The "Hitchhiker's Guide" to the Maxi-Stream mod

[Francisco Leal]

Thanks!
I will try to measure flow using the plastic bag. After measurements I comment the results here.

[watchdr]

Maybe I missed it but why is the mod so long?
I understand you need some room for the intake of water. But, looking at the ICecap unit they have what looks like about an inch of intake slots.

Also how far out does the impller have to come out of the MJ to get it to start spining in the right direction?

[dhnguyen]

It doesn't have to be as long as what was posted for the MJ900 mod that I did. The main reason why mine is long is because it uses two propellers and not just one and I wanted to maximize the amount of water input as much as possible to get the best flow.

Notice though that the Vortech pump from Ice Cap is much larger in diameter than this mod which works out to be about the same thing as having a longer housing.


D.

[dhnguyen]

For all interested here are some photos from melev's site on this Vortech pump







and the video http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com...vortech_lg.wmv

[watchdr]

Ok, I didn't realize the vortech has a larger diameter.

The vortech propeller also sits in the middle of the intake grooves. So doing that may reduce the length that is needed.

[dhnguyen]

Yes it is quite a bit larger. In fact it looks like about the size of a Tunze or bigger even.

This looks to be a very nice pump but I see it only useful for folks with very large tanks. There IS such a thing as too much flow in a smaller tank

That thing would probably knock everything over in my puny 55g.



D.

[Uncle Sam]

Just ran into this Big Al's mj stuff good prices
free shipping for a couple days.

[dhnguyen]

Yep I just ordered 2 MJ900's last night

[marm64]

I wonder if the Tunze and the Vortech run at a slower RPM so they need a bigger prop to move that much water? I would think that if you could make a higher torque motor so you could run at a slower speed so you could in turn have a bigger prop you would be better off.

Thanks for all the info I am in the process of making mine.

[melev]

It isn't bigger, that is for sure. I'll find the link for you where you see them side by side.

[melev]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...95#post6193495

[marm64]

I see where Big Al's has free shipping but if you check out Drs Foster Smith they have them onsale, might be cheaper if you are picking up a few or need some other supplies.

[Bowman]

Originally posted by dhnguyen
Yes it is quite a bit larger. In fact it looks like about the size of a Tunze or bigger even.

This looks to be a very nice pump but I see it only useful for folks with very large tanks. There IS such a thing as too much flow in a smaller tank

That thing would probably knock everything over in my puny 55g.
D.

FYI the video that Marc shot was the demo tank setup at MACNA and if I remember correctly it was a 55 gallon tank. Definatly a lot of flow but I don't think it would blow everything over unless it was directly in front of the powerhead, remember it has a140 degree cone of disbursement. Plus the Vortech will have the ability to be throttled down from 100% for smaller tanks. I personally can't wait for it to be released. regards John

[tleip]

I made a version of this with MJ1200 and a 1 3/4 prop and it puts out some great flow, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried it with a larger powerhead, such as an Hagen 802...I'd like to get more flow in my 135 (and I have a couple of 802's that I could convert as well).

Thx,

Terry

[dhnguyen]

Originally posted by tleip
I made a version of this with MJ1200 and a 1 3/4 prop and it puts out some great flow, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried it with a larger powerhead, such as an Hagen 802...I'd like to get more flow in my 135 (and I have a couple of 802's that I could convert as well).

Thx,

Terry

You CAN use a larger powerhead but then to really utilize its power you would need to hunt down a much larger propeller than 1.75"

[GSerg2]

I built one this weekend almost identical to your plans on this thread. I am very pleased with it. The flow is quite a bit less than my Tunze 6080 but the Tunze is bordering on too much flow. Now I need to figure out a mount that I like. I will try to get some pics to post in the next few days.

Thanks again for the great thread and detailed instructions.

[Rothie]

tleip-
Do you have a parts list for the MJ1200 mod you made?Any pics?
Thanks

[dhnguyen]

Later on when I have more time I want to start tinkering and put together a motorized rotating mount for this thing

Now that would be cool if I can get that to work.

I'm thinking RC servo motor might work for this.

[hersh007]

I've been following the progress of these DIY Tunze wanabe's and am getting ready to take the plunge and try it out myself.

dhnguyen your comprehensive guide is a godsend, thanks for taking the time to put it here in easy to follow steps. I've been browsing for the items needed to complete the mod and found that a different site (not towerhobby.com) has slightly better prices.

So, while I can't contribute to the design, i'll try to help by providing links to save the DIYer even more:

Extra Thick Slow Jet Glue,1/2oz http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/pro...sp?prod=JET772
Dumas Plastic Prop,1/8":.09 http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/pro...p?prod=DUM3002
Carbon Fiber Rod, 24", .098 (2) http://h1071118.hobbyshopnow.com/ser...=ALL&tag=qsrch

Price per item is pretty even however for me (in NC) shipping is $2 less for the order from these guys then towerhobby.

Hope this helps to even make this "mod per buck" even more attractive.

Scott

[GSerg2]

I made a version of this with MJ1200 and a 1 3/4 prop and it puts out some great flow

Please indulge a few questions. Did you use two props or only one? Is the design just like this one or are there significant differences? Does the 1-3/4" prop you bought fit inside the 1-1/2 pvc pipe or did you have to use larger pipe? I know this question seems weird but I was wondering how larger pipe would work.

Thanks