Trying to fit a round cup in a square hole?

Tanks So Far that Cup will Fit on:

Red Sea Max Model: TNZV1

Current USA Solana Model: TNZSL1

Nano Cube JBJ and other Tanks: TNZJBJ - for the tight fit applications, matches the depth of the Tunze

Aquapod models !!!!!!

Doing custom work for your tank, any size

Well it's about time I get some information up about this build. This cup is designed to work with the Tunze 9002. There are many tanks this may work on including the Red Sea Max and the Current USA Solana. I will keep a list of all tanks it will work on.

The issue in the RSM is that the Tunze cup is round in shape, not allowing you to put the skimmer in the proper location in the filtration area, and or you can not close the hood when doing maintenance without removing the cup. For me it was the hood clearance issue, and I was getting pretty aggravated having to remove the cup every time I did a water change or had to get my mitts in the tank.

The most important part of this build was getting a foam director, I ended up going with two pieces welded together, these are the most expensive items in the build, making up most of the cost of the cup, but it is what makes it work.



Cabochon:



Dome:



Weld Together and repeat 50 times:





Cut bottom piece and Drill hole for tube:









Attach Walls:







Jam in Tube:





Attach Director Pieces to Lid:



You can see that the hood will close and open with no issues:

Collection over one weeks time:

You are a very busy guy! I guess I will keep my fingers crossed on my Tunze cup not being a problem. PM me because I have an idea for your next RSM mod.

Wow thats awesome really professional

Different subject but
Have you ever considered making your media rack for other AIO's

YES! I really want to get to that stage. I have a few measurments down for other tanks, and people ask me all the time but never respond with sound measurments. I have been so busy making the racks for the RSM that I haven't had to get to the other tanks yet. but I made a boat load this past weekend so that is my next step very soon. All I need is a few good dimentions, height in inches, width and depth in mm (hopefully) and we should be good to go!

My RSM is being tested this week on a CAD as it has a very similar chamber.

Important step to all of the cups, The Water Test !







No Leaks!!! Ready to sticker and go!

USS Phullbrick, a RSM Class Tank, upgraded tonight with a new Plasma InTank Media Reactor from StevieT Technology Laboratories !

"To reef where noone has dared before"

ps : one night and already some tea in the upgraded cup, wonderful !

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Those pictures on your blog are awesome, thanks for sharing! Good to hear about the cup working already, it was really excited when I nailed down the design. It is so crazy to think that those are my products, something I made, and now they are in France in just a few days! I really love delivery companies!



Olivier, are you a trekkie?

thanks, you're welcome



So do I, working for the Memphis one for 18 years now, it's pleasant to think we help people to get closer wherever they are



I am afraid yes, so is my lovely wife Hey there's nothing weird about eating snails & garlic dressed as a Star Fleet Officer ! Voyager Season 5 is currently broadcasting in France on the satellite

About the cup, I just found the right air flow adjustment, it took me some time today but now it's all good !

Hey Stevie, will your cup allow the Tunze to fit on the JBJ 28g HQI? It looks awesome!

Don't know yet, haven't tried. Do you know the dimentions of that chamber?

If the one I have here does not fit, I can make one that does.

you are inching close to sponsor status... be careful... see what it did to mvite.... all your stuff looks great

steviet - taking over your aftermarket, one mod at a time.

you are a driven man, sir. it shows in your work.

haha, I may be, it has been thrown around in my head. Where has Mark been?! I would hope growing corals and acrylic are two different animals.




Thank you, sometimes you just see a problem and do something about it!

I've been wanting to switch to a Tunze skimmer on my Solana but I didn't want to move it from the first chamber - StevieT, you are amazing!

I like the cup so much that I've purchased the cup before I've even purchased the skimmer! Talk about putting the cart before the horse...

no, around here, that is just called smart Reefing!

Thanks for the order, it will arrive shortly.

So my cup review! Had the cup in a few days and its working great with good skimmate. Love the fact I can finally lift open my hood anytime I want and not hearing that crunching sound when I forget to pull out the old skimmer cup. One thing worth mentioning is the cup is much heavier than the old one. I'm finding that only one magnet on the tunez will hold it but it does feel a little flismy. Thankfully the cup will rest against the old skimmer ledge and support some of the weight. I'm going to buy another magnet from tunze because i'm too paranoid I might break something if I try to pry the other one off. I also got a bunch of microbubbles now I'm hoping its just because the skimmer is just breaking in with the new water level etc...... The cup looks very slick in the back but next to my ATO float sensor its getting pretty cramped. My skimmer is almost practically silent now because the new cup fits so well . Can't wait to see what Stevie can come up with next.

Model TNZSL1

In action from a memeber down in Arizona

Hey Stevie, one thing I've noticed. There doesn't seem to be a vent hole in the collection cup. Any reason for not having one?

It doesn't need one. My first prototype had the hole and then to experiment in cutting down production time I made one without the hole. I got the same collection. I believe since the lid is not airtight, it just rests on a routed edge that there is still enough ventalation for proper foam collection.

I am pretty happy I didn't have to drill that hole since it is a pain in acrylic. Good eye!

a little off topic, are there and advantages from your design over the tunze original cup? im planning to get one for my setup and dont need the rectangle collection cup, but seeing that you came up with the "foam director" and wonder if the stock tunze cup isnt as good

It seems to direct more of the foam into the cup and collect it better and faster. But I haven't done any side by side comparisons, just by memory. The tunze cup has a similar design in principal to direct the foam away from the tube. The main benefit of this cup is for fit, yet it still performs similar or better than the stock cup.

Some pictures of the cup for the Solana

Your work looks great.. I can't wait for you to pimp out my RSM.

PM Sent

Well, inTank did some custom work recently for owners that needed a cup that would fit their application.

