Please identify this skimmer and help me decide.

Ok so with the new 90 gallon tank that I got of off craigslist came this massive protein skimmer. I think they use something like this at my lfs.

Few problems that I have with it ar
First the airline tubing is extremely loud, how do I fix it?

Second is the raiser pipe that returns the water is broken and I cannot control the the water level I want to keep, how do I fix that?

Third, the skimmer is way too big to fit inside the sump, if I place the pump inside the sump and connect skimmer to pump via pvc or rubber hoes will this work? If that works what do I do with the return pipe then? How do I attach rubber hoes to it to go back to the sump? Is this going to jeopardize the performance?

 

not sure what kind it is,

for the air line you need a airline muffler to quiet it,

as far as the pipe it should a valve on it to control the flow. you could try to build one of the existing pipe with pvc.

I would be worried about running that out of the sump as your risk for flooding will double.

 

To address the raiser tube, I would perform a gate valve mod. Click on link and see Melevsreef page and the mod is detailed when you scroll down the page.

There is no guarantee the skimmer is water tight so using it external might not be possible, but you would have to test it. I'm not sure of the type of skimmer but it looks like a EuroReef design

Also just a note. Skimmers will not work in fresh water. So testing in the bathtub is not possible

BTW it looks like a great skimmer

J

 

Yeah I just wanted to test the pump, I know it will do anything in fresh water. So I should try everything I can to make it work because this is a good skimmer ? I wish I could figure out the wattage though, because honestly I do not want to run a 100w pump on the skimmer. This set up is already going to be at least 550w with the lights.

 

That skimmer looks pretty well built (and more than big enough for a 90g), but needs a couple things as mentioned to operate better.

Did it come with a top for the cup?


That definitely does not appear to be an externally run kind. Mine is capable for internal or external, and I still run it internally, although I did run it externally for a while. I had a uniseal start to drip, so it went int he sump after that.

 

Yeah I got the top for it. My solution so far is to take some of the compartments of off the sump and fit it in there. Since I really dont want to use it as a fudge sump anyway. Thanks guys. I will try to mod it with a valve for the return.

 

In your other post, it says it is a euroreef. That definitely looks like one of those.

You could always try an more efficient and smaller pump on it to save space and electricity.

 

Only 550 watts! and your worrying about a 100 wattpump.. If you include all my tanks my system runs about 600 watts before the lights.

 

Haha you guys are crazy with that much power usage. I just purchased a house and I am trying to save cash on electric bill.
I figure 432w for light, 50 for return pump, 25w for power heads, and maybe 60w for skimmer pump ? Thats maybe what 30-40 dollars a month for electrical just for my tank with 7hr light schedule ?

 

Thank you friend, you are a life saver! So I went to home depot and spent around $8 and got all the pvc for skimmer. Took me 30 minutes to file down the valve to fit into the skimmers expel and I still managed to crack the pipe a bit (DUMP ASS!) but I sealed the crack with pvc sealant and silicone. Since there is not much pressure it should be fine. I did a test run in the bathtub to see if I can control the water level inside the skimmer with the valve and YES it WORKS!!!! Lowest level is where the skimmer cup bigging and highest is in the middle on the skimmer cup. So when I do get bubbles I can control wet or dry skimming.