How about this though??

Hm... yeah, I see what you mean. How would I remove the pump though, should maintenance become necessary?

Also, would the reducer bushing decrease flow into the skimmer body, if it fits inside of the original part of the skimmer?

The removal of the pump I guess depends on the way that part unscrews from the pump. In other words, is that screw part a separate ring that turns, or does the whole thing including the broken part turn? To me the whole thing can't turn as it was connected to the skimmer body in the first place.

Oh yeah, I doubt you would see any noticeable reduction in flow.

schematics on how to blow up the Death Star as easy as bulls eyeing womp rats in a T16

It will be easy to remove the pump, as is. Just the gray part turns, to attach the pump. What I mean is that if I remove the gray part, and cement a reducer to both the pump and the skimmer body, I'll be stuck. Unless you were thinking of a different way of connecting the reducer to the pump.





Nice image opy!

Thanks! If the reducer is small enough to fit inside the case then it will reduce the flow and you will not get the perfomance you used to.

That's what I was afraid of. I might just stick with a repair job, and go to this as plan B. I think with some weld-on or superglue, I can make the necessary repairs. It looks like a clean break, so if I get some of the gap filler type of weld-on, or just goop on the superglue, it just might work.

Sorry to be such a pest here, the pc. that is broken, is the small broken pc.(almost looks like clear plastic tube in the picture) glued to the part where it enters the skimmer body?

+ =

You can do anything with duct tape.

It's no problem. The piece that is broken looks like it was glued/cemented/one piece with the acrylic of the skimmer body. That then attached to the gray pieces, which screws onto the pump.

Maybe this picture will help:

Okay that is better. Yup probably gonna have to find some Weldon for the fix. Not just glue the Weldon melts the materials together. If you know the manufacturer of the skimmer I suggest contacting them to see what the material is, acrylic. polycarbonate, etc. etc Then visit this website to see which Weldon to use.

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Adhesives

That is unless of course there is someone that will chime in with the knowledge needed to pick the correct product.

sigh.

then again you could just see if there is a skimmer like yours with a broken pump somewhere that you can buy for cheap.


OMFG

Looks like I've got some homework to do. Thankfully, my 29 is under-stocked, so the skimmer isn't highly important at this point. So I've got a bit of time to make sure it's done right.





We actually did that to a buddy in undergrad. After he managed to work himself off the wall, we decided we weren't done with him. So we wrapped him up in the fetal position on the bathroom floor near a toilet.



Unfortunately, I've never actually seen one of these used. It's a Reef Octopus, and they seem to be somewhat uncommon as far as skimmers go.



There just might be something to that! I'm convinced that the theory of everything will involve duct tape.



Crack kills!

tewwible...

But yet so fun...

I agree with Henry here. My first thoughts were similar to the reducer he posted. Then those last pics cleared up some questions, but raised others.

That black section, WTF is up with that? Also plastic, yes? Perhaps its just there as a support for the joint.

If the break is pretty "clean" I have used a product called Plastruct Bondene. I recently repaired my Tunze skimmer cup cover with it- fit the broken pieces back together, paint the joints and good as new. I found this stuff in a hobby shop- models, trains etc.

And if the tube shattered, well I think you will wind up doing something like Henry suggested first. Perhaps by cutting out or drilling out the broken piece from the skimmer body to fit / glue in a new one.

Sux that this happened to such a new toy, but I think the NR crew can help you git 'er done somehow.

Yeah, it's plastic. I think you're right. To me, it seems like it's just support for the clear acrylic joining the body to the pump.



It seems like a clean, albeit jagged, break. I can't really see any piece that would be missing from either side of the break. I'll have to track down a hobby shop and see if I can find the Plastruct. That sounds like just the kind of stuff I need! If all else fails, the reducer should do the trick, just with a bit more work. It's a shame DH's idea of duct tape wouldn't work.



Inorite? It just figures that I'd be in the process of getting the pump looked at when something else would go wrong. I knew I could count on ya'll for some solutions though. Somehow, someway, this puppy will get fixed.

So, how's the snow out east? I've heard it's a bit nasty!

Got up early to pick up French toast supplies - so did the rest of the east coast apparently - and it was already snowing when we came out

Just a light dusting here and it actually stopped about an hour ago.

Good to hear that its a "clean" break. If you find that stuff ( or similar ) you should be set.

Well no luck so far looking fore a used or broken one cheap. I tried. And those things are way expensive new. I agree with Needreefunds, model glue should do the trick since it actually melts the plastic and bonds them together. I would try to silicone it on the outside and give it plenty of time to cure though just to be sure of no leaks.

Mmmmmmmmm...... french toast.....

That's good that you're not snowed in. I've heard 20" predicted for the east coast. We'll see if the forecasters earn their pay today or not.



Thanks for taking a look opy. They are really good skimmers, and for a fraction of the price of comparable name-brand skimmers. But finding them used is like finding a used MP10. It's very tough, because I don't think many folks give them up!

Good idea on the silicon. I've got a tube laying around here, so that will be an easy layer of extra precaution.

if you do use the model cement just be sure to hold it in place longer than the intructions say. It can be touchy sometimes and not fully cure quick enough. Either that or use a vice or somting similar. Good luck.

