Return Pump Suggestions

Funky_Fish14 · #1 04-12-2006, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth

You can pm if you want more info as I don't want to hijack this thread.

No worries Ruth, these are good questions, feel free to hijack!

TheReefGeek · #2 04-12-2006, 09:40 PM

Ruth, your skimmer will qualify as massive. Especially because it is so FAT!

Here is a page with the dimensions

http://www.captiveoceans.com/mm5/mer...de=Bubble_King

And those MSRP prices WOW.

What corals do you plan on keeping in this tank (this will determine the CL pump) The mag 7 would be a good return pump IMO. Is your skimmer custom or can you look up a manufacturer suggested feed rate?

Funky_Fish14 · #3 04-12-2006, 09:49 PM

Yeesh, that is going to be a beastly skimmer!

Im keeping SPS and LPS. I want more than 31x per hour turnover rate because I find the current is fairly light in the tank right now(75g). Would anyone know if its possible to dial back the flow on the blue-line with a ball/gate valve or something else? I really like what I've seen about the pump and would love to be able to use one. Dialing back the 800gph pump just a tad(100gph, minus head pressure that would already be there) would be perfect.

Thanks!

Chris

TheReefGeek · #4 04-12-2006, 10:13 PM

Dialing back a pump 100gph will be fine. Remember to add up your head pressure (include turns, linear length, and vertical height)

Strange the bubble kings are so fat compared to other skimmers, I wonder how this affects performance I always though taller was preferable so you get more bubble dwell time. What is the needlewheel pump gph the bk 500 runs off of?

Funky_Fish14 · #5 04-12-2006, 11:55 PM

It looks like the BK's have a larger rectangular chamber underneath which allows them to have bubbles stay in the water longer, then it looks like theres some sort of bubble realease thing in the main chamber?

Well, the head pressure might bring it down to 700gph anyways, so that would still work.

I decided what I would like to do is go with a Blueline 800, with 700 or so gph through the sump, then a mag 5 on a closed loop.

Thanks,

Chris

albert_dao · #6 04-24-2006, 08:35 AM

The BK's are fat because of the pump. RD pumps don't handle pressure very well from what I've read and a taller reaction chamber would just cut down on the efficiency of the unit. Being fatter compensates.

Ruth · #7 04-24-2006, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

The BK's are fat because of the pump. RD pumps don't handle pressure very well from what I've read and a taller reaction chamber would just cut down on the efficiency of the unit. Being fatter compensates.

I think there is a little more to it than that. Here is a link to the BK home page from Germany where they are built if you want more information.
http://english.royal-exclusiv.de/index2.htm

albert_dao · #8 04-24-2006, 05:08 PM

Hummm, I'm not really pulling more out of that site than what I had initially stated. It's mostly splitting hairs on the forums.

Anyway, there's a thread on RC about a DIY needlewheel Dart that Spazz is working on and there's some pretty detailed info on the workings of BK in there.

Ruth · #9 04-12-2006, 09:43 PM

I am pretty sure I posted pictures of my BK 400 in a previous thread I did on it in product reviews. The 500 that I am getting will be external and these things are monsters. I think it is 22" X 28" by 32" tall. IMO these skimmers outperform anything I have ever used or seen. They are incredible skimmer but they are big $. I believe in skimming heavily and for me, it is worth the price tag. They are very quiet, and FWIW, energy efficient. I am going to run the 500 on my 230g tank until I get my 300g cube set up.