New Nanocube protien skimmer

[Sapphire Aquatics]

Hello everyone,

 

I am working on finalizing dimensions and working out the kinks on a new venturi protein skimmer designed specifically for the 12 and 24 gallon JBJ Nanocube. The skimmers drop right in to the second chamber and run on a tiny 110 volt 5 amp pump. You must use the cassette surface skimmer to maintain consistent water levels in the front and rear. Best thing is, you can run the skimmer with the lid completely closed, and you can easily remove the collection cup. They are very quiet and I have nearly eliminated the micro-bubble production without the use of a sponge, still working on that. I hated micro-bubbles before I took on this project, but I absolutely despise them now.

 

I’m hoping to present the design at the upcoming MACNA conference here in Houston the weekend after next. Between getting ready for the show, building the website, finalizing the design, creating instructions, developing packaging, and working a full time job, my plate is pretty full so I won’t be able to produce any for sale until after the conference. The store should be completely set up and ready for business on September 25th.

 

There will also be a hang in model for tanks up to 30 gallons, and I hope to have a hang on recirculating design developed soon.

 

I will post some pictures and a short video of the bubble production tomorrow, Sunday, and I’ll keep posting the progress here. Maybe you guys can help me with the packaging design/choices. No crazy foam injected packing yet, I’m not rich!

 

This is a picture of the foam created by the nc12 prototype running in my custom 10 gallon acrylic tank. Can't show you too much right now...

 

 

Until tomorrow,

Kyle

[andre]

Wow, good news for owners of nano cubes.. You should look into being a sponsor for nano-reef.com.

[er1c_the_reefer]

because i keep a mixed reef tank and don't like the fact that a lot of softies produce toxins that inhibit sps growth and would like those toxins removed or "skimmed" from my water.

[RayWhisperer]

Welcome to N-R.

Interesting, keep us posted.

As for becoming a retailer, I believe you'll need to be a sponsor to post products here. I'm not sure though, so you may want to check with Christopher Marks.

 

I've made a few drop in skimmers for the 24. They worked great, but were sensitive to water level fluctuations. Too low, all I get was micro bubbles, too high, and it just overflowed into the collection cup.

 

Pitbull, can you post a link to that? I'd be interested in reading the finer points of that test. I did some testing of my own, with my DIY skimmers, and found the overall color and growth rate better with my skimmer. Really though, I don't think my DIY skimmer could pull like a remora. All these were done on my NC 24, which was mixed reef, but no SPS, just LPS, softies, and fish. Besides, a small skimmer seems to stabilize the water better than a fuge mod in the rear chambers.(Thinking about PH more than other aspects.)

[BrassMonkey030]

"second chamber and run on a tiny 110 volt 5 amp pump"

 

wow 550 watts might heat the water up. you gonna sell a chiller with that?

 

hehehehe

[carlota]

Have you thought of selling these at Nanocustoms or Nanotuners? I bet Chris would be able to help you push alot of these if the product actually works right.

 

Having Nanocustoms/nanotuners sell a product is almost a gold seal of endorsement, unless of course the skimmer is the Fission (which works, but is a PITA to maintain).

 

Carl

[Mummer]

--unsubstantiated blather deleted--

 

 

What's with the inappropriate hostility pitty? If someone wants to skim a nano, what do you care? Piddling all over this thread with your ideaology is of no utility to anyone. Needlessly hectoring people ruins the amiable tone of this place. There is no one absolute method for running a tank of any size. Does running a skimmerless tank with infrequent water changes and overfeeding beat running a skimmed nano with careful attention to and supplementation of trace element levels? Don't skimmerless tanks deplete trace elements as well? Isn't it a more educated and reasonable statement that all tanks require attention to trace element levels, which will deplete at different rates depending on all factors? One's approach to running a tank is a holistic thing. The correct approach is what works best for YOU, as demonstrated by the health of the tank inhabitants. Please consider being less of a martinet. There's enough of that in the world. Don't need it here. BTW, let's see some pictures of your tank. On second thought, never mind. I'm locking out this thread because you ruined it.

[Sapphire Aquatics]

andre- This is great news for those of us that are guilty of overstocking our tanks, I'll be the first to admit to it. As for sponsorship, I have already inquired about becoming a sponsor. Over the years I have learned a lot from nano-reef and I am happy to give back.

 

pitbullpooch- The debate is valid. If you keep a tank that is dominated by sps corals it will certainly do better without protein skimming as these corals are filter feeders and benefit greatly from constant access to trace elements suspended in the water column. I also agree with you on carbon, but it does remove more than odors and toxins from your water. The benefits of running carbon have been proven time and time again. This product is not for everyone, but those with a high bio-load will benefit from it's exess protein removal and increased oxygenation of the water.

 

RayWhisperer- Thanks for the friendly welcome. The skimmer maintains a consistent water level inside and pulls skimmate comparable to the best skimmers on the market, only it fits easily within the second chamber. I can't show you pictures of the design yet, but this is the preliminary hang in model that I built two days ago and the foam collected since last night, it's running in my 26 bowfront mixed reef. I replaced my other hang on skimmer that I have been running 24/7 for 6 months with my skimmer.