Made a cup to match the dimentions of the Tunze cup, only square in shape. Also made a cup 10mm shorter than the standard production cups for the solana and RSM.





Tunze Dimentions:





Standard cup on the left, shorter cup on the right:

It has found an application in the JBJ AIO. It matches the depth of the Tunze skimmer. Much skinner than my other cups, for the tight fit application when space is at a premium.

Stevie, I must say that is some very professional-looking acrylic work. Very nice!

I think it's so cool that hobbyists are filling in where the industry has failed to provide products. I love this hobby more and more all the time.

You, sir, are a credit to the hobby! (And I wish I was as handy with acrylic, lol.)

Thank you bud!!! I appreciate that. I get better every time I do a production run, it didn't start off looking so nice , it is hard to make everything look clean, but with the correct tools it can be done with a little practice.

The main problem with the Tunze is the round cup, so after making media racks the idea hit me, recangle cup! Leave it to someone that spends as much time around their tank as a hobbyist to figure out the solution.

I have to thank those that have other tanks than mine for requesting different sized products, it has expanded my outreach and helped those that would otherwise have to settle for a less quality skimmer.

When attaching the skimmer to the media rack, does the skimmer basically just rest on top of the rack with the 'handle' simply holding it in place? Sorry for the noob question.

It will look like this. This picture is from a customer in France who was the first person to mount the skimmer to the rack, this was before I started providing the extra bracket

[quote name='StevieT' post='1742530' date='Jul 31 2008, 10:57 AM']It will look like this. This picture is from a customer in France who was the first person to mount the skimmer to the rack, this was before I started providing the extra bracket


I saw that picture however it looks like the media rack has been altered to fit the skimmer. Is my media rack supposed to have a cut out for the skimmer. Again sorry to flood your thread with dumb ??'s.

Really professional, Ever thought about designing and selling your own AIO tank?

No, this media rack pictured is exaclty the same as all that are produced. There is no cut out needed to mount the skimmer. Just us the left wall to mount it to. The rack will only drop in with ease one way, with the inTank logo facing the electrical pannel.

Let me know if that makes sense.




some day! probably down the road after I hire a few people to keep up with the demand on cups and racks

To get the good looking "tea" Should I tighten or loosen the skimmer from its default settings?

Proably loosen it but it is all user dependent. Play around with it. Too loose = very wet skimmate, filling the cup with water. Not loose enough = no skimmate in the cup. Perfect = sweet spot.

Try and loosen it until the bubbles are in the tube half way, then when skimmate is collected it will be forced upwards and spill over.

Very nice!
Might make one of these myself!
Great idea

the acrylic doesnt need to be that thick...1/8" should be enough. i know it feels flimsily but once you glue it into a box then its solid.

would taking about the dome in the middle make the system collect too much water?

Yes, I understand that thinner plastics would work. But I already have the .220" on on hand becuase of the media racks I am building. Also, thicker acrylic is much easier to work with and cut.

I don't understand the question about the dome.

Maybe it's just me, but that first picture of the amount of skimmate from 1 week seems to be a little low. I get that skimmate in about 2 days from my Tunze with the original cup... have you done side-by-side comparisons with 2 Tunze skimmers in the same tank, different cups? For accuracy, they would have to be either new or squeaky clean.

The amount of skimmate is all dependent on your skimmer setting and bioload on the tank. They can fluctuate during the week as well depending on feeding. So from tank to tank, skimmate collection is going to be different.

I haven't done a side by side because I shunned the old cup to the drawer to use for photos only, but it is about the same in collection. The new cup is much wider and hold about 20% more skimmate, so it may look more spread out in pics.

Why would I buy a second tunze to compare something? seems like a waste of $150, the cup works and collects just as the stock cup.

Hey Steve,

I finally got the skimmer up and running. My tank looks better already, with polyp extensions like ive never seen

I really appreciate your great service!!

~One happy customer!
Steven

wow, must be all that extra inTank I put into yours! It is a secret formula but it acts wonders

Enjoy! Thanks again

Since your PM box is full i'll post this:

Its a BIG PITA to get the tunze into the 2nd chamber, you have to pry out pieces of the tank and mod the skimmer. So the only way to put it into the first chamber is to use your cup. (so needless to say I can't wait to get the new skimmer cup!)

all good now!!! My premium membership ran out over the weekend, but we are all paid up again and rolling. Note to Chris, give an email warning longer than a day out of that memebership ending!

the umbrella effect is what im trying to imply.
the dome would collect the water and it would drip back down in the water and not in the collection cup.

or is that a good thing?

The doam is more of a foam director. It forces it up, than the umbrella piece forces it outwards so that it drips down away from the tube. If that was not there, then it would drip back down in to the skimmer and not collect, and that would be bad.

Schedule Update for the first week of September:

I will be out of the country From September 3-9, spending many hours in the ocean in the Dominican Republic, if I don't get caught by customs with a vast amount of corals , production will resume after that time. I will be running production up until September 2nd, catching up on backorders, new orders, and future orders.

I have always shipped out in the order of payment. I should be able to ship orders for another week or so, but anything after a point, all depending on demand, will be shipped after I return from vacation.

If you have any questions please send them my way, I will be out of data communication while on vacation and I am sure my girlfriend will send my blackberry into the ocean upon arrival just to make sure

Thank you to everyone for your past purchases, I look forward to getting caught up in the next week and a half. In the month of September I will be back to a stocking level since life will be slowing down. Please feed my fish and check the ATO on my tank while I am gone

Another custom cup for a valued customer.

This cup is the same dimentions as the RSM model (TNZV1) but 1" shorter.





Height compared to a Solana Cup (TNZSL1), but same height as the RSM cup





How your items are packed

Thanks Steve, recieved cup and media rack today, fast service very well packed, great products.....

Cheers