Skimmer mods
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39427
Printed Date: August 31 2025 at 8:58am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Skimmer mods
Posted By: fishoutawater
Subject: Skimmer mods
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 11:47pm
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I have a problem, I am a skimmerholic. I love to play with skimmers. I have made a couple, modded several, and would like to do some more. If you are unimpressed with the way your skimmer is performing, maybe we could help each other out. I'm willing to work on your skimmer for a few bucks, or frags, trades, whatever. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Replies:
Posted By: drivr08
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 5:01am
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i have one for you....turned rio 600 into a skimmer pump whith skimmer wheel ------------- loving life as a english teacher kids are what the world is made of |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 6:13pm
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My most recent is an ASMG1x. I used the stock sedra3500 pump and tripled its airpull. As soon as I finish it's latest upgrade I will put pics up, hopefully no later than tomorrow. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 7:16pm
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anything to make a g-3 better?
------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 7:21pm
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I would love to see how you made the Sedra3500 pull more air. I'm getting a very wet skimmate and I think it's just not able to pull enough air for the amount of water it's pulling in.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 7:26pm
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I am pretty sure all the asm's are about the same, just different sized pumps and bodies. I checked air with a dwyer meter throughout, the sedra stock pulled 7scfh, it now does 20-21 on the skimmer. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 7:49pm
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Come on down!!! I'll pay you to upgrade mine. Pm me
------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Aquarium Creations
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 7:55pm
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JEFF, Mesh Mod, ------------- Aquarium Maintenance,Consulting,Custom Built Glass Aquariums Rimless/Euro,24Hr Emergency Service 8015485201 Www.UtahAquariumDoctors.com [email protected] |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 8:02pm
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It was more than a mesh mod. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 8:38pm
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This I gotta see. I have the same pump and skimmer. |
Posted By: Aquarium Creations
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 8:44pm
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Circ Mod
------------- Aquarium Maintenance,Consulting,Custom Built Glass Aquariums Rimless/Euro,24Hr Emergency Service 8015485201 Www.UtahAquariumDoctors.com [email protected] |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 16 2010 at 8:49pm
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No Eric, haven't tried that one yet. How would that get you any more air? Unless you put a venturi on your feed pump? ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 17 2010 at 11:46pm
 So far so good, this is 10 minutes after startup in a tank of waterchange water, no skimmate added. Air is at around 17scfh and turbulence is very much less. Please ignore the yard sale sticker, lol. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: March 17 2010 at 11:53pm
I'll take that off your hands for $15  ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 10:55am
I would love my G3 to skim like that... too bad i'm in st. george. Fishoutawater its gunna be 75 degrees here today take a vacation come work on my skimmer  ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 11:21am
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Yes I get the mods tomorrow! My g-3 doesn't do anyway near that ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 11:39am
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Mine has the gate valve, mesh mod, and i honed out the venturi and it skims a TON better but not as good as the pic above ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: Aquarium Creations
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 12:17pm
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the Circ mod ads another pump so you get double the Air as well as the mods done to them, Works like a champ ------------- Aquarium Maintenance,Consulting,Custom Built Glass Aquariums Rimless/Euro,24Hr Emergency Service 8015485201 Www.UtahAquariumDoctors.com [email protected] |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 10:23pm
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That might be fun to do a recirc one day, but it would have to be on a much bigger skimmer. The pump I have now pulls more air than the neck can really handle. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 10:26pm
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Your not gunna share your secret are ya? ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 10:31pm
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No secret, just want to give it a couple of days on my tank to decide how I like it. I'm not sure I'm satisfied yet. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 18 2010 at 10:33pm
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Really? Man the bubbles in that thing are insane! I thought mine did good after the mesh mod and gate valve but its still not even close to yours! ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 11:01am
thanks mike! got lots of bubbles now  ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 12:18pm
Yeah yeah rub it in!!!  ------------- Chance Evans |
bugzme wrote:Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 1:54pm
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It really does work!
------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: drivr08
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 2:47pm
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after mesh mod i took 1/4 in drill bit and opened the air line fitting crazy bubbles cause they get clogged alot ------------- loving life as a english teacher kids are what the world is made of |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 3:37pm
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he grinds plastic out of the pump also. didn't do the mesh to impeller! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 19 2010 at 9:25pm
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Maybe we should make a skimmer mod "quick reference" if fishoutawater wants to share all his success stories ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 9:56pm
My last mod on this skimmer, bubble plate.
http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll191/fishoutawater/?action=view¤t=105_1434.flv">
 In action, hoping to show how much the turbulence was reduced. I have no idea why it is sideways, and don't know how to turn it. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:04pm
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Awesome! How hard was that to make? ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:07pm
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I had to do it all with a dremel, cordless drill, and sandpaper, so it took a little time. Nothing really hard about it, and I had all the plastic lying around from previous projects. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:08pm
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Well you've got mad skimmer skills! Wish you could tune up my skimmer! ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:11pm
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Bring it up on your next visit. What is it? ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:16pm
Its a G2 i thought it was a G3 but nope!!! I have a heavy bio load 3 days without runnin a skimmer  kinda scary! I'm gunna see if i can pick up another skimmer and then you can have your fun!!!------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:17pm
| Lookin good |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 10:28pm
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Thanks tcfab, your build was very impressive btw. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: March 23 2010 at 12:07am
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I think a skimmer pump isn't truly modded until it becomes too powerful for the skimmer it came on - and then you have to do 'something'... So I took my stock 950 gph / 15 scfh Octopus OR3500 NW pump
 Remove the ultra-restrictive stock 3/8" venturi inlet and 1/8" airline
 Replace with a 3/8 airline directly into the now 1.25" inlet
 Dremel out the volute and install a 3-layered meshmod on the impeller, then design a new output pipe is a 1" outlet that splits into (2) 3/4" outlets - vs. the single stock 3/4" outlet
 Hook up like so...
