Current USA "Fission" Nanoskimmer

[DitchPlains]

 

 

With regard to this skimmer, it seems that on something like a nano a 100% water change would be much easier and much more efficient in nutrient removal. Just my two cents. It is interesting to see that a company has found this niche market for this type of device. I am curious about the extremly short length of the neck of this skimmer, it's effectiveness, and about any head pressue from the pump placement. As with most skimmers, and this one looking as if it is a venuri style skimmer, the placement of the pump wiill effect not only the quality of the skimmate but the raw water entering the chamber. I would think a HOB type skimmer would be better for a nano, but perhaps if the pump is placed nearly at the top of the water line to get the best quality feed water, then it might interfere with the hood on your cubes. However, it does seem promising to see a mirco or mini skimmer such as this on the market, performance is another issue. I would think a needwheel would be much better then a standard venturi, now that would be a site!

 

take care and keep up the good work ccjung.

 

David

[rayhwong]

thank god you typed all that, cuz that it EXACTLY what I notice with mine. I was looking at CCJUNG's video, and was wondering if it was supposed to be submerged that low into the water. I definatly saw the bubbles rising up into the column, but yes..they pop and the resulting crud on the bubbles fall into the collection cup.

 

It works, no doubt about it.

Yeah I was confused at first. I expected the froth to be dry and slowly spill over into the cup, but it gets rid of the crud by splashing.

They should of built the collection drain higher on the cup, so the skimmate can clear the edge of the cube and drain constantly by gravity.

Im using a small pippette to suck the other end of the tube to get a siphon going into a drainage cup.

 

But yeah the skimmer works! Good deal for 30 bucks!

 

The extra aeration from the skimmer is good too.

[audiocontrol]

oh god yea, I wish they did have the drain a little higher....half an inch would of done it. Hmm, maybe Ill mod it in that respect too! a new drain hole. haha. But for $30, it is absolutly worth the money. It skims, It has a few fitment flaws only concerning owners of OG nanos, but considering it was not even MADE for the nano-cube, it does a great job. I figure this, I can get a new Lees brand skimmer, which is basically crap (ive owned one, so I know) for almost the same $$, or I can get the Fission WITH a powerhead...Gee, I wonder what to choose. Looks kinda neat sitting back there too.

 

Anyone notice why there is a venturi port on the powerhead connector if it is pulling air through the bottom?

[rayhwong]

Yeah I noticed that extra venturi port.

I think the airline used feeds the air into the impeller to get chopped into smaller pieces, or the smaller airline creates smaller bubbles to begin with.

 

If they cut the extra port and shorten the tube, they slide the black tube in deeper and they can probably squeeze out another quarter inch of clearance.

 

Also they can make the skimmer much more compact by orienting the outflow straight up on the powerhead and making a updside down L shaped tube to the skimmer body. This would also lessen the number of parts used and get rid of the u tube connection which is prone to cracking.

This would be an option for people who have tighter spaces than the OG. They can just use a flexible hose to make the connection and bypass the u tube all together.

[calvin]

I have to empty 3X a day at this point. Easier if you run a drainage tube.

HTH

 

Then you're either not using this right or I'm going to have to change my mind and not purchase this. I'm not running a drainage tube and I'm sure as heck not gonna empty the collection cup 3x a day. Bummer.

[doncb]

Then you're either not using this right or I'm going to have to change my mind and not purchase this. I'm not running a drainage tube and I'm sure as heck not gonna empty the collection cup 3x a day. Bummer.

 

Skimming too wet. Skimmer needs to be raised up.

[Cuba Libre]

Just installed mine in a 4 chamber OG without using a dremel

 

I was able to squeeze it into the 3rd chamber by cutting off the three suction cups on the pump (but leaving the ones on the skimmer intact). Then I literally forcibly wedged the pump in (with the elbow facing a corner). The "wall" separating the 3rd and 4th chamber will actually flex when enough force is applied. Takes only a few minutes to do.

