genghis Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 There are certainly a lot more Solana owners out there now. I'm just curious if anybody has tried to or have suggestions on how to modify the skimmer rather than buy a different one. Mine works ok for now, but I hear that most people have theirs crap out after a little while. I haven't compared the differences between a good or bad skimmer, so I'm still in the dark. Thought this would be a good time to see if we could make the stock stuff work a little better for everyone. Link to comment
PodRod Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I know a few have upgraded their skimmers but mine has been working fine and doing a nice job so I've had no reason to change it. My tank is stocked heavy and it does a pretty good job. If it ever goes out, I'll probably go with the tunze. I've not heard of any mods... Link to comment
genghis Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 Does the tunze fit in there without any modification of the tank? Link to comment
PodRod Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I haven't tried it yet, but check out DailyDriven's thread below. He replaced his skimmer with the tunze and just had to raise it a few inches... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...43219&st=80 Link to comment
Clobro Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 ^I'm thinking of getting a solana aswell... but im gonna use my tunze on it from the start.. i was wondering... will ther ebe enough room to put chemipure... rowaphos... purigen... and some filter floss along with a refugium in there with my tunze nano skimmer... I really havent seen the back of the aquarium before Link to comment
mecold Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 So far the stock skimmer in my solana works pretty good. Of course, my tank is still lightly stocked. I am hoping euro-reef's nano skimmer will fit if/when it is released. As for mods, mine is still stock. Link to comment
genghis Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 There is a lot of space under the filter floss to put your media, but not sure where you would place a refugium. Does anyone else's skimmer float a little bit? Not a horrible thing but mine tilts to the side a bit. I think one of the biggest change needed is that the pump is just too loud. Link to comment
tmantaylor18 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 There is a lot of space under the filter floss to put your media, but not sure where you would place a refugium. Does anyone else's skimmer float a little bit? Not a horrible thing but mine tilts to the side a bit. I think one of the biggest change needed is that the pump is just too loud. Yeah i had to put a spacer in there to keep it straight up. Link to comment
revaltion131 Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 There is a lot of space under the filter floss to put your media, but not sure where you would place a refugium. Does anyone else's skimmer float a little bit? Not a horrible thing but mine tilts to the side a bit. I think one of the biggest change needed is that the pump is just too loud. Mine does float a tiny bit, but it stays vertical. My problem's been with bubbles. The skimmer produces tons of small bubbles that aren't getting difused before they make it into the main tank. I've adjusted both the collection cup level and the water level in the rear chambers. Does anyone have any advice on how to calibrate it? I'm starting to get pretty annoyed with it. While I don't think it's really detrimental, it looks terrible at the very least. Here's a pic; it's not great, but it gets the point across. Link to comment
Cam barr Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 looking for advice on the mico bubble situation as well Link to comment
dekand Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Dumb question but do you guys keep your tank topped up at the right level (right below the ATO tray) if the return or the pump is exposed to air it'll cause some microbubbles in my experience... Also throw out the filter that came with the solana and put filter floss on the tray right after the skimmer, i mean the real filter floss stuff, i can't tell you how much clearer my water has become after using filter floss... Link to comment
PodRod Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Dumb question but do you guys keep your tank topped up at the right level (right below the ATO tray) if the return or the pump is exposed to air it'll cause some microbubbles in my experience... Also throw out the filter that came with the solana and put filter floss on the tray right after the skimmer, i mean the real filter floss stuff, i can't tell you how much clearer my water has become after using filter floss... +1. I had an issue with micro bubbles at first but it was due to the water level not being correct. I also removed the filter pad and now use the disposable filter pads (you know the blue pad you buy in a role). It works great and my water is extremely clear. The water clarity is the first thing people comment on when they look at my tank. Link to comment
archx Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I bought a tunze 9002 at marine depot for my solana a few weeks ago. I just opened the box last night and there was a big magnet glued onto the skimmer. It doesn't fit in the first chamber do to the overflow column gets in the way of the cup. I ended up trying to cut the glue around the magnet and pry from the plastic with a screwdriver. It took me about 30 minutes, but it's off now and it fits perfectly in the 2nd chamber. I just need to find something to keep it at the correct height. The magnet is about the same size as the magnet that attaches a Tunze 6025 to the glass. Link to comment
