DIY Skimmer in action

[phage]

Yeah, thats what I saw. I have a Mag 7 I'd like to use, and it seems the mazzei will let me do a much better skimmer with a pump that size. There is one thread on RC where a guy built one, but it didnt really have any plans.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...p;pagenumber=1
From what i've read, it seems the 584 is the most common choice for a 500-700 GPH pump, but apparently there are lots of different ones that vary in the GPH/PSI they want for optimal performance.

[matt]

You need to be careful considering the output of mag pumps. They are notoriously over rated, and they lose flow under any sort of pressure. With becketts, and i suspect with these mazzei injectors also, it's the pressure performance of the pump that matters. For example, my small skimmers work MUCH better with an iwaki 40rlt (750 gph) than a mag 12. ("rated" at 1200 gph) What you want is steady flow under changing pressure; as the water has higher organic content, more bubbles are produced, and the drag increases. With mag pumps, this causes the water to slow down as it goes through the injector, exactly what you need to avoid.

[phage]

The threads on RC are saying good things about mazzei injectors *because* they arent like becketts and cause lots of back pressure. Also, the mag 7 was chosen for that particular model of mazzei using the pump output charts on reefs.org, which are supposedly real world usage, so the rating isnt really an issue in that case.

[matt]

If it's a device which draws air into a water stream using bernoulli's principle, it will work much better with a pressure pump. Regardless of the injector design, as foam increases in the stream, so does friction. That's what slows the mags down, not the design of the beckett. If it were just the injector, fine, you just choose a larger mag pump and deal with the back pressure loss. The problem is it slows down as the organic load goes up.

On a side note, I did find a bunch of beckett 1408 injectors, so I'm going to stick with them for a while, maybe try one of these mazzei another time.

[georgeortiz]

Just my two cents,
I have seen the threads on RC and they state that there are people using the mazzei injectors on thier systems successfully. The pumps were recommened by the manufacturer in conjunction with RC members involvement and best of all it seems that you don't need to worry about the housing for the injector. As soon as I get a chance I am going to put one together. The only drawback is that the injector is around 45 bucks as opposed to the 20 dollar beckett.

[GeorgeH]

I am creating a skimmer simmular to the CPR backpac with some improvements (useing a Maxijet 1200/900) and also making another that looks something like yours but with a smaller pump (maxijet 1200). I am playing with the ideas of a larger box and a 4" acrylic tube attached but being about 24" high on the tube alone. I am going to see what I can create that will work in a confined space of under 30" tall and a footprint of about 8"x6".

I really liked my Berlin Classic XL when I had one but wanted to make something a bit easier and more proficient. I did the popular mods with a venturi and a bigger pump but didn't care for the results. I'll be setting up a new tank in the next week or so and I'll post the pictures of the skimmers in action.

[georgeortiz]

Cool,
I can't wait to see what you have put together.

[GeorgeH]

I have one put together however I am attempting to get a hold of a MJ1200 to use for it. I figure that is a good pump that is fairly available for most people.