[coralbuff]

hey, i got mine to and i had some problems trying to figure out how the pump went onto the skimmer, also has anyone had problems with the bubbles? is it normal for there to be a bunch of bubbles or do i need to raise it up some more? also has anyone sucessfully fit this thing into a 12g nano cube? im not sure if mines a dx or original, it has two fans and 2 bulbs can anyone tell me what make it is?

Check the pumps plastic cover. If it came loose bubbles will escape from the pump itself. It just snaps into place. As for your 12g question. The front of the tank will say deluxe on the nanocube label. If you have only 3 chambers in the back the fission should fit. check out the thread "fission video"

Good Luck

Coralbuff

[dizasstur]

Just installed the skimmer in my 24gallon, and its working great!

 

I put it in the first chamber with a sponge underneath to stop microbubbles from escaping. It wasnt working so I placed 2 more sponges in the second chamber and it worked like a charm.

 

No skimmate yet, cant wait for tommorow morning though!

 

Will have pictures posted soon.

 

D

[audiocontrol]

Just installed the skimmer in my 24gallon, and its working great!

 

I put it in the first chamber with a sponge underneath to stop microbubbles from escaping. It wasnt working so I placed 2 more sponges in the second chamber and it worked like a charm.

 

No skimmate yet, cant wait for tommorow morning though!

 

Will have pictures posted soon.

 

D

 

Thats what I had to do to stop the bubbles. The only reason I have a sponge on the bottom of the skimmer is so that it sits at the correct height. It is the sponges in the second chamber which trap any excess bubbles

[darkstar339]

man i am glad i found this forum!!! so it looks as if the sponges is the way to go. i'll have to run to the LFS and pick some up this weekend. like a dummy i threw mine out shortly after i started it up.

[audiocontrol]

im sure an Aquaclear brand sponge would do the trick all the same. But yea, that prefilter sponge does not work very well on the skimmer. Ah well...for a first crack at designing a little pico skimmer like this, not too bad of a headache. I do recall even in the manual, they have a picture showing how they suggest you put a sponge even after the skimmer to reduce bubbles further...so I am positive Current is well aware of the issue.

[horseflesh]

I am having a different problem than y'all.

 

On the powerhead that came with the Fission, there is a slot and a +/- mark. Bubbly water just spews out of this slot. It looks like there is supposed to be some kind of part there, some kind of sliding deal to control the output. Whatever it is, I am missing it and half my bubble water just shoots out of the side of the pump.

 

Am I crazy, or am I missing a piece from the powerhead?

 

I tried jamming some fragments of airline tubing in the slot, and the skimmer does function much better with that port blocked, so I figure there MUST be something wrong.

 

For now it is off due to the resulting bubble issue, but I am optimistic.

[compulou]

I am having a different problem than y'all.

 

On the powerhead that came with the Fission, there is a slot and a +/- mark. Bubbly water just spews out of this slot. It looks like there is supposed to be some kind of part there, some kind of sliding deal to control the output. Whatever it is, I am missing it and half my bubble water just shoots out of the side of the pump.

 

Am I crazy, or am I missing a piece from the powerhead?

 

I tried jamming some fragments of airline tubing in the slot, and the skimmer does function much better with that port blocked, so I figure there MUST be something wrong.

 

For now it is off due to the resulting bubble issue, but I am optimistic.

 

 

Horse,

 

Yeah dude your missing a piece there that allows you to adjust the power heads water flow. It come's out really easily if you twist open the intake grate as it can just fall out. Was the intake cover attached to the P/H when you recieved your skimmer?

[horseflesh]

Horse,

 

Yeah dude your missing a piece there that allows you to adjust the power heads water flow. It come's out really easily if you twist open the intake grate as it can just fall out. Was the intake cover attached to the P/H when you recieved your skimmer?

