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Unread 10/28/2012, 11:19 PM   #1426
clowndude
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Hi Jeremy,

I thought the skimmer was good, but last two days it's been pulsing up and down about 1" and then every minute or two it sounds like the pump skips a beat and the water table drops in the skimmer. I'm taken the whole skimmer apart a few times and it's still doing the same thing to me. I've had this skimmer well over a month or more and it has never performed right. It barely pulls anything out. Last skimmer would pull a full cup a week. I'm at a loss with this skimmer and about to just sell it.

Any thoughts, could it be a faulty pump?

Thanks,
Nick


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Unread 10/31/2012, 11:31 AM   #1427
viggen
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Getting tired of messing with my old er 12-2 that's been moded. Presently using a bubbleblaster 5000 pump. I think there is just to much turbulence in the skimmer to skim properly, on my 475g fowlr with a dozen or so fish I seem to get maybe. 1/16th of a inch of skimmate. Looking at getting a different skimmer

Any thought on the alpha kone 300 on my tank? Or is the bk supramarine 300 a better bet for a few hundred bucks more? Which might be difficult to fit in my sump..... I think I can squeeze the kone 300.

Lastly I see many of the alpha lines are out of stock.... Do you have the 300's?


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Unread 10/31/2012, 12:25 PM   #1428
viggen
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Ugh... Went back and measured my sump which is a 65g made by glass ages, I have two of them. Anyways, these are the dimensions I have to play with

17x20.75x31

Realized the bk supramarine will not fit.... So it's just if I can squeeze a Alfa cone 300 in here or do I need to look at a octopus skimmer, sro5k or 6k?


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Unread 11/02/2012, 11:44 AM   #1429
Jeremy B.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by viggen View Post
Ugh... Went back and measured my sump which is a 65g made by glass ages, I have two of them. Anyways, these are the dimensions I have to play with

17x20.75x31

Realized the bk supramarine will not fit.... So it's just if I can squeeze a Alfa cone 300 in here or do I need to look at a octopus skimmer, sro5k or 6k?
I would do a Super Marin 250 on this sytem personally. If you're wanting to keep costs down then try the Alpha 250. The Alpha 300 might be a little bit of a tight fit in there. In my opinion the Super Marin 250 would be perfect on this tank.



Last edited by Jeremy B.; 11/02/2012 at 12:12 PM. Reason: Didn't read well enough ;)
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Unread 11/03/2012, 06:33 PM   #1430
viggen
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Thanks for the info...... Kinda funny, after you responded my skimmer decided to put about 1/2 inch of Nast in the cup every day.

Bad news is I have a ich outbreak, skimmer purchase will have to wait until hypo is done

Super Marin 250'ismwhat I will do.....thanks!


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Unread 11/05/2012, 08:00 AM   #1431
Jeremy B.
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No prob, let me know when you're ready and I'll get you taken care of on it. Hopefully the ich goes away here soon for you!


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Unread 11/15/2012, 10:22 AM   #1432
Pran
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Hi Jeremy / all

please see the attached pictures of my skimmer, it was taken from after I cleaned it, 8 hours after and then 16 hours after.

I have around 12 medium size fish and my tank is 150 gallon, so far no corals.

My skimmer is an alpha cone 200, can you please tell me if the skimmate I am getting is ok or not good.

Is this wet skimming or dry skimming?, the pipe is fully open in the skimmer.

How can I make it more efficient?

thanks
Prasanna


Attached Images
File Type: jpg 1.jpg (59.3 KB, 83 views)
File Type: jpg 2.jpg (45.0 KB, 79 views)
File Type: jpg 3.jpg (49.2 KB, 78 views)
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Unread 11/17/2012, 09:44 AM   #1433
TheReefKeeper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pran View Post
Hi Jeremy / all

please see the attached pictures of my skimmer, it was taken from after I cleaned it, 8 hours after and then 16 hours after.

I have around 12 medium size fish and my tank is 150 gallon, so far no corals.

My skimmer is an alpha cone 200, can you please tell me if the skimmate I am getting is ok or not good.

Is this wet skimming or dry skimming?, the pipe is fully open in the skimmer.

How can I make it more efficient?

thanks
Prasanna

Looks a bit Wet.
I would close the pipe a pinch and watch it for a day then a pinch more if the Skimmate is not dark enough for you


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Unread 11/17/2012, 10:01 PM   #1434
yort265
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Is there any news on when Royal Exclusiv / Vertex will be finishing their production run and when they will be available again at the retailers that stock them?


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Unread 11/19/2012, 08:02 AM   #1435
Jeremy B.
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I do not have a definite ETA on them at this time, I'm sorry. Hopefully right after the first of the year they'll be here.


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Unread 11/19/2012, 10:05 AM   #1436
Pran
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Thanks, but if I close it more, then woudn't it make it more wet, b/c more water will go up the neck, where if I open it more, less water and more bubbles will go up so it will be more dark?

Also, out of the 3 nossles, which one is good for 150 heavly stock tank.

