Remora Splatter Cap Mod

I've had a AquaC Remora skimmer on my hex for months now and, although I am impressed with it's ease of use, I've always thought it needed a splatter cap on the lid.

See the lid is actually close to 2 inches above the lip of the skimmer tube. As a result, the bubbles have a hard time adhering to the lid. Most of the time it's blowing giant bubbles that shoot out the tube and explode splattering all over the collection cup.

As a result, I really think it is not as efficient as it could be. The skimmate is not dark enough for me.


SO, I drilled a hole in the lid and used a plastic bolt and wing nut to hold a cap that I took from a Gel shaving cream can. The cap is perfect and is wider that the skimmer tube by a 1/4 inch around the sides and goes down a couple inches too.

The plastic bolt is just long enough to go in the skimmer tube about 1/8 of an inch. What that should do is pop those big bubbles prior to reaching the lip of the tube and condense the bubbles more in the tube.

Check it out!





(Ignore the string, that was for something else)

 

Very cool mod. let us know how it works out. wheather the skimmate gets darker and collects faster
J

 

You are a magician. I'm techno/mechanically challenged and if it don't work perfect out of the box, I'm in trouble!

Green with envy, let us know how it turns out!

 

Thanks guys! [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

12 hours in, the inside of the cap on the top is all foamy and the skimmer tube finally looks like a skimmer tube with suds going up and down. Looks promising!! 8) [smiley=thumbs_up.gif]

 

Any photos of the cap in operation?

 

SWEET!

[smiley=victory.gif]

 

Looking bad, which is good, eh?

 

Exactly!

Check this out:



Pic is a little dark, no flash, skimate is really brown not black. BUT, THIS IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the original, which, at best, could be described as 'opaque.'

I'm pysched!

[smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

 

That is a neat modification.

 

Thanks Inwall.

I thought I would add an update.

I believe this would be a good mod for anyone with a high bioload.

In my case, I have had this tank going with just corals for a year or more now, so obviously I don't have a high bioload.

What I had happening was it would produce a dark skimmate, but it would evaporate faster than it would fill.

So I took the cap off, reduced the length of the screw so that it ended an 1/8 of an inch PRIOR to the skimmer tube - which I wanted to do anyway, and just put the wingnut back on.

Now the skimmate bubbles cling to the nut (it doesn't have to reach as high as when stock) and I get a little more skimmate.

It still evaporates though. I am sure this will change when I add fish and start feeding.

But right now my nitrates are zero and all I add are additives.

Anyway, so, high bioload - good mod IMO.
Low bioload, I would recommend just the screw and wing nut and keep the cap on the side until you need it.