 

The powerhead was all put together when it came out of the box. I looked all around the area to see if it fell out, but no luck. I emailed Current, I hope they can get me a replacement soon, I want to get skimmin'.

 

Thanks for the confirmation!

[asiankidd2]

just our of curiosity for those with micro bubbles, by placing the skimmer in the back sump how does the micro bubbles get into the main tank? it seems awfully hard for them to flow thru the back slots assuming its in either chamber 1 or 2 i can understand if it was in chamber 3, i would like input from you guys about this thanks. Assuming i ran out of pads that it came with and i ran the skimmer with out the padding, will i still get micro bubbles if i had it in the first chamber since the micro bubbles would have to flow thru all the other chambers then into the main pump and out into the display?

-Jon

[audiocontrol]

you still would get microbubbles in the main tank. The bubbles find a way...however, this just might be in my case because I

have so much suction back there and it sucks all the bubbles up before they reach the surface in the rear compartments.

[asiankidd2]

do you happen to have any sponges or cheato in your rear sump or a bag of chemipure? i just had to ask cus thats what is in my sump before it gets to the main pump

[darkstar339]

i have some live rock and a bag of chem pure and they still got to the main tank. so i added a make-shift baffle in the 3rd chamber to try and make the bubble rise before they got to the pump but they still made it. i also put one 1/2 sponge that i cut a long time ago (not sure why) right in front of the silt to chamber 3 and the still got passed that....so it seems the 3 sponge way is the only way to go.

[audiocontrol]

yes, I have 2 stacked together in the second chamber. I raised up the skimmer a little bit to see if i can get a dry foam and I also have some tubing attached to the skimmer to collect skimmate. It drips in to a glass jar. Now, I am not sure if standard airline tubing will work? I have some large tubing, it is about twice the size of airline tubing, and it fits perfectly. It is actually tubing right from an old "tap water purifier" by aquarium pharm. The jar is clear, so in about a week I will see just how much is actually skimmed out of the tank. I will also not do any waterchanges until next friday.

[kevin25]

I just purchased one of this skimmers, can't wait to get it..

For those of you wanting one Marinedepot has them in stock

[rayhwong]

Day 2

Skimmer has been running for 2 days now. The foam has dried considerably and is now rising to the top of the column. It seems like its starting to break in now.

There is no more splashing against the lid from the bursting bubbles.

Hope the skimmate will turn out darker this time.

[taku]

Hey Taku,

 

How much did you have to trim off the elbow to fit a NC6? Is the air pump creating much heat?

 

I read an earlier post on this thread that a guy was putting a sponge just below the skimmer to eliminate all the micro bubbles. Not sure how big of a sponge. I have alway run some type of sponge (about 2" thick). I have started using polyfiber recently to replace the sponge off the top of my first chamber to pick up the bigger crap so it does not hit the pumps and never had an issues with nitrates. Always zero.

 

I had to trim about .25" or actually a little less... When you fit the U-tube to the little black piece that connects it to the pump, you'll notice there is a little extra space that could be filed down to make the black piece fit perfect to the Utube... I didn't have to file too much but after doing so it fit the middle chamber of the nc6 perfect, not even snug.. slipped right in

 

I too, use a couple folded over filter pads inside chamber 2 and also inside chamber 3 where the return pump sits... except I use "carbon filter pads" I found at the LFS the other day... works good to remove most bubbles, but not perfect.

 

Also, I have surprisingly very little increase in water temp from the skimmer, but I also run a MINIJET 606 for a return pump which I understand reduces heat a bit over the stock NC6 pump.

[abbalahdun]

would filter floss work to break up the bubbles?

[chaozie]

I don't know if this will help anyone but I had some trouble getting mine to fit at first (I think i'm just spatially challenged ) (Oh and my elbow was broken too ) Anyways, that little pyramid shaped grid on the water pump, I removed that so the skimmer could swing over and sit right above the water pump instead of off to the side. It also helps the suction cups stay better.