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10/28/2012, 11:19 PM | #1426 |
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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 |
10/31/2012, 11:31 AM | #1427 |
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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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10/31/2012, 12:25 PM | #1428 |
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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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11/02/2012, 11:44 AM | #1429 | |
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Quote:
Last edited by Jeremy B.; 11/02/2012 at 12:12 PM. Reason: Didn't read well enough ;) |
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11/03/2012, 06:33 PM | #1430 |
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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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11/05/2012, 08:00 AM | #1431 |
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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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11/15/2012, 10:22 AM | #1432 |
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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
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Current Tank: 150 Gal in Wall mix reef, 2 Vortech MP40W, Alpha Cone 200 |
11/17/2012, 09:44 AM | #1433 | |
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Quote:
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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11/17/2012, 10:01 PM | #1434 |
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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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11/19/2012, 08:02 AM | #1435 |
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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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11/19/2012, 10:05 AM | #1436 |
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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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11/19/2012, 11:48 AM | #1437 | |
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Quote:
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11/20/2012, 09:29 AM | #1438 |
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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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Current Tank: 150 Gal in Wall mix reef, 2 Vortech MP40W, Alpha Cone 200 |
11/21/2012, 09:07 AM | #1439 |
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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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12/11/2012, 09:13 PM | #1440 |
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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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12/11/2012, 09:41 PM | #1441 | |
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Quote:
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12/11/2012, 10:10 PM | #1442 |
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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. |
12/11/2012, 10:36 PM | #1443 |
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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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12/16/2012, 09:03 PM | #1444 |
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so.... nobody on here has an answer?
for a thread with 1400 posts i figured someone would give some suggestions. |
12/19/2012, 10:38 AM | #1445 |
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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. |
12/19/2012, 11:36 AM | #1446 |
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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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12/22/2012, 08:21 PM | #1447 |
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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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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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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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12/23/2012, 10:39 PM | #1450 |
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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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