Well actually, it just so happens that I have one of those skimmers laying around.
No really, I'm not kidding.
It's actually BibleSue's skimmer.
She bought it used a while back from a member on here who has since been banned.
Louis something or other.
He gave her misinformation about the skimmer.
When she got it, she had a problem getting the pump to work properly.
Her son worked on it for her and we think it works right, but we don't actually know for sure.
I was supposed to use it on the refugium that was supposed to get hooked up to my 30g tank, but we all know how that worked out.
Anyway, point is, we've never tested the pump on the skimmer enough to know if it works adequately or not.
You could always PM BibleSue to ask her if she'd be willing to sell it to you.
I have no idea what a fair price would be, and she probably doesn't either.
Wouldn't hurt to ask though.
Reef Octopus NW 110, right?
That's what I have.

Oh yeah, I remember just how finicky that model cement can be. I used to build a lot of models as a kid, and I hated the darn stuff!



That's a shame that she got misinformation about it. I hate it when that kind of stuff happens.
If the model cement doesn't do the trick, picking up this one would be a TON easier than trying to bore out the acrylic for a reducer. Normally, I'd just all over a DIY, but with the bar exam coming up in February, time is getting tight. Oh, and yeah, mine's an NW 110 as well. Thanks for the heads up Weetie! This just might save the day, if the repair fails. Whatcha know, Weetie stepping in to save the day again!

I try.
It's nice to feel useful.

and if you can get that skimmer you can either sell the other pump or keep it for spare parts.

Indeed! A 260 GPH pump could come in handy... for something. My twisted mind could surely come up with something.

Well, I've got a dinner date tonight, so today will largely be spent cleaning and taking care of a few things, but tomorrow I'll hunt down a hobby shop and begin Phase 1 of Operation Alpha Foxtrot Uniform. (OK, who knows what that means? )

The dremel is charging, the diamond tipped blade is ready, and I aim to misbehave.

If you have any lugol's, a mild lugol's dip after fragging helps with healing.

1 cup tankwater
1 drop lugol's
2 mins

Good luck!

Looks like I've got another thing to add to my list of things to pick up today. Do you dip zoas after a cut as well? I don't think the trumpet will need dipping, because it's going to be a cut through skeleton only. Right?

Trumpets won't need it.
Zoas will only need it if you cut through the middle of a polyp, which I don't advise.
If you just cut through the mat, you don't have to worry about it.
Lugol's dip is good for frag sessions where you are actually cutting through Coral flesh, like if you're fragging Acans or Chalices.

Thanks for the info! I'd heard of lugol's being used on zoas, but I couldn't remember if it was for fragging or illness. Thanks for clearing it up! I'll pick up a bottle today and I'm guessing that bottle will last me a while. Hopefully the fragging goes well! The chalice is the only one that I'm worried about.

Yeah, I've heard chalice don't always heal well after fragging, so that would make me nervous too.
Just take extra care with it, I guess.
Def. dip it and put it in low flow/low light after fragging.
First time it extends feeder tentacles, feed it, it will help with recovery.

While I was at the LFS, I talked to them about fragging it, and they said it actually should be that bad. Feeding could be difficult, because this coral has never much cared to be fed. I've tried it, and it will sometimes grab a piece and then later let it go. Maybe the fragging will cause it to send out the tentacle though. The only time I've ever been able to feed it was when it nearly died after an extended power outage. We shall see this afternoon I suppose!

Oh, and I tried to pick up the Plastene, and the hobby store has apparently closed down. So I went to the HD down the street, and they don't carry weld-on. I've been told Lowes doesn't have it, so I guess I'll have to hunt down the one plastic specialty store in Columbus, and see if they have it.

I'm really tempted to just super glue the sucker.

Well, the LPS fragging is done. The trumpet went off without a hitch (other than in trying to put the colony back into its spot). The chalice has me concerned. It was darn near impossible to see the mouths, and the frags came off in smaller sections that I had intended. I was going for a half inch in width, but ended up under that. Each is about an inch long. For now, everything is in the sump, which is my lowest and gentlest flow I've got.



I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

good luck!

Thanks DH! I wonder how long I should leave them in the sump. There's no light, but I'm thinking 24 hours?

might be a bit long - I'd give them light to help them recover.

Hm..... maybe overnight in the sump? Or more like a few hours? My lights are on from 2 to 11, so perhaps around 6 or 7 back into the DT?

I always try to get them back in the conditions they were used to before the fragging. But I'm no expert on fragging. So there's that.

I suppose that makes sense. I was just worried about the flow, given Weetie's suggestion of low light / low flow. My DT is a bit of a torrent, with the MP10 on Reef Crest 70% and a 300 to 400GPH return flow.

you could always throttle the MP10 back for a day.

Yeah, I suppose I could do that. I've got a bit of a need for speed, so that might be hard on me.

It's not like reefs have the exact same rythmic currents 100% of the time anyways.

True. Although waves don't take a day off either.




Unless a tsunami is coming....

So here's another cool frag I have a chance to pick up:


a 3" frag of fire coral.

There are several for sale for $20 each. It's a rather cool coral, and from what I've seen, they aren't that hard to keep. Other than the nematocysts, that is.

Thoughts?