Advice - Better pump Fort skimmer?

[bh750]

I've had my euro reef skimmer for 12 years and love it. Except for the horrible Sedra 5000 pumps. It uses two of them and they never last long. Can't tell you how any times I've dropped $100+ for new pumps. Finally last time spoke with the MFR - All Seas Marine. After some digging and transferring I made it to the guy who's in charge of their pumps. He finally told me that these types of pumps always fail Eventually. Something to do with the heat and he magnet not being insulated. Eventually the impeller becomes swollen and won't spin.

So before dropping $50 on a new impeller I have to see if there's a more reliable pump with similar specs.

Any advice??

Thanks!

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Look into the Sicce PSK-2500. Is comparable but may require modification to fit to the skimmer body. Hopefully you are taking the pumps apart and giving them a vinegar soak every 6 months, that will be needed for any pump you use, Sedra or otherwise, to ensure long life.

 

[joseserrano]

you can pretty much use any protein skimmer pump you want with some plumbing. Just look at the GPH on the sedra 500, and get something near it. The PSK 2500 was a common swap when everyone was using ASMs

 

[joseserrano]

https://aquariumsource.com/products/reef-dynamics-in-sump-protein-skimmers

 

[bh750]

Bouncingsoul39 - Ok I've heard lots of positive things about Sicce pumps. And no I really don't ever clean them too often. Could failure to clean lead to this swollen impeller problem?

Jose I'll do that. So any needle wheel pump with the right power will work?

No terribly worried about getting it to fit. At least hope not.

So if I clean the sicce regularly should it last more than 2 years (average for these crappy ASM pumps)

 

[bh750]

Update: wow quick check on Amazon shows the pump selling for $350??

 

[bh750]

Never mind. That was for a sicce syncra 2500

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Look into either the Sicce 600 or the 1000, not the 2500. Make sure which ever Sicce pump you get get the one with the gray magnet. Check out Avast for a good picture of the impeller. What is the dimension of the skimmer body?

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

https://www.avastmarine.com/collections/replacement-parts/products/sicce-psk1000-pinwheel-impeller this impeller

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

https://www.avastmarine.com/collections/aquarium-supplies/products/sicce-psk1000 this pump

 

[bh750]

Oh so 2500 too much? So currently ASM says it's rated for 500 GPH max 10' head. Skimmer uses 2 of them.

Skimmer body is 8" diameter and 20" tall before it begins to taper to the neck and cup.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

The 2500 are old technically and they have a problem of rotating backwards and the cable fraying where it enters the body of the pump. The new Sicce 600 is equivalent to the 2500 so with the size of your skimmer I think two 600 should work fine. These are very common skimmers pumps used to day so a little google search and you can find lots of different pricing points for them.

On your skimmer I am surprised that skimmer has two pumps on it. Was it modded?

 

[bh750]

Cool this is awesome advice and just what I was hoping for. So I have a Euroreef RS 8-3+. It's gotta be 15 years old as I bought it used 12 years ago. Iove it. Always used these Sedra KSP pumps. And they always failed too soon IMO.

 

[bh750]

Ok I just purchased the Sicce 600. It was either a new pump or $55 for another impeller that will probably warp in a year or two. thanks for the advice!

 

[dede]

How did this mod work out for you? I have an old Reefmania ps8 that uses 2 sedra 5000 pumps that I got used and it is a monster in size. Only one pump has an impeller and I need to buy an impeller and gasket and cant believe the cost. Also it is quite loud. Debating whether to just fork out the cost of a new skimmer that will actually fit under my stand or throw money at this old skimmer and see if I can get it working better.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

^^^^^Is yours a external skimmer?

 

[dede]

Can be set up as external, but I have it in a 40 g breeder, afraid of it leaking.

 

[bh750]

How did this mod work out for you? I have an old Reefmania ps8 that uses 2 sedra 5000 pumps that I got used and it is a monster in size. Only one pump has an impeller and I need to buy an impeller and gasket and cant believe the cost. Also it is quite loud. Debating whether to just fork out the cost of a new skimmer that will actually fit under my stand or throw money at this old skimmer and see if I can get it working better.

So far its been great. Really quiet, esp compared to the Sedra 500s. I can hardly heard the Sicce. With that said, one note of advice is to be ready to made some mods to get the pump to fit. My skimmer is internal and sits on the floor of my sump. The sicce didnt fit perfectly (height wise) so had to get creative with the plumbing. There was also something called a "volute" cover (sp?) that I thought I needed initially but in the end didnt. The place I purchased it from did not include the volute and they might be extinct. My skimmer is pretty old so mods were to be expected I guess.