Sapphire Nanoskimmer?

[ddols]

It's so great to see these skimmers coming back. I was about to try the Oceanic biocube one in my Aquapod 24 after waiting and watching the Nanotuners site since last April. Maybe some of these questions I should be asking Nanotuners, but I'll try here first.

 

If I order an AP24 how long until it is in my tank? Work isn't going great right now and i might have to use my $126 for other things then waiting for the UPS man in vain. If you can promise it'll really be here within the month I'll order it now, but if not it'll just have to wait.

 

More to the point the Sapphire looks like it has 2 motors on it now, is that correct? How many watts are they? Both would have to be submerged in my tank I think unless I modify the over flow. Even then I don't really know how much control I'd have over the level, i haven't tried. Also don't submersible pumps prefer to be submerged for their own cooling anyway?

 

I ask because I already have some heat issues as it is, at least in the summer months. I have a MJ1200 (20 watts) as the return pump, and a Hydor Koralia nano pump (3.5 watts) for additional circulation. I also did the 2x40 watt light mod (up from 2x32). My tank stays toasty warm, to warm at times. I can go back to the MJ900 for the return pump if need be, but I've also wondered if slowing down the flow through the "sump" would help with the skimmer's effectiveness anyway? Maybe a MJ600 would be a better return pump, and then I can add another Hydor.

 

Sorry for blathering on, and thanks in advance. I hope your product lives up to it's reputation, and from what I've read on here I don't think that's going to be a problem. Me and the 3 hungry carnivores in my tank are looking forward to finding out.

[figuerres]

no tracking numbers for me yet....

"somewhere over the rainbow...."

 

Just might have found a pot of gold..... I have a tracking # that fedex likes!!!

 

now to get the package tomorow

[Nickeleye]

I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I think although the BC29 orders have tracking info it's because the labels have been printed, but not quite delivered to Fedex yet. I spoke with Kyle today and they need one final part to ship the orders that should arrive tomorrow to get the orders out. He essentially told me that one way or another the skimmers are slated for pickup by Fedex tomorrow.

 

Sorry to be a wet blanket.....

[figuerres]

I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I think although the BC29 orders have tracking info it's because the labels have been printed, but not quite delivered to Fedex yet. I spoke with Kyle today and they need one final part to ship the orders that should arrive tomorrow to get the orders out. He essentially told me that one way or another the skimmers are slated for pickup by Fedex tomorrow.

 

Sorry to be a wet blanket.....

 

don't take this the wrong way but this seems like it could get into the Guiness Book or something ... so many delays.

 

I would ask about a saturday delivery but I have plans to be out saturday....

[Sapphire Aquatics]

"don't take this the wrong way but this seems like it could get into the Guiness Book or something ... so many delays."

 

Just for that, no skimmer for you! J/K

 

Skimmers are out for delivery!

[Nick's Reef]

what are the dimesions of the ap24 skimmer? i never asked this, stupid me. Reason is I'm running a diy media rack in the first "chamber" where the water flows in. if it goes there, it's fine, but i'll just have to figure somthing else out for my filterflosss.

[gefilte fish]

How brown should the skimmate be? I've had mine running for a week now and it certainly is pulling some stuff out, but it's more of a khaki colour than dark brown.

[Nick's Reef]

How brown should the skimmate be? I've had mine running for a week now and it certainly is pulling some stuff out, but it's more of a khaki colour than dark brown.

I don't think skimmate should be brown, more of a green color. I have never had a skimmer, but my dad's skimmer pulled out nasty very thick dark green skimmate, it left a thick coating on the colection cup and "neck" of the skimmer. i think your problem is the skimmate is too wet, try to get it a little dryer. Basically more air, less water.

[basser1]

How brown should the skimmate be? I've had mine running for a week now and it certainly is pulling some stuff out, but it's more of a khaki colour than dark brown.