Biocube14GAL Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 how is the tunze skimmer working out archx? Im thinking about buying one to replace the stock one (very noisey!) anyone else have this problem?? Link to comment
genghis Posted May 6, 2008 Author Share Posted May 6, 2008 I try to keep my water levels above the plastic tray that holds the top off bottles. I also use the disposable filter pads from petsmart and have had great success w/ no microbubbles. I've cured the sucking noise from the stock skimmer by putting an air adjustment peice that comes with the maxi-jets, but the overall noise is a mystery to solve. I'm hoping to swap the pump out for another. Possibly a TAAM Rio 800 RVT? Link to comment
Cam barr Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 i have raised my water level and am using the stock filter-pad that comes with the tank and i still have micro bubbles is the Tunze a better choice??? Link to comment
Cam barr Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 i thought i would share this great article on the Tunze 9002 : http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I.../Tunze_9002.htm Link to comment
Macraider Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'm in the process of setting up a Solana and decided to use the Tunze 9002 Skimmer right from the start. After reading archx's post about the 30-min magnet removal, I thought it would be a snap (no pun intended). I do have to say that for me, the modification of taking the magnet off the Tunze was a bit more challenging than expected and had me at least twice thinking I had permanently damaged the unit. I had visions of a call to Tunze support trying to explain the replacement pieces I required! In the end (accurately, about 30-mins after I started), I was able to get the magnet off. You really have to cut through a good deal of the plastic/glue all the way around. On mine, the glue was as hard as the plastic (despite looking more pliable). If I had to do it again, I would have used a sharper and perfectly flat hacksaw blade and cut deeper. When I plied the magnet off with a screw driver I could hear plastic cracking and I thought I was doomed! While there are many scratches on the Tunze from my knife and saw blades, there appears to be no structural damage. I took a few pictures to help illustrate the modification required. Hope these help others who might consider doing the same. -Chris Before (approx., as I didn't take the pictures until the end): During: After I was done: (You can't really see it but there is actually a Tunze logo on the magnet that I think got burned into the base of the unit by the glue!) Link to comment
revaltion131 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Little update, I fixed my microbubble issue by rasing the skimmer cup until it was like 5mm below the glass top. While I put the water level where the manual said it should be in regards to the collection cup, there was still a foam coming out of the four holes on top of the cup. This was flowing down into the water and making its way into the tank. My issue wasn't with the over all water level, but with the level compared to the skimmer's cup. I removed all of the bioballs and carb before I even filled the tank, but I haven't done anything with the filter pads besides making sure they didn't need to be rinsed. I'll try the suggestions about changing the blue one out for filter floss. Has anyone done anything with the first sponge that is in the little overflow duct? It seems to being doing its job just fine, though. I had to go after it with tweezers to get what looked like a pod mold out this weekend. Link to comment
Cam barr Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Macraider- Do you have a detailed pic of the skimmer mounted into the back chamber yet??? also what are you using to raise it up in the 2nd chamber. did you build some sort of platform of some kind? Link to comment
Macraider Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm installing it tomorrow. I'm trying to decide between building a platform or just sitting it on top of some live rock rubble. I'll see how it goes tomorrow and post a picture. -Chris Link to comment
Cam barr Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Some other small Solana compatible skimmer options Both are knock off euro reef nano skimmers more info can be found here: http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic...dexid=ps-std-sm Link to comment
Macraider Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Here is the platform I built and how the Tunze looks installed. (This wasn't my original idea -- credit goes to dailydriven911 who posted this idea back in March.) I think it is sitting a little low but I have about another 1/2" I could raise it with the bolts I've got. Currently it is raised 3.25". I really wanted to find nylon bolts for this project. They seem easy enough to find online but my Home Depot didn't stock them. I went with Zinc plated bolts instead but I'll have to watch for rust (which is likely to occur over time). In fact, I'll probably order the nylon bolts online (or find something similar in plastic) and replace them during a weekend when I do maintenance on the tank. Tunze in place: Platform close-up: -Chris Link to comment
Biocube14GAL Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 does the platform have to adjustable? i was thinking just some plastic 1/4 inch tubing with superglue and a top plate Link to comment
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