WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 *** For my Personal tank, this is not business related *** So my beast arrived today. I want to be able to feed alot so hopefully this will allow me too. I rigged it up at Waves temperarly to see how it looks. Ill post more pictures in action at home once its installed. I have to totally rearrange my stand to make room, its got a 17x14.5 footprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 a few things I noticed right off the bat. The assembly is very trick, the PVC has been machined with two O rings and a set screw. This way you can dissasemble most of if but yet you dont need bulky unions so it stays smaller. I really like the "silencer", its both a muffler and also covers the output riser tube just leaving a small hole. It seems like the whole thing could easily be at least an inch shorter, the difference between the reaction chamber tube, and the top of the collection cup is 3", so the riser tube inside the collection cup is only about half of the total cup height. Kinda weird, but when its bellowing out foam, it will probably keep the mud from collecting on the lid and breaking bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Interesting choice of skimmer. I notice there's no holes on the skimmer lid--how does air escape the cup? -Sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 Interesting choice of skimmer. I notice there's no holes on the skimmer lid--how does air escape the cup? -Sol The lid fits losely, but its heavy so i dont think there will be any issues with it bubbling off. How come you think its interesting as you put it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Joel, I find it interesting in that I'm not sure it's the best skimmer for the money. Maybe a few months ago, but with the advent of MSX, octopus pro skimmers, etc, I'm not sure. Looking purely objectively, comparing the reeflo 250 vs MSX 250: The build quality is exactly the same. Both from having seen both in person, and from the literature, they're both built by the same company, use the same materials etc. The air draw virtually identical, about 70 SCFH each. But the MSX 250 puts that air through a 10" column vs the 12" diameter of the reeflo. I can offer analysis of the costs/benefits of this, but for now I'll refrain, staying to simple facts, rather than deduced opinions. From my observations, the reeflo is slightly quieter. From my observations, the reeflo's air:water ratio is significantly lower than the MSX's. The MSX 250 is approx $750 cheaper than the reeflo 250. The reeflo is recirc, the MSX is single pass. OK, now to my subjective opinions: From a fluid dynamics point of view, the ideal air ratio for skimming is approx 13%; that is, 13% of the chamber by volume should be filled with air. With typical bubble size from a needle wheel (.1 to .3 mm), this means a single pass skimmer should pump approx 1:1 water to air. Sicce's (with the possible exception of laguna/askoll based pumps) seem to get the closest to this, with their 2:3 air:water ratio. So that's another point in favor of the MSX. A recirc skimmer is a little more complicated. Since the water flow through is controlled elsewhere, the recirc pump should basically pump as much air with as little water as possible. Because of this, I feel that the dart (with its 1:3 air:water) is a poor choice for a skimmer recirc pump. From looking at it, the amount of turbulence in the reeflo's reaction chamber is high, and this is an unsurprising result with that much water flow. All in all, I just feel there's quite a few design flaws with this skimmer. As a footnote, no disrespect or insult is meant by this post. I just enjoy picking apart skimmers. I find something wrong with just about every skimmer on the market. -Sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I saw it this afternoon, and while maybe it isn't perfect it *is* one hell of a cool skimmer (rock2) Careful you don't pass out from oxygen deprivation, what with all the air that bad boy is gonna pull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 well two major factors for me, one I needed an external skimmer. I have no where near enough room in my sump for an in sump, and Im not at all interested in redoing my plumbing to make a bigger sump etc etc. So finding an external skimmer really limited my choices. I tried the H&S rated at 220gallons and it simply didnt do the job. Also my cost vs retail and what I have access to always plays a roll. I do a lot of business with Reeflo and they treat me very well. If this skimmer cranks, ill be selling them like hotcakes. But only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Yeah that makes a difference since you needed a external skimmer. Not everyone can get the deals Joel Nice skimmer nonetheless. Aren't Randy and Shannon running one of these Reeflo skimmers? Octo Pro, MSX, ATB, and the Octo Core all look sweet. Yeah the insump skimmers that have came out in the last 6 months are kickin some major a$$. The reviews I have read all seem positive. Thats coming from RC people and they are the hardest group around to please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lundy24 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I saw the skimmer when i was in the shop