Came out really nice Steve and the logo looks sharp.
Yep its not gonna fit right for me let me know the next time you fire up a set of them and ill give you my dimensions I dont mind paying extra for the added aggrevation.

Those are looking good. They came a long way fast! With all that extra media, you may not even need a tunze skimmer.

It shouldn't be too much of a problem customizing these for other tanks. I need to get the dimentions for other common tanks and start production on those. Let me know those dimentions and I can get working on one for you, the principle should be just about the same.

Mine showed up yesterday. It looked like you packed it for delivery by yak to Outer Mongolia! Great job on the product and packing.

Thanks
Jim

That packing material is used on earth drilling machines so it is very good stuff.

I just finished installing the rack into my RSM. I couldn't figure out how to get it to slip into the rear compartment, even with the hood fully raised. I ended up removing the hood completely to get it in. What a PITA!

After reassembling everything (of course I dislodged some wires and the wiring channel covers!) I sat back and admired the design. At that point, I discovered that all I had to do was lift the rear access flap and the rack just slid in. Duh!

Great design, dumb user! StevieT even supplies a nice full-color instruction and troubleshooting sheet -- of course he didn't anticipate users like me who have to do everything the hard way!

If you replace your skimmer with the Tunze 9002, you MUST get one of these racks! I can service the skimmer and filtration by simply lifting the access flap -- couldn't be easier, and absolutely NO modifications to the hood are needed.

What's next, StevieT?

haha, no way!!!!!!!! Now I have to add that to the instruction sheet!!!!!! d'oh

I can't believe you did that, it just slips right in there, you can take it in and out to do media changes, maintenance etc.... No fun if you had to remove the hood!

Glad you enjoyed it.

StevieT's Media Racks have gone global! Shipping one out to New Zealand, thanks Land_lubber, along with a new light for the tank!

Cool...hope mine comes soon...my Tunze is lonely sitting in the box.

For getting Purigen I looked at the premiumaquatics website and does the stuff they sell come in a bag or do I need to buy a bag seperately? The 100ml product says it's a bag but it doesn't look like it in the picture. How much Purigen do you usually use?

Thanks,
Gil

I Just picked up some new stuff from fosters and smith, i bought the stuff in the bag this time, it was the 100ml size, perfect for this size tank. I haven't put it in since my old stuff is still good. For that I had to buy a seperate bag, very small size is needed since it is small. Go with the 100ml in the bag, the picture may just show the actual product as a general view.

I'm missing the point of the top "shelf". Why is it different from the other two levels? The eggcrate wants to move around and slip out of position. Is there a reason the eggcrate isn't permanently attached like the lower levels?

I cut a 1/4" deep notch into the two fixed shelves to clear the RSM's overflow grate. Suggested mod for version 2.0 -- just fabricate the two shelves a bit shorter than the sides so there is clearance for the grate.

Thanks
Jim

I suppose the top shelf could be attached, i figured the sponge would create it's own shelve and I could save on labor and time. Also I haven't run tests yet but it may cut down flow, but that needs to be observed. I will look into that soon and see if I can attach a shelve on the top. I also thought it would be easier to have a removable shelve to get to the middle media, but most seem to run something that doesn't need regular attention.

On the fit issue I will look into the problem. I see the lip on my RSM but I didn't have any issues getting it in and out. The newer racks are 2mm - 3mm less wide to deal with fit issues and make it easier to pull in and out. If that lip is the main issue see what you are saying and will look into a design change.

I appreciate the feedback!

I just received my StevieT Media Basket today ... wow ... it is so nice packaged. After opening it ... I got the very nicely built basket with a white logo on it ... Seriously ... it looks so nice that I did not want to put it into the tank ... I am going to wait for my Tunze and do it over the weekend ... Again, great job Steve. I am really glad I got the basket ... Thank you ...

One question though. The logo looks awesome. Is it reef safe to put it in the tank though?

Awesome! I just unrolled v 1.3 last night, always making improvements to the design!! Thank you all for the positive feedback.

The logo is made from outdoor vinyl, it will not fade, it is a solid color. It should last underwater for some time. I would check it every now and then just to be safe, you can never be too sure. If you see any of it pealing off, please remove those parts. But it is made for outdoor weather, sun, uv protection etc.... It should be just fine! I would love to get a printed logo for this rack, but I have herd that they do not last long underwater, the colors fade to nothing within weeks! Oh well, these work just fine.