 Into not one but two 8" diameter X 24" tall Octopus NW200 skimmers!
 Let's carry this monster over to the tank for a tryout
  Why settle for one "milked out body" when you can have TWO?
  End result: 52 scfh @ 54 watts, 2 "milked out" skimmer bodies... and some nice skimmate - X2!
 Now that's what I call a skimmer mod
 ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: March 23 2010 at 8:54am
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That was definitely one of the most innovative mods I had ever seen. You still running that monster? I would play some more with this one but it only has a 2 1/2" neck, I really can't put any more air through it, the water line is below the top of the reaction chamber now. My tank is also only 40 gal with 4 small fish, I think I am already a little overdone. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: March 23 2010 at 1:10pm
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Nice build bob! ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: Crzyfshguy
Date Posted: March 23 2010 at 2:44pm
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Anyone have any mod ideas for the crappy coralife skimmers? I would upgrade if my budget would allow it.
------------- 45G w/ leds 15G sump MP10es |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 07 2010 at 11:11pm
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Bump for more bubbles. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: April 13 2010 at 5:44pm
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Bump any updates? ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 13 2010 at 6:01pm
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Ive done work on skimmers for several members so far, as far as I know every one has been pleased with the performance. They have all been asm's so far. Mine is still running great. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 1:22am
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So, I am confused. Are you going to share your secrets? Or are you offering a service of modding skimmers?
------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 10:16am
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Jeff posted what I did on his skimmer, I ported the output on the pump body for him. I added a bubble plate to mine in addition to that. I have also done several mesh mods. I'm pretty sure everything I have done has been posted. And yes, I would like to do more of them. I really enjoy playing with skimmers, I don't expect to pay the mortgage doing it, but a frag here and there or a little cash is always nice. Sorry if the posts have been vague, if you have any questions let me know and I will answer them. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 10:40am
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No, I guess you are right, I just didn't see them posted together so didn't figure out all of the mods. How does the bubble plate work for you. I really think the concept is solid, just wondering if you feel it actually improves performance by reducing turbulence.
------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 10:41am
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My skimmer works Great now ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 10:59am
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There's a video earlier in the thread, in addition to reducing turbulance I now have bubbles in 90%+ of the skimmer body, I really think it helps. I only have 4 small fish in a 40gal setup, so it's hard to push this skimmer at all right now. Thanks for the good word Jeff. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 11:03am
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I dont see the video. I think it got moved or deleted from photobucket. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 11:07am
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Want to mod my skimmers? ------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 11:29am
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Here are some pics of skimmers I have played with.
My first skimmer, ps75, running on a 29 gal reef. I used an aquaclear powerhead and made a volute and venturi out of pvc. I also meshed it.
  via aqua sk200. I put a new neck on it, removed the bubble riser tube and installed a bubble plate, and put a bigger aquaclear powerhead on it.
 This is my skimmer
 http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll191/fishoutawater/skimmer%20mods/?action=view¤t=105_1434.flv">
 Here is a ported output compared to a stock one
  I am running the stock impellar now because the mesh was getting too much air and making it hard to adjust.
------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 2:09pm
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It definitely looks like you are getting the most bang for the pump out of those skimmers. Good work. I have done quite a few skimmer mods, but never had a meter so couldn't check to see how much it helped, I mean I saw more bubbles, but couldn't measure the improvements. I definitely like the bubble plate mod, but can I ask how you got it inside the skimmer?
------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 7:12pm
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Happy birthday mike!! ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 14 2010 at 10:52pm
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On the via aqua I had to cut through the bottom and patch it. On the asm I just glued it in the bottom. Much easier to work on than the other two. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 17 2010 at 9:33am
Here is a meshed impellar for a sedra 3500
  ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: Kiltboy
Date Posted: April 17 2010 at 9:39am
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That is a clean, good lookin mesh mod! ------------- Chance Evans |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: April 17 2010 at 9:49am
| Sorry - I didn't read throught this whole post. But I am curious how do you measure the improvements? Is is just an appearance of more bubbles / less bubbles? More skimmate production? I'm not skeptical, I would just love to see some data to determine how much the mods improve the performance. |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 17 2010 at 10:02am
I use a dwyer airflow meter to measure every mod I try to quantify improvements.
 ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: April 17 2010 at 11:13am
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Now thats what bubbles SHOULD look like in an ASM
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Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: April 21 2010 at 11:21am
Just finished revving up a Coral Life css65. This is my first superskimmer, I think these little skimmers have a lot of potential. That pump on there can easily overwhelm that skimmer with too much air.
  I had to add a 2" neck because of all the air going through it after modding it. The output valve is wide open and the pump is throttled back in that pic. Even with the 2" neck I can't open the pump all the way. ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |
Posted By: jwoo
Date Posted: April 21 2010 at 11:50am
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I have an Aqua Euro 55 skimmer. Can you PM me details on getting it modded? Pricing etc? Thanks! ------------- None at the moment Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront |
Posted By: Crzyfshguy
Date Posted: April 21 2010 at 11:55am
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Thanks alot for your help with the skimmer Mike, I can't wait to try it out!
------------- 45G w/ leds 15G sump MP10es |
Posted By: fishoutawater
Date Posted: June 10 2010 at 4:24pm
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bump ------------- Some day, when I grow up,... |