Recirculating Mod on Euroreef

[Pedro]

Going to mod my cs135 to make it recirculating. Ordered the parts i need. Anybody here modify their skimmer and have any suggestions, ideas they can share?

Also after modding it, did you notice any difference in performance?

Thanks. I'll post pics of the entire process when it happens.

 

[steveo32]

what the benifit of a recirculating system ? Do you skim the same water twice and get more stuff out of it >?

 

[crox99]

Pedro

do you know if I can get that mod for my CS6-2+?

 

[Pedro]

I think the cs6-2 and the cs135 are the same, they just changed names. But don't quote me on that.

There's really not much to it, just some aquaseals, some elbows, and some straight pieces of pvc. I just wanted them to be grey to blend in, so i ordered it from them.

Steve, that's the idea behind it. That the pumps keeps recirculating the water within the chamber allowing for more contact time. That time is determined by the pump feeding it.

 

[crox99]

I think the cs6-2 and the cs135 are the same, they just changed names. But don't quote me on that.

There's really not much to it, just some aquaseals, some elbows, and some straight pieces of pvc. I just wanted them to be grey to blend in, so i ordered it from them.

Steve, that's the idea behind it. That the pumps keeps recirculating the water within the chamber allowing for more contact time. That time is determined by the pump feeding it.

So do you think I can rebuild it using sch. 80 pvs pipe and fittings? if not who sells the mod?

 

[crox99]

And I think you are right about that they are almost the same except for the name.

 

[Pedro]

If you can find the pieces i'm sure you could. I got my parts from them. If there's a local place that sells it in grey or mail order, you're good to go. You can also do it in white but then it looks fugly. My parts shipped, so as soon as i get it i'll keep you posted.

The aquaseals im sure you will need to mail order.

 

[crox99]

I don't care if some of the pvc pipe/fittings are white.......after all it's setting in my sump. I can wait to see a pic of it. LMK when you get it.

 

[Pedro]

I did the mod today, tomorrow i will post some pics. I ended up using white unions anyways. I also didn't glue anything down yet. I might leave it like that anyways, it's in the sump. But i know that once i am convinced i might just do it. The only tricky part was getting the water intake part glued. 3/4 pvc was just a bit loose on the inside. I applied alot of glue but i am not sure how strong it is.

Also for now i tried using a sedra 3500 to feed it but that's just too turbulent in there. Tomorrow i will cap that hole and redrill one up top for a small powerhead. I tried to get away with the original hole. Oh well! Pics will be up tomorrow.

 

[fritz]

I did this mod (sorry I'm chiming in now, after the fact) PLEASE gravity feed this skimmer. It's just wrong to feed this with a powerhead. You shouldn't need glue as it's in sump and if it leaks a bit it won't affect it much.

Crox, you can get the parts from Lowes with the exception of a uniseal. I also recommend the Gate mod if not that way already. You may also want to check with ER for a newer NW. They changed their NWs recently and you can order the newer version from their website.
http://commerce2.i2net.com/able5stores/stores/33/category.aspx?SID=33&Category_ID=627

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I did the mod today, tomorrow i will post some pics.

Don't be lazy like me. You are killing everyone here without picsl.:sgrin:

 

[Pedro]

Fritz, i thought about gravity feeding it, but i have two issues. One i don't have 1" uniseals, and space is a bit tight.

However, i do have a 1/2" uniseal, the one i plan on using for the powerhead. I can tee off the drain and feed it with a 1/2" hose. I know they don't require enough flow, as the slower the better, do you think that will work? I can also use 3/4".

Furthermore i must say that Euroreefs are made of some nice material. When i was drilling it i didn't have to worry about cracking it!

 

[fritz]

you HAVE to step it down to 1/2 or 3/4 inch otherwise you'll get air into the skimmer from your drain. I would recommend stepping down to the 1/2". You'll want to place a ball valve after the T to get a pure and consistent flow of water into the skimmer. I think ER recommends around 150% total volume through the skimmer. I'd play with that to find the actual sweet spot.

 

[crox99]

Fred

when can you come and look at my tank?

 

[crox99]

Yes Pedro......where is that crappy camera of yours????rangehat rangehat

 

[Pedro]

Here is the fully modded euro-reef. I would have preferred to use the same colored pvc, but since nothing is really glued down, i can still swap it out later. I will post more pics later with more details.

Also for now i will small pump feed it until i can redo my drain (need some parts). The skimmer feed is still the same, so i would not need to do any additional work on it.

 

[fritz]

Not crappy at all, that's well done. I would add a gate valve or the very least a ball valve to the skimmer output inbetween the T and the elbow for fine tuning. The recirc makes it a little more sensitive.

Crox not sure it's been hectic lately but surely sometime over the next few days. Give me a shout or PM me your number.

 

[Pedro]

Thanks Fred. Yeah i will definately add the ball valve. I found it to be such and easy mod. Once you get past the holes drilling, you are safely home. Having a well built skimmer of course makes this even easier.

After my water change i will put this bad boy in and let it settle down.

You have any pics of your modded euro?

 

[DevIouS]

Looks good P.
Let me know how it works out.
No gate valve?


Fred did you notice a difference in the ASM before & after?

I am trying out a gate-valve, recirc modded ASM G3 (fed by a MJ 900) & it is nothing compared to my regular gate-valve modded ER CS-6-2.

 

[Pedro]

The good thing is that you can always cap the holes and go back to stock :usa1: .

What pump does that ASM use Phil?