New design pictures to come, thanks to all that placed orders in the past!! you are awesome.

I know you folks love your RSM's, but have you considered building these for different types of AIO tanks? I'd love to have one for the middle chamber of my BC29.

I wasn't able to keep my media rack in the tank because the Tunze I received didn't work. I called them and apparently they had a bad batch of venturi's so they said they would ship me a new part immediately.

I'm still not seeing how everyone is getting away with all the media in the rack and nothing under the pumps because anytime I have all the media on the right side I get a waterfall over the heater divider because the pumps pull the water out of the left chamber faster than it refills on the right side. The only way I can fix this is to put my chemipure elite bag back under the pumps so it will impede the waterflow somewhat on the left side of the heater divider.

I'm going to test the Tunze after the new part arrives and if it outperforms the stock skimmer enough then I will go back to using the media rack only because I will need it to create a channel for the water to route through whatever media I have on the right side. I think even with the rack I will be stuck with keeping some of the media under the pumps. I think I will use some of that white grating stuff to make a shelf under the pumps to keep the media off the bottom.

Gil

Gil-

I have herd of a few venturi's going out on the Tunze. Hopefully the new one works.

I haven't herd any problem with flow in the RSM with the rack, if anything it has imporved flow in mine. Were you experiencing these problems before the rack? Have you tried running only a sponge or only floss? Are both of your pumps working correctly? Are your back chambers clogged up with junk? How open is your intake grate? Do you have a deflctor on one of the pumps? I have one, it may help the situation, but I don't really know without testing. It cuts the flow down on a pump, it really doesn't slow down the pull of the pump so it may be just a wash.

Is your chemi pure blocking the hole, try tying it to the shelve above. What is in your middle chamber?

sorry for all the questons, I want to pinpoint your problem if we can.




YES! My ultimate goal is to have these available for all kinds of tanks. I am trying to buy old tanks to test prototypes on other tanks. I will PM you for dimentions in your tank.

I am anxious to see the newest version!

I will get some pics up later, I have the new one in my tank at this time testing it out, seems to be working great. It is wider, the top egg crate shelving is more secure, and there are notches to get around the intake grate piece that sticks out farther on some tanks.

next up.... FUGE rack

I've only had the tank a month so the rear chamber is clean...in fact I siphoned it pristine clean when I was installing the Tunze. The water level in the rear chamber has never been great. I've mentioned in other posts how all it takes is a small amount of buildup in the filter floss to cause it to drop, create the waterfall which ultimately causes the micro-bubble problem. The only media I have is a bag of chemipure elite, a 4" black sponge, and filter floss. I've cut the sponge in half so it's only 2". The pumps are working correctly and I'd say working too good...they can pull water like a champ. I keep the intake grate is all the way down and I don't have any deflectors.

I can't do any testing right now because with the Tunze failing right out of the box I had to remove the media rack and re-install the stock skimmer. You can't put the media rack in their with the stock skimmer.

Maybe your pump doesn't pull as strong since it's older.

I'm pretty good at troubleshooting this stuff as an engineer. I'll let you know what I find but I can't do anything till the Tunze is working.

Gil

I have herd this problem on a few tanks, and I remember now you bringing it up. I guess the next best contact would be Red Sea. I have never had this issue on mine, it may be something with a pump, possibly acting too strong if anything.

Do you have an upgrade program? A fuge rack would be awesome! Anyways thanks for the media rack its working like a champ. I personally haven't had any problems with flow being restricted, if anything like you said it seems to improve everything. The only thing it did do was alter the water level in my back chamber a bit so I had to readjust my ATO and the TUNZE.

I need to offer that . I hate to keep making improvemnts on past customers but that is how things get better, the feedback has been awesome!

That is why I love keeping my ATO sensor on a magnet, I adjust it every now and then to keep the levels just right with the levels in the rear chamber.

Man my frogspawn is HUGE today..... sorry... had to throw that in, man what is up with it today?! Must be the new rack

The fuge rack is going to work like a champ!

Yeah I can see that one. Call Red Sea and tell them I pulled out the bio-balls, the carbon, removed the stock skimmer, installed an aftermarket rack and claim theres a problem with their pump flow.

