E.T.T.S skimmer

[justingraham]

Hey everyone I just picked this up today. It doesn't have a model name on it can anyone help me out with it please. And as of right now it's to big to fit in my sump can I run it out side. It either has a mag 5 or a mag 7 I can't read the pump either. The only thing it has is patent number 5554280 and when googling it like five diffrent models show up and no manual. Any help would be great thanks in advance
Justin

 

[mcarroll]

Great little skimmer - I think it's a Reef Devil. Had one for a while. Leak-test it in the bathtub or outside first, but it should be great for outside the sump.

They can seem finicky to dial in, so check in here if you have any trouble!

 

[reefwiser]

Yes that is an ETTs skimmer . You need a strong pump to push water into the column section. An you control the output with the gate valve. It can take 24 hours to start producing foam but when it does watch out because it is a monster at doing it. In it's day the ETTS skimmers where the top of the line finest kind skimmers. Every cool reefer wanted one.

http://www.thekrib.com/Filters/skimmer-ets.html

 

[justingraham]

Thank u yea I did leak test it in that sink all seems good cleaned it up all pretty and all I think it's a mag seven is that pump good enough?

 

[reefwiser]

I used a 1000 gallon an hour pump on mine. But it should work.

 

[justingraham]

@reefwiser u are running one right now?

 

[mcarroll]

It depends on the plumbing, but yeah a Mag 7 works well...that's what I used...(as well as a QuietOne 2200 and an old Rio 3100) just had a straight 3/4" vinyl tube from the pump to the skimmer....less than 24". A longer run or more complicated plumbing might necessitate a stronger pump.

 

[justingraham]

No I mean are u running this skimmer right now on ur set up?

 

[reefwiser]

No not now, That was back in 1995. I help Tony Vargas set them up at MACNA in Kansas City back in the day. We had to go out and get plumbing fittings. Ah the day's

 

[justingraham]

That sounds like a fun day. So do u happen to know the exact model number so I could possibly get a manual on it. Like how many bio balls are supposed to be in it and what are all the fittings for.

 

[mcarroll]

Maybe someone else will have a copy of their setup and tuning guide...I do not.

But from memory, I think you want close to a full tower of balls when you run a higher-flow pump and can use less when you run a lower flow pump. I'm not sure how big of a difference the number makes cuz I never experimented.

The gate valve is what you use to set the drain flow to match the pump's flow....including plumbing head loss, and everything.

Tip: Don't make a change to the gate valve more than once a day when you're tuning it....and always make the change based on the previous day's skimmate....not based on the skimmer's current performance while you're making the change.

 

[reefwiser]

That's a later model that you have there mine was square on the bottom. There where many different sizes made over the years.
Just fill the tower with bio balls and adjust the gate valve slowly.

 

[justingraham]

Ok thank u. If I have any more questions I will bug u again. I'll try to limit the bothering but no promises. So in saying that if I decided to run it in the sump how deep do u think I could go? Seven inches? And if I decide to do it outside of the sump would I need to upgrade the pump? And does it matter the size of the bio balls? It came with five small ones and I have about 40 big ones. Can I just swap out the small for the big or can it only be small?

 

[mcarroll]

Keep the drain plumbing out of the water if you can. In theory it can be partly submerged, but your tuning job will be easier if it's not.

 

[reefwiser]

It generally had the standard size bio ball in the tower. Most people ran it outside the sump with the gate valve emptying in to the sump.
One reason you don't see the skimmer around much as that it was rather large and a lot of people like everything under a stand.

 

[mcarroll]

Just keep the same balls it came with and run the Mag 7.

Is it going to take more than 24" of tubing? If so, upgrading the tubing to 1" can help, but that can be surprisingly expensive too.

 

[justingraham]

No it should be about