the holes:

Then placed the conectors:

All pices conected

Skiimer inside the sump (trying to do the better)

As you may see, I made the mod that ASM suggest, but the thing is that the skimmer is not making the job. I could see that is not sucking enogh air and of course is not making any foam.

I had to come back to the original design keeping the ball valve mod and the skimmer is working great.

What do you think that was happening?

Thanks for your commnets,

eagleONE · #**662** 02/14/2007, 05:01 PM

Thanks for the info guys! I measured my stand and I can fit a 20g in there. So I have room... now I just have to get the skimmer. is 140 good price for an ES5-3 used?

arbee · #**663** 02/14/2007, 05:20 PM

I ordered the gate valve mod for the RS-250 this morning and it will be delivered tomorrow. Wow, Premium Aquatics--what service!
So they do have them in stock

sjm817 · #**664** 02/14/2007, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by arbee
I ordered the gate valve mod for the RS-250 this morning and it will be delivered tomorrow. Wow, Premium Aquatics--what service!
So they do have them in stock

In case you didn't already know, P.A. rocks! Best online vendor out there. I use them all the time.

hansmatt · #**665** 02/14/2007, 05:31 PM

eagle...$140 sounds about right

Thought the $39 gate kit from PA is more than diy, I just recieved my gate from usplastics.com, and whoa is it big...maybe 7" tall! PA just got the 1.25" kit in stock today, a week after I opted for the diy, regrets now

sjm817 · #**666** 02/14/2007, 05:37 PM

The ER kit is nice. Thinwall grey sched26 PVC which I dont know where you could get it. BTW P.A. will price match another vendor if they have it cheaper.

stevebla · #**667** 02/14/2007, 09:24 PM

HELP !!! RS 80 promo no bubbles??
I got my RS 80 put it together and placed it in rubbermaid trash can with live rock and get no bubbles unless i block pump intake partially with finger help please my rock needs you. pump is sedra 3500

sgallagher7 · #**668** 02/14/2007, 11:31 PM

I have been going back and forth between the octopus 150 and the ER 80 promo. There seems to be a lot of modifications needed for the octopuss to get it running and peak efficiency. Other than the gate valve mod, is anything needed on the 80 promo?

Lunchbucket · #**669** 02/15/2007, 08:58 AM

steve - is the venturi on backwards? is the nipple clogged w/ something?

Lunchbucket

jcr6479 · #**670** 02/15/2007, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgallagher7
I have been going back and forth between the octopus 150 and the ER 80 promo. There seems to be a lot of modifications needed for the octopuss to get it running and peak efficiency. Other than the gate valve mod, is anything needed on the 80 promo?

You don't need the gate valve mod on the rs-80 promo. It comes with an adjustable wedge pipe. Just lube it up with silicon lube and it is very easy to fine tune.

sgallagher7 · #**671** 02/15/2007, 09:31 AM

Is the wedge pipe silent? Tank will be in my livingroom.

stevebla · #**672** 02/15/2007, 10:52 AM

Lunch bucket the venturi is the way it came i will check and see.

beansbro1 · #**673** 02/15/2007, 11:11 AM

how do you tell if the venturi is backwards

schneijt · #**674** 02/15/2007, 11:25 AM

I have a promo RS-80, and I recently ordered the gate valve mod for it. It has made a huge difference in getting the skimmer just where I wanted it. The wedge pipe works well, but you can only adjust it so much; with the gate valve you can make a fraction of a turn on the valve. Much more precise and easier to work with than the wedge pipe.

However, the pvc sizes are different for some reason... The outlet pipe from the RS-80 is too small to fit into the 1.25" tubing in the gate valve kit by about 1/8". So, I took a roll of teflon tape and wrapped it around the riser pipe until I got a good, snug fit inside the larger pvc of the gate valve kit. Works like a charm, though I'd wish it had just fit standard right out of the box...

I do need to add one thing, though. I ordered the 1.25" kit, and it took a few days to ship out. It was over a week after I ordered (Priority Mail) when a 1.5" kit showed up at my doorstep... ER took three business days to respond to my e-mail about the wrong size being sent. They said the proper size had been shipped that day, with a RMA for the wrong kit. It took two weeks after that day they sent the e-mail for my 1.25" kit to arrive, and it was shipped a week after they told me it had been sent out (labels don't lie...). I will be completely honest that the ER support hasn't been as great as I've heard. However, mistakes do happen and I'm just happy the right size ended up on my skimmer eventually. If you're counting on lightning fast support from ER, though, you may not always get it. But, good products, and I'm sure it's better than some of the service people have gotten with the Octopus skimmers.

-Joe

arbee · #**675** 02/15/2007, 02:02 PM

We got the gv mod delivered this am and are now working on getting the skimmer set up in the sump before we glue in any more baffles. I measured that we need to elevate the skimmer about 8 inches from the bottom of the tank (the tank is a 55 gal, 20 in high and the water level is going to be 14"). What do you use to set the skimmer on? Hubby wants to cut a bucket and set inside but I think we need something the water can flow through to alleviate junk from settling. Any suggestions?

sjm817-yep-PA does rock. They are the first ones I turn to for mail ordering most of my reef equipt.