Let me clarify that I wasn't really looking for a solution from anyone here. Just posting my observations. I don't consider good pump flow a problem. I'm going to set this up the way it works well for me. Sorry if that doesn't sell more racks. If I use the rack it will only be because I decide to run the Tunze but I will still keep the chemipure and purigen under the pumps because I really don't want to be lifting that media everytime I change out filter floss and rinse the sponge. Every time you move those bags you're going to be stirring stuff up and releasing it into the tank. I initially thought the rack was a great idea but I'm really not on board with it now...sorry.

Gil

why would you have to lift the rack up to change anything but the chemical media?

You can reach in there for the top by the lid and remove the floss or sponge if you keep it on top of the rack where it is ment to be.

The chemi pure and purigen only needs to be touched or looked at every 4-5 months for a change.

Hey Gilrock,

I think if you take a plastic tie (like the ones you use in the garden) and secure the chemi-pure to the egg crate above it will solve your problem with flow. Mine was sucking water like that too when I first made mine (I made my own first then bought one of StevieT's). The chemi-pure kept causing a restriction and making that same "water fall" effect over my heater. So I took one of those ties and secured it to the level above. Voila!! Worked perfect. Also, I didn't use an eggcrate in the bottom and the chemi pure bag was being sucked into the hole and again...causing a restriction. So between putting 2 eggcrate pieces in the bottom and then securing the chemi-pure to the second level it worked fine.

With the new one I don't have to secure anything. I hope that helps since we seemed to have had the same issue. Also, if I want to change the floss or rinse the sponge I just grab it out of the top with my big ole tongs and replace it!!! No different than the way it was stock from the factory.

good luck!!!

I had originally thought I could lift the media rack up a few inches to pull out the filter floss and sponge. I'm now thinking that wouldn't be a good idea if there is any other media in the rack. It would be easier to arrange the filter floss squarely across the sponge if I wasn't stuffing it down the hole.

Anyways this is all dependent on using the Tunze. That Tunze better blow away the stock skimmer for me to use it because I really don't like the fit of the skimmer cup for the Tunze. If they reduced it's diameter or changed it to a rectangular shape it would work much better for the RSM.

Hazmat - if I hung the chemipure bag like you suggest it seems like I'd be allowing alot of the water to flow around the bag instead of through it's contents. I've actually become quite fast at removing the hood and pumps. I think I could change media in the chamber under the pumps in less than 5 minutes. Since I only need to change those chemicals twice a year I'm comfortable with leaving them under the pumps since it helps balance out the water flow.

Gil

Not trying to bust on all yous guys here, especially not you, Stevie. However, if any of you believe the media is still doing anything after 2 months, you are seriously flawed. Bacteria will colonize anywhere and everywhere. Especially in areas of high flow. No matter how viable the media may still be (which I highly doubt the manufacturer claims) it will be colonized by bacteria within that time frame. Therefore, rendering it pretty much useless for anything but biological filtration.

The cup fits perfectly in mine and the tunze is at the exact water level they recommend. The collection cup pulls right out and goes right back in. I can also open the tank lid all the way up and the cup stays in place just like its supposed to. A rectangle shape cup would be nice though. I'm pretty sure someone could make one. Do you think changing the shape would mess with the skimming?

I think the entire point of the media rack is the EASE of getting to the medias without having to access the chamber of death. If someone has no issue with disassembling the tank to get to said media then fine. But lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Gil-think about where your carbon sits in the third chamber. It sits at the bottom. Water flows over it. Not through the entire bag (even when it sat above the bio-media). So it's the same difference.
Same thing as changing the sponge and filter floss (or white sponge). You reach down into the top and pull out the floss and black sponge. If you push too hard your sponge goes down into chamber 1. So I actually think the rack helps with keeping the sponge and floss right there where I can grab it. But that's me. So anyway I guess I'm not following what your beef is about getting the sponge.

I like the Tunze but it definitley skims different than the RSM. It's a wetter skim. My husband said the same thing about them making the collection cup square! But Tunze didn't make this skimmer specifically for the RSM so I guess we are SOL. I wonder why all the skimmers are round??? My only gripe with the Tunze is my blue air valve is really hard to turn!

I am happy with all my mods and my tank is doing well so that's just my 2 cents. Hope everyone's tanks are flourishing!

