Recirculating Mod on Euroreef

[duke62]

is there any way to mod a kent nautilus.and if so an someone PM me and tell me how

 

[Pedro]

Duke62, i'm not familiar with that skimmer but im sure you can apply the basic principles from this thread. Post a picture of the skimmer so i can see the dynamics.

 

[Pedro]

Ok, today was part 2 of the modification. This one is more for performance action. It's the recommended way for recirculation skimmers and Fred and others talked me into it. So here is the new drain plumbing. The 1/2" ball valve is for maintenance only, the small green valve is used for controlling the water flow. Also the elbow by the 1" valve is for support. I like using unions, as you can see. The more the better. Anyways here are the pics. I must say that i am glad i did it. It started skimming almost immediately after i cleaned the collection cup.

 

[Pedro]

Might as well show something else i did to the sump. I used filter socks for a while and it just became a pain to keep cleaning them. Besides if you don't clean them daily or every two days, it's causing more harm than good. The stuff trapped breaks down so much faster in the oxygenated water. That's why they say that they must be cleaned so much. This in a way works against the skimmer because once the stuff get's broken down in the sock and turned to nitrate, the skimmer becomes less efficient. But let me say that filter socks do work, BUT they must be cleaned religiously which is something i don't have the time to do.

So i decided to go this route. This is much easier for me to clean out and it keeps things in suspension as well. I use an 802 powerhead with the micron filter. It keeps things stirred up in the sump while also catching it for removal. Since i installed it, my sump has cleaned up well. The replacements are pretty cheap, much cheaper than the socks. My goal is to keep things from settling anywhere in the tank. So here it is in action.

My next modification will be to make a filter reservoir for the reactor pump. It will be housed in a 4" pvc coupling with either a sponge or some other material on top to keep debris from clogging up the inner foams of the reactors and reducing their useful life. I just need to find the right foam to fit the coupling.

 

[skatezen]

What kind of hole saw did you use? Where did you get it? Got a pic?

 

[Pedro]

I used a regular bi-metal holesaw 1 1/4" from Home Depot. Make sure the shank is 3/8 if you have a small drill.

 

[Pedro]

I removed the airtap to get more air. Next i will mesh mod it to get finer bubbles. Running on the wet side right now, might dry it up later on. The skimmate is just over 24 hrs.

 

[fritz]

How's the turbulence in the neck? Do you find the drain introduces a lot of bubbles? From the pics it looks like it may. How high up the skimmer is the feed hole?

Edit-
On second inspection maybe not. Looks like it's probably the bubbles combining. Honestly that much air in such a small chamber just rocks.

 

[Pedro]

In the neck itself the bubbles are like marching ants, they just shoot straight up. The bubbles from the drain are very minimal, and that's cuz i have it open full way. If i choke it some, then there's no bubbles from the drain.

The only turbulence i see is the air in the main body coming from the pump which is normal i think, lol.

 

[Pedro]

I joined the mesh club!

 

[crox99]

Why did you replace the NW?

 

[Pedro]

To experiment mostly. They say the mesh gives you finer bubbles and thus better skimmate, so i did it. It's ok though, i just got the newer euro needlewheel as a backup, so i'm covered.

 

[crox99]

Let me know how the experiment goes.

 

[Pedro]

I modded it weds so it's still breaking in. So far it's looking good.

 

[fritz]

Looks the same as my mod'ed ASM did with a NW impeller. Your bubble size is large and the skimmate appears to be on par with what that skimmer is capable of. It doesn't seem like the mesh did much of anything.

I know it's still breaking in but those bubbles look stock. How many layers of mesh did you use?

 

[Pedro]

Well the bubbles are really tiny by where the cone begins. I guess as they rise they get bigger. If i raise the skimmer water level, i can probably keep the smaller bubbles higher up. Like i said i'm experimenting, i will see down the road how it turns out. Nothing wrong with giving new things a try. It's only been since weds. I also choked the air a bit. This hole skimmer stuff is nuts!

I ended up using 4 layers of mesh.

 

[fritz]

Interesting. I'm all for experimenting it's how advances are made.

Try experimenting with the layers (mavgi is a good guy to talk to)

 

[Pedro]

Mavgi is the one that came over and suggested we go 4 layers. It was his suggestion. I can tell you this though, i have seen an improvement in skimming from the needlewheel. It may look the same, but when i see the type of foam and the consistency, i see a difference. I would say that i am definately satisfied with the Mod.

How's your BM200 doing, got any more pics?