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View Full Version : Dumped the attempt at mesh mod...


builderguy
08/07/2008, 12:36 PM
I couldn't get more that 20 SCFH with my mesh mod no matter how many ways I tried...zip ties, fishing line, two layers, three...tied loose, tied tight....

I have an 8" dia recirculating skimmer with an Eheim 1262...I ordered the needlewheel from EuroReef...now I've got 30 SCFH and good thick foam...

MUCH EASIER!

tangtang clown
08/10/2008, 01:51 PM
I seem to be having the same problems with my Octo 200 NW recirc. How long did you let it run without messing with it. I did my modding to mine last wed. ( 11days ) I did the mesh mod (twice), venturi (twice), and I haven't seen anything yet, no Foam!
I have pics if you want to see. I talked to a guy who said it took a month before his kicked in and started pulling some funk.
How long did it take for your needlewheel to break in?

builderguy
08/10/2008, 06:42 PM
I just went back to the needlewheel Tuesday and it's already pulling gunk...maybe I didn't give the mesh mod enough time...I still have the mesh mod impellar...may play around again in the future....I don't think I really get it...how tight to tie the fishing line, etc...

Paulairduck
08/10/2008, 06:51 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13107999#post13107999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by builderguy
I couldn't get more that 20 SCFH with my mesh mod no matter how many ways I tried...zip ties, fishing line, two layers, three...tied loose, tied tight....

I have an 8" dia recirculating skimmer with an Eheim 1262...I ordered the needlewheel from EuroReef...now I've got 30 SCFH and good thick foam...

MUCH EASIER!

30 scfh off of a eheim neelewheel is pretty darn good, never much of fan of meshmod:eek:

skimmy
08/10/2008, 08:10 PM
is it a stock 1262 impellar that has been meshed?
or a euroreef nw impellar that was meshed.
are you using a euroreef venturi as well?

pics would be good...

builderguy
08/11/2008, 09:58 AM
It was a stock impellar, I cut off the paddles and made a thin acrylic disk with lots of holes and tried two layers and three layers of enkamat, tried zip ties and fishing line...loose and tight...not worth the effort to get a marginal improvement. The Euroreef needlewheel is working good...pulling some gunk

And yes, I'm using the EuroReef Venturi as well.

skimmy
08/11/2008, 12:08 PM
dare i suggest you chop up your new euroreef impellar with bottom plate? i have always had better luck meshing those as opposed to dremeling the fins of a regular impellar and putting a plastic plate on it.

it sounds like it might have been a size/weight issue with the modified stock impellar, did it have start up issues?

and you might want to get a spare volute, i'll bet you could make it into a better venturi than the euroreef version, although they do perform fairly well. did you at least boar it out to accept a little more air? and are you using 1/8" id air hose? or larger.

also, is this a home made recirc or a name brand were familiar with.
sorry for all the Q's, just trying to troubleshoot.:)

builderguy
08/11/2008, 01:40 PM
I don't think I'm ready to chop up my $100 needwheel when it is actually working fairly well. My skimmer is an Orca Systems custom made skimmer...think H&S with a bubble plate.

There where no start up issues accept when I went to 4 layers with zip ties. The airline is 1/4" ID.

I still have my original volute from the Eheim. I sent my pump to Shan at Orca with the Euroreef volute...still have the original volute at home. Do you have any links or info on makin an improved volute.

skimmy
08/11/2008, 02:47 PM
ORCA makes great skimmers,
hmm, well, it would be a real pain to redo your recirc plumbing just to mod that volute, but the idea is that you are just bringing the venturi closer to the impellar, so it works better, that in conjunction with an increased diameter of air post, (i usually use the body of a bic pen , cut the bottom at an angle, and face the cut side to the impellar). you see people do it on all the octopus skimmers because the old venturi was such a POS.
yeah, $100 for an impellar is a *****...i'd almost just suggest finding a way to plum a different pump onto it, like a qo3000/sicce psk 2500 or modded laguna pond pump like on the octo pro/bk/atb skimmers.
you can get the qo3000 for like $45 from pet smart, mesh mod it, make a venturi out of the volute and get like 1300 lph @23-25watts. i would not suggest boaring out the outlet though, i toasted mine like that....