today and that thing is a beast! The build quality seemed to be great as well. I also noticed the the glass in the entry way, looked liked 36x36x24 maybe? Should be an awesome tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 So how many of us were in the shop and saw this thing today. It is a beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 The external and cost thing make a lot of sense. The cost thing also makes me very jealous. I'm sure you'll be very happy with that skimmer; everyone who I've seen with one is. Like I said, I just like picking skimmers apart for sport. One of these days I'm going to machine a custom volute for a dart, and see what it can do. From a physics perspective (IMO) the dart is close to perfect as a flow pump, and it really would make an amazing skimmer pump if the water flow could be brought down some. Can't wait to see the crud this thing pulls, and hopefully it'll still be in the shop when I'm next. I've never seen the 200 model in person, only the 250. -Sol Edit: really random question: does anyone know the history of the phrase "selling like hotcakes?" I'm curious, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 Hey Sol they have a different ventury that came with the pump. The pump was shipped to me seperate (with 10 others) with a ventury but when I got the skimmer and assembled it this part was not required. You might want to check it out, it necks down the intake to about 1 inch then quickly expands at the ventury "hole". Not sure why its not being used. Maybe its only on the 250? FYI as far as the Dart being a perfect flow pump, I got some new impellers, they increase the flow 5-10% as well as 5-10% head pressure. they simply call it a #9 impeller. Its only going to be at the shop Wednesday then Ill be taking it home to install. Anyone who really wanted to see it could visit me at home if you like. Sol, you should just come by tomorrow and buy your bulb as well as have a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 This new impeller has got me really curious. My strong suspicion is that it also increases the watt draw on the pump. I will try to get by the shop tomorrow. Busy lives are frustrating -Sol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Edit: really random question: does anyone know the history of the phrase "selling like hotcakes?" I'm curious' date=' lol.[/quote'] SELL LIKE HOT CAKES - "Hot cakes cooked in bear grease or pork lard were popular from earliest times in American. First made of cornmeal, the griddle cakes or pancakes were of course best when served piping hot and were often sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions. So popular were they that by the beginning of the 19th century 'to sell like hot cakes' was a familiar expression for anything that sold very quickly effortlessly, and in quantity." From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhut Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Oh yea! The Reeflo Orca!!. Great choice Joel. I Have the 200 and the 250 model and they are crazy good. They are the skimmer of choice if you need raw horse power! IMO The in sump skimmers use little baby pumps and a little piece of sand could spell disaster buy jambing the impeller at that point where's the savings.The 250 took some tweaking though...the hieght of the pvc return to the sump was to short and I had to modify some PVC to make it taller(careful, all the plumbing is metric). The problem was, the water level was to low in the skimmer and it wasn't skimming 100%. I tried twisting the riser tube to close it up to raise the water level but found the skimmer over flowing. I scratch my head at that for awhile. Did some investigating and izzypop found a dude on RC that was making different collection cups so they didn't over flow, but they're 250.00. (crap) I wasent going to spend more money on something that should already work, so I thought RAISE THE TUBE! and it worked. that skimmer rocks. Oh one more thing...The riser tube pieces are not O ringed so your glueing like your typical pvc...Nope I would not glue. Izzy turned me on to liquid tephlon that stuff is the snizzzz..all you do is put a dab on your finger and wipe around both pieces and fit them together and there sealed nicely and no leaks! Now if you have to take it apart you can. You can get that liqiud tephlon at Lowes or HD in there metal piping area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamatSLS Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Nice skimmer Joel! I'm curious to hear how it works out for ya. Don't get to caught up in the pros/cons with this skimmer. Simply mentioning skimmers choices anywhere online will get pages of biased opinions.. Having said that, ATB skimmers are the best skimmers on the market JK JK JK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAVES Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 I notice there's no holes on the skimmer lid--how does air escape the cup? -Sol Sol there is also a drain in the collection cup, Ive read a few people using skimmate collection vessels (like the PM ones) successfully to prevent excess skimming, toping off and thus lowering salinity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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