 

 

It could also be because your bio-load isn't heavy, which is a good thing! My skimmate usually is a greenish -brown. And like Nick says, it is thicker in the neck and the lid of the collection cup.

[figuerres]

How brown should the skimmate be? I've had mine running for a week now and it certainly is pulling some stuff out, but it's more of a khaki colour than dark brown.

the color of the skimate will vary depending on what the organics are in the system.

 

for example how much alge is scraped off stuff, how much is in the water, how much "food" that is not green.

 

and how much there is to skim....

 

wet or dry it's all good as long as it's nasty smelling and not just water.

 

my 90 sometimes will get a bit out of whak and I will get watery green skim for a bit then it gets dark,thick and smells bad.

 

the smell by the way is amonia and related compunds.

[ddols]

what are the dimesions of the ap24 skimmer? i never asked this, stupid me. Reason is I'm running a diy media rack in the first "chamber" where the water flows in. if it goes there, it's fine, but i'll just have to figure somthing else out for my filterflosss.

 

Nick brings up another point I was wondering about. I too made an egg crate filter floss deal behind my AP's over flow. It does filter a fair amount of gunk out of the water, and also eliminates the waterfall sound. Would the filter floss be unnecessary with the skimmer? And maybe the tank would be better out with out it? That does leave the sound, but I think I can come up with something to reduce it. Another argument for reducing the return pump size I guess.

[Sapphire Aquatics]

ddols - I think you hit the nail on the head there. Reducing the return pump flow rate is the answer. Before Koralias hit the market no one wanted to see a powerhead in their display. They are unsightly and take up too much realestate so we counted on the return pump for flow. Slowing the flow rate through the rear chambers answers a lot of these problems. With a smaller return pump we can get more contact time for the skimmer, less power consumption, less heat displaced into the water, and no trickling noise. Counting on the return pump in a sump for water movement in the display is never done on large systems.

[Nick's Reef]

kyle, that doesn't answer our question, what are the diemensions of the ap24 skimmer?

[figuerres]

"don't take this the wrong way but this seems like it could get into the Guiness Book or something ... so many delays."

 

Just for that, no skimmer for you! J/K

 

Skimmers are out for delivery!

 

 

Who Hoo!!! got a box today!!!

 

setup in my bc29 as the instructions say, now to see how it breaks in and skims....

[basser1]

Who Hoo!!! got a box today!!!

 

setup in my bc29 as the instructions say, now to see how it breaks in and skims....

 

 

 

Good to see you got it! Keep us posted on how it does!

[Timanator]

Should be picking one up this weekend. Will give you a review when I get it running.

 

[CheeseHead]

Now that all of the larger models are shipping, can we get a production update on the JBJ NC 12 version?

[Origami2547]

Kyle, I received my BC29R skimmer on Wednesday - that's the good news. The bad news is that I have a question on assembly. The fitting for the feed pump is loose (meaning completely free) inside the housing reaction chamber. It seems impossible for me to attach it to the feed pump from inside, and it's too big to be friction fit into the hole in the skimmer body. I've sent an email to you with a picture but will post it here again just in case the others have or will deal with it. Thanks! Tom

 

[Sapphire Aquatics]

Email responded to but I will post it here for others that may run into this in the future.

 

The nozzle for the input pump is very easy to put back in place. We chose not to glue it in place due to its proximity to the seam in the acrylic. Fedex, and all other shipping companies, are very rough on the packages. If glued in place this small piece would break the acrylic at the seam when being tossed around by the shipping company. This is a quick fix and I will be happy to assist you over the phone if you like. Turn the skimmer body upside down and the piece will fall right out. Place it back in the small feed pump and lightly press it into the hole on the skimmer body. The skimmer is cut with a CNC laser so the piece is a snug fit. Once it gets started it will slide into the body very easily. Plug both pumps into the wall outlet and place the skimmer into the center chamber.