Thanks
Pran


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Unread 11/19/2012, 11:48 AM   #1437
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pran View Post
Thanks, but if I close it more, then woudn't it make it more wet, b/c more water will go up the neck, where if I open it more, less water and more bubbles will go up so it will be more dark?

Also, out of the 3 nossles, which one is good for 150 heavly stock tank.

Thanks
Pran
Your right must have been sleeping when I wrote that LMAO Sorry Bud


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Unread 11/20/2012, 09:29 AM   #1438
Pran
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Thanks... but I tried that too and stil no luck, I tried it in the past

its at 9 inch water level, maybe raise it to 8 inch?


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Unread 11/21/2012, 09:07 AM   #1439
Jeremy B.
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Slightly open the wedge pipe some. In your third photo you can see where the neck is starting to get buildup about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up inside the neck. You really want the buildup to start forming on the neck about half way up from the bottom of the collection cup. Let me know if this makes sense or not.


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Unread 12/11/2012, 09:13 PM   #1440
davesolo29
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So.. i have a alpha 170. I have a pump surging problem. Mine is a newer one with the adjustable venturi. How do i fix it?


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Unread 12/11/2012, 09:41 PM   #1441
clowndude
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davesolo29 View Post
So.. i have a alpha 170. I have a pump surging problem. Mine is a newer one with the adjustable venturi. How do i fix it?
Honestly if it is brand new send it back. You don't want to go through what I just went through with Proline Aquatics which is the US distributor for Vertex. Three months later and I still don't have my vertex fixed. I finally got the okay that they are going to replace the pump, only I gotta send my old one in first and then they will send it out next week. Apparently they told me that they are having a lot with pump issues. Their customer service is totally unacceptable in my book and where I work people would be fired over. Yes I know Proline isn't Vertex, but when they are the only people in the US you have to deal with for Vertex products that puts them together because you can't call Vertex direct.


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Unread 12/11/2012, 10:10 PM   #1442
davesolo29
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I have had it almost a year now. I have hardly used it because i was doing a new tank build and ended up going with a 250 instead.
I just plugged it in a couple days ago for my new qt tank and its not working right.


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Unread 12/11/2012, 10:36 PM   #1443
clowndude
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Ouch, hopefully u can get it fixed without needing a new pump block. How far our are u twisted the Venturi? Also make sure your silencer is clogged or centuries is clogged. Is the impeller good and clean? What I understand is the pump has an electronic circuit board in it to protect the pump and this is what causes the surging issues.


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Unread 12/16/2012, 09:03 PM   #1444
davesolo29
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so.... nobody on here has an answer?
for a thread with 1400 posts i figured someone would give some suggestions.


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Unread 12/19/2012, 10:38 AM   #1445
Jeremy B.
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@Dave, post some photos of the skimmer in the sump, as well as give us some more details. The info you've provided so far is too vague for any of us to help you out....

- Sump depth skimmer is in?
- How many turns out is the venturi?
- Where is the water level set at inside the skimmer body?
- How long as it been running total?

Also, pictures are worth a thousand words, that's really the best place to start in troubelshooting for you.


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Unread 12/19/2012, 11:36 AM   #1446
kuyatwo
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Jeremy do you know if you can put a red dragon 3 speedy dc pump on a vertex cone 200?


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Unread 12/22/2012, 08:21 PM   #1447
d2mini
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I have a new to me Alpha 250 and I am skimmer challenged, LOL. If i leave off the hose that goes between the pump and silencer it runs/skims fine. But water pours out of the silencer connector on the side of the wedge pipe. It's in my fish room so this doesn't really bother me. Now, if I connect the hose to this connector on the wedge pipe, of course the water cuts off the air supply, the skimmer fills with water and overflows. But if seems like if I open the wedge pipe up enough to drop the water level inside the skimmer, the bubbles aren't getting up into the neck of the collection cup, therefor no skimmate. There's is a point in turning the wedge pipe where it starts off ok, then the bubbles start to rise high enough that water then starts to flow out of that connector and into the pump, then causing it to fill with water again. So apparently I'm having trouble finding the sweet spot. Any tips?

Skimmer is in 9.5" of water, constant level.
The adjustable nozzle in the red dragon pump is backed out about 2.5 turns.


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Unread 12/23/2012, 07:31 AM   #1448
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Hmmm... looks like I may be answering my own question... seems as though I might not have been waiting long enough? After letting it run overnight the foam now seem to be climbing higher up the neck...


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Unread 12/23/2012, 10:06 PM   #1449
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Well, it's been 24 hrs. I've got the wedge pipe closed down as far as it will go before water starts pouring down the tube to the pump. The foam barely makes it to the top of the collection cup and I've probably got about 1/8" to 1/4" of skimmate at the most sitting in the cup. It was skimming much better when I didn't have the silencer hooked up and let the water pour out of the nozzle. Any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?


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Unread 12/23/2012, 10:39 PM   #1450
clowndude
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Sounds like your water table might be to low? I had to run mine in 10" inches to get it to run correctly meaning now have the issues u are describing.


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