I do understand the cup problem. It fits fine yes, but when opening the hood all the way.. there is the issue of it hitting when closing. I have learned to take it out before hand. Or just hold it backwards when closing. Both work for me.

A squarish cup would be awesome... humm, wonder if I can mod one of those, might need a dremel then make a square or rectangle cup, then Weldon.

I do think that running the water completely though media is helpful, before as Hazmat stated, it seems to just run over the top. I have been changing the chem pure at 4 months intervals, what would this bacteria compromise in the tank? Nitrates?

I don't have any carbon in the tank. When I put the chemipure elite bag in the 3rd chamber I actually stuffed it so it's tucked underneath the divider to the heater chamber so that all water is forced through that media. I'm only keeping it in that chamber because it makes a 1.5" difference in the water level in the rear chamber near the heater. I like to look at how high the water is above the divider between the heater and skimmer. Anything more than 1" seems to be enough to keep the micro-bubbles from occurring. If I could put everything in one rack in chamber 1 I'd do it but in my tank that makes the water level only about 0.5" above that divider and with a small amount of evaporation plus buildup on the filter floss causes that to drop to 0.25" and then the waterfall happens which pumps air down into the 3rd chamber = microbubble syndrome.

I'm sure all tanks will not run the same because the pumps will not all perform the same and we all will have different water levels and different types of media. So I only post my observations because someone else will run into the same things I have and hopefully this will help.

By the way my plan is to build a small rack to place in the 3rd chamber to keep the media off the bottom and above the opening in the divider to help keep the water flowing through the media without the media needing to be stuffed in the opening. Plus I don't want it sitting on the bottom.

Gil

That's what I am talking about. Sign me up for some beta testing. I am hoping to have my new tank this week or early next and to start on my under tank fuge and be up and running middle of next month. I was going to build my own PVC fuge media rack but I'll wait and see what comes out of your workshop first.

I will keep you informed, pictures and good dimentions are needed. I will contact you when I get caught up on work.

It would be awesome if we could just get tunez to make a square cup and sell it as a spare part I'm thinking RSM square CUP petition

haha.

If I could get round tube peices of acrylic, it wouldn't be hard to make one to fit. Ideas brewing again!

I was able to remove the original magnet from the side of the Tunze and use it as the holding magnet outside the tank. The little silicone feet on both magnets really help stabilize the skimmer.

To remove the magnet I used a thin rasor saw to slice between the skimmer body and the magnet. Took a bit of swearing and prying, but it eventually popped free.

Eventually we should fabricate something to keep the skimmer level.

I think using two magents on the skimmer, one on the top one on the bottom. Or one on the top left, one on the bottom right would keep it straighter and hold better. I really don't have any issues with mine, but it all depends on the tank and magents you are using.

The bacteria that would colonize the media would be aerobic bacteria. So, yes, it would be creating nitrates. I realize you are measuring 0 nirates the way it stands right now. Really, you can't ask for better than that. I'm just betting you could achieve the same results with just plain carbon changed monthly. Might just save you a few bucks too.

yeah, but plain ol carbon doesn't cure cancer.

I have been using chemi pure for some time now in all my tanks, I like it, i'm sticking with it! haha if anything it helps with coral toxins. It may be a placebo but $22/year isn't too bad. I do see a difference in the water clarity and color.


hey, how big is that vinyl cutter you have at work? I am looking into options...

it's a 30" unit.

thanks, I am looking at 24" cutters online. Your stickers worked great! I only need to put them on one side of the rack now with my new design.

I just popped in this thread, Steve, it was fun watching the evolution, or should I say the intelligent design of your rack. it is very nice. you have mad skills

thanks bud. I just finished up qty. (5) of V 1.3. I will get pictures up tomorrow. Small improvements were made.

I'd like to be placed first on the "Stevie T Magic SKimmer Cup" waiting list.

you got it! I will keep an eye out for round plastic, can't be too hard to find. I wonder if that tapered design helps with skimmate collection or if you could bypass it and just go straight? I suppose if you put some heat on it you could get it to taper.

should we go with a HUGE skimmer cup just to make the tank feel like it didn't loose a Relative ?!

Try www.tapplastics.com.

Put me on that list too! Round hole with a square collection cup....come on Stevie!!!! That should be a piece of cake for you .

sounds dirty

acrylic tubing purchased........ will work on new cup for tunze this coming week. Shipping from California, 4 business day UPS transit time