 

The optimal water level for the BC29 skimmer is at the top of the "min/max" window on the side of the aquarium. This will help prevent the "waterfall" sound and keep the skimmer operating at an appropriate water level. One simple modification to the tank that will reduce the cascading effect of the water from the first chamber is to widen the spillway. This is easily done with a dremel or wire cutters and pictures and instructions can be found on this site with a simple search. You can also place a small block of foam between the wall and the skimmer body for the water to trickle through instead of splashing into the middle chamber. These AIO aquariums were designed for fresh or saltwater use and the design is geared more toward freshwater. Slowing down the return pump will also lessen the waterfall effect.

[Sapphire Aquatics]

Another email that was responded to but others may be interested in as well:

 

Sorry I have not replied to the post but we are quite busy here at the shop trying to find a solution for the Aquapod. The rear chambers present several problems that are not easily remedied. The manufacturer does not include enough baffles for proper surface skimming of the display. The chambers are connected at the bottom which allows fluctuation of the water level in both chambers. And, most importantly, there is very little room to work with. We have developed the body for the skimmer but the cup now presents a problem. Such little room to work with means that we must create a very small collection cup and that ultimately means you will have to empty it every day. This is not what we want to present as a final product so we have held off from production until we can develop a skimmer we are proud to put our name on. While it is easy to build one complicated skimmer to fit in the back and work properly we must focus on a production model, and this is where the main problem lies. Building one is no problem, building 100 complicates things.

 

We have designed a 2"x4.5" skimmer with our 140GPH pump and an open bottom that fits perfectly in the right chamber of the AP24. That's right, no bottom at all, no sponge, no baffles, nothing to stop the micro bubbles from running all over your aquarium. The secret is in the design. It will need a steady body of water to operate in but more on that later. The best thing is going to be the price point and that this skimmer will work in any aquarium as it will have strong 1" neodymium magnets to hold it in place.

[kuianai]

Sapphire will be making a 24g skimmer that fits both the JBJ 24g Nanocube and the Current-USA 24g Aquapod.

 

 

Here are a couple of pictures from the show. This is the NC24R, also fits the Aquapod. Same as always, no modifications needed to the tank or hood, it just drops right in.

 

 

Going by these 2 quotes and the pictures that were included helped me decide whether to go ahead and make this purchase. I had also assumed that since the two were the same that they would also be shipped at the same time. Are you now saying that the whole skimmer is being redesigned for the AP24? To fit in "any" aquarium? Another question i have is that you mentioned the price point. Do you mean cheaper? I'm asking because I paid for what I saw in the picture and it seems that it's going to be different now. I do appreciate you taking the time out to answer all of out questions though. I just need to decide for myself whether to continue to wait it out or get a refund and go another route.

 

Robin

[Sapphire Aquatics]

kuiani - Yes, the AP24 skimmer must be different due to the spacial limitations of the rear chamber. I have been working on the design since I first realized that the NC24 skimmer would not fit. I wish that it did, more than you do. The new skimmer design for the AP24 is compact and way overpowered but it performs extremely well. Since it will not maintain a constant water level inside, it will be dependent on a stable water level around it like all of the other nanoskimmers on the market. This is not like our other designs and therefore will be offered at a lower price point. The skimmers should be ready this coming week and ship out right after Thanksgiving.

[kuianai]

Kyle - Thanks alot for clearing that up for me. Can't wait to get it. One last question though. Since my account has already been charged for the original price plus shipping, do you know if there will be a refund for the difference in price? I guess this is a question more for Nickeleye to answer.

 

Robin

[gefilte fish]

About twice a week the pump on the Sapphire Skimmer (NC24DX) stops working. Now I leave the skimmer on full time and am religious about maintaining the proper water levels in chambers 2 & 3 per the instructions. When the skimmer stops working it seems to take fiddling forever to get it to work again. The first thing I do is to check the airline to ensure it's working properly. What causes the pump to stop and what steps should I take to get it working again?

[Sapphire Aquatics]

Situation resolved. Let me know if it happens again gefilte fish.