 

 

BrassMonkey- Thanks, that was a typo. It's a 5 watt pump not 5 amps.

 

Carlota- I let Chris at nanotuners know about the skimmer and he has expressed some interest already.

[emmiegrn]

I'm still trying to figure out where it's been said that skimming is bad?

[travisurfer]

This thread is digging up a lot of inactive people. How much do you estimate the skimmer will cost?

[JGibeault]

it was never said to be completly bad. were talking about nano reefs not all setups.i use skimmers on my bigger tanks with tons of fish and on my fo. so they are very usefull and actually are one of the best things you can buy.

i can do it to lol

 

You seem to be changing your words over the few threads you have posted. Your language seems to be getting more hostile over time. I would like to see where it was "proven" that skimmers are "worse" for a nano. Could you please provide the link to such an article? You say you are trying to "help", so please do. Thank you.

[Sapphire Aquatics]

This thread is digging up a lot of inactive people. How much do you estimate the skimmer will cost?

 

 

I am still working on setting the price, but you can expect the nc12 model to retail for about $75 and the nc24 model around $90. The hang in model will be slightly more to cover the cost of the extra brackets, thumb screws and time involved, so around $100.

[Deleted]

For $90 I wonder how it'll compare to other like priced models out. Keep us informed as this might turn out to be a real nice unit.

[emmiegrn]

For $90 I wonder how it'll compare to other like priced models out. Keep us informed as this might turn out to be a real nice unit.

 

What other options in that price range are there? I thought the Fission was the only thing that small and this was the only thing that fit in the overflow with the hood closed. I saw another post around here where a guy put a Berlin style skimmer in his NC overflow, but he had to cut out sections of the tank.

[RayWhisperer]

Pitbull, I'm not arguing with you. I don't go onto RC anymore, and they don't allow hot linking either. I've been into this along time aswell, so I'm no noob. But being a noob isn't a bad thing either. The knowledge out today is soooo much more than when I started.

 

I was hoping the tests had been posted here aswell.

[er1c_the_reefer]

wow he took it pretty offensively that we question him or something... the attitude of rc'ers. i'm sorry we can't all search rc. anyways... the skimmer vs skimmerless debate will go on for all time. i <3 skimmers because i'm lazy and don't like yellow water.

 

does the skimmer fit in the chamber with the hood on? or is it supposed to run without a hood?

[Deleted]

What other options in that price range are there? I thought the Fission was the only thing that small and this was the only thing that fit in the overflow with the hood closed. I saw another post around here where a guy put a Berlin style skimmer in his NC overflow, but he had to cut out sections of the tank.

 

 

 

You can custom build a collection cup for the Tunze 9002 and it'll fit in the NC 24 no problem.

[RayWhisperer]

Er1c, there were a bunch of posts deleted. Quite a few folks jumped on him. I just want to read up on it. Like I posted before, I had better results with a skimmer, but my tests were "very unscientific".

[basser1]

I wonder if these will fit in the middle chamber of a 29 gallon BioCube? hmm...

[er1c_the_reefer]

i have the tunze nano reefpack, which i guess is a combo of the 9002 and nano filter. i don't like how its so sensitive to water level change. if this skimmer isn't as sensitive to that flux, and seeing as it costs less... i'd give it a go.

 

oh and sorry i don't have research to back up my claims. i just do what i do from experience, and to my experience, i just find have a skimmer to be more aestheically pleasing. when i was running the ecosystem filtration method with no skimmer, my sps paled in comparison to after i added one. also, the water wasn't as yellow.

 

instead of the "put up or shut up" comment, i'll contribute:

 

"to each his own."

[Deleted]

Back to the subject. Are the any rough dimensions yet?

[Deleted]

Here's a RC thread where Roger Vitko of Tunze USA comments on the cup. I don't have the modded 9002 but I have seen a diy cup with drain in a NC 24. With Tunze coming out with a new cup, eventually, a diy might not be needed. If this skimmer is comparable the wait might not be needed either.

[Sapphire Aquatics]

Back to the subject. Are the any rough dimensions yet?

 

I'm still fine tuning the design, so the dimensions seem to change on a daily basis. This would be one of the reasons it's still not for sale. Just last night I added two inches of height to each model to further reduce microbubbles and make the collection cup easier to access. Currently the NC24 is 2.25"x4"x11". Including the collection cup at its maximum height and the pump it stands 13". The NC12 is 2"x2.75"x9". Including the collection cup at its maximum height and the pump it stands 11".

 

Both fit perfectly with the hood on.

[Deleted]

Sapphire, are you thinking of adding a drain to the design?

[Xytrix01]

I'm soooo confused... did a bunch of posts get removed from this thread? I read it and it makes no sense. I did get the post about him going back to RC though... a prime example of why I have like 3 posts over there. I asked a legitimate question and got torn a new one for having a small tank (this was before the nano forum)

I finaly decided to just lurk there. Aparently there is only one way to run a tank if you're an RC activist...I personaly run a skimmer and like it... If it pulls out elements that my corals need, I just replenish them after testing. My corals actual did better and grew faster after I added the skimmer.