The Life Reef Skimmer Club

[LQT]

Ahhh... Gotcha. Will do.

[Mickey]

I'm also interested in how this performs with the Sicce ADV 7.0 or 9.0.

I've had a VS3-24 for 15 years, started with a Mag 9 then moved up to a Mag 12, then a couple years ago made the mistake of switching to a Syncro Pro which has enough flow but not rated for head and the performance is not as good. The Mags were okay but loud and used more electricity.

The Sicce looks pretty good spec wise. I also thought about the COR20 but Jeff is pretty negative on DC pumps.

Mickey

[LQT]

It doesn’t seem like these Sicce ADV pumps are rated for much pressure either. The 9.0 has a better head pressure rating than the 7.0, but at an energy cost... 2500 gph up to 15’ at 90 watts vs 1900 gph up to 12’ at 55 watts respectively.

I expect the ADV 7.0 to perform similarly to the Fluval SP4 with a slight edge to the ADV in energy savings. The Fluval SP4 is rated at 1880 gph up to 12’ at 88 watts. If it performs comparably, then I’ll be happy based on how much people have liked the performance of the SP4s on their 24” skimmers.

[Mickey]

FWIW, all of those pumps have higher pressure rating than the Mag-drives. Mag 9.5 is 475 @ 10 ft, Mag 12 is 570 @ 10 ft. Earlier in the thread it was mentioned that head pressure is more important than flow rate. I think that's why I'm not seeing any improvement moving to the Syncra Pro at 1900 gph from the Mag 12 and I'm considering changing to the Sicce ADV 9.0

[Member No. 1]

Mickey, between you going to the 9.0 and Leon with the 7.0, I'd like to hear feed back on both. The COR20 is running fine, and I can wait to decide on the replacement. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm going with a Sicce ADV.

[LQT]

If anything, the savings in energy consumption and reduction in noise would be worth it. I run a Sicce ADV 5.5, 1400 gph @ 50 watts, as a return pump on my current tank. It’s whisper quiet and according to my Apex, it’s only pulling 33 watts.

[LQT]

Originally Posted by Member No. 1

Mickey, between you going to the 9.0 and Leon with the 7.0, I'd like to hear feed back on both. The COR20 is running fine, and I can wait to decide on the replacement. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'm going with a Sicce ADV.

Please give me some time to report back as it may be awhile. I’m currently running a Deltec 1351 on my tank and I’m happy with it. Sump space for my Lifereef is definitely an issue, so it may be on the sidelines until I upgrade tanks.

[Member No. 1]

Originally Posted by LQT

Please give me some time to report back as it may be awhile. I’m currently running a Deltec 1351 on my tank and I’m happy with it. Sump space for my Lifereef is definitely an issue, so it may be on the sidelines until I upgrade tanks.

No problem, thanks.

[sergifed91]

looking for pics on how everyone hooked up an outside line to their lifereef skimmer.

[moondoggy4]

Do you guys think that a ATB return pump would work, I believe that it is a Fluval 1500 pump, I want to run it on a future 30" Life Reef.

[LQT]

Do you know what the max head height is for that pump?

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

Do you guys think that a ATB return pump would work, I believe that it is a Fluval 1500 pump, I want to run it on a future 30" Life Reef.

Flow rate is really about half of what it’s rated on a fluval 1500 so if 530ish GPH is what you want then yes.

[doonan75]

I'm using the jebao DCP-8000 on mine with no issues. Mine came with the Mag 7 and it didn't work nearly as well. This is on a lightly stocked 40 breeder with a 40 breeder sump. I love my Life reef.

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[doonan75]

Also as you can see I don't usually clean the inside but Jeff said you don't need to.

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[watdachuck]

I never clean the inside, but i do clean the neck periodically.

[Vinny Kreyling]

The cleaner the neck the better it will perform.

[doonan75]

I clean the neck when I clean the cup. Usually about once a week.

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[Stickboy97]

Originally Posted by LQT

So I came across a deal on an SVS2-24 that I couldn’t pass up. It was a little worse for wear, so I had Jeff make me a new skimmer cup & lid. Jeff turned it around in less than a week! She’s back to looking as good as new. She’ll be powered by an AC Sicce ADV 7.0 with a Mag 12 as backup. I really regretted selling my first Lifereef so I’m thrilled to be back and part of the Lifereef Skimmer Club!

What does the small blue knob there on above the pump control? Air?

[LQT]

It’s just threaded cap that serves as an access port for cleaning should you ever get debris sucked up from the pump through the venturi and clog it, though I’ve never had a need to use it.

[cvrle1]

What would be the best way of cleaning inside of VS2-24? Unfortunately it doesnt have flange to take top off to clean inside. Was thinking of running it for some time in a mixture of bleach and water or vinegar and water, and hopefully that would clean baked on gunk from inside. Thanks

[LQT]

I ran my used and very dirty SVS2 in a bucket of 50/50 vinegar and water to loosen the gunk and used a bendable wire tube brush to get at the hard to reach corners. It wasn’t too bad at all and as you can see in the picture above, it worked out very well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[cvrle1]

Originally Posted by LQT

I ran my used and very dirty SVS2 in a bucket of 50/50 vinegar and water to loosen the gunk and used a bendable wire tube brush to get at the hard to reach corners. It wasn’t too bad at all and as you can see in the picture above, it worked out very well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks very much for the info. I Already have few of those brushes around, so I am set there. Since I am in the process of making a stand, I didnt pay too much attention to the hardware, but did notice that I will have to replace gate valve on the skimmer. It looks like it is really old, and has metal screw at the top that has completely rusted. Any ideas where to find replacement one that is all plastic like the one that you have? BRS most likely will have some, but wanted to see if there may be other options.

Edit: Looks like I wont be able to use regular Spears Gate Valve. Just took this one out, and it is different type of valve



Mine is identical to that one, but it is 1", not 1/2" like pic.

[LQT]

Mine is a 1” sch 80 threaded gate valve I got from Marine Depot. Though it’s not labeled as a Spears gate valve, it is identical to one. It’s also 20% cheaper than the BRS Spears branded 1” gate valve.

https://www.marinedepot.com/gate-valve-fpt-x-fpt

[crs751]

I put mine in a solution of water and citric acid powder to clean it after years of neglect. IMO Citrix’s is powder works better than vinegar.


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[chiefifd]

I recently took my LifeReef skimmer apart for a good cleaning. My screw was rusted badly, I couldn't get the screw out with a screwdriver.

I took my Dremel tool out and cut what was left of the screw head. The valve handle came right off, you really don't need the screw to secure the valve handle. But I'm sure you can find a stainless steel screw at the hardware store for 25 cents, no need to buy a new valve.

I'm just going with out the screw.

Hope this helps, I'll atach a few photos I took when I cleaned it up. I also used citric acid to clean it, citric acid worked better for me than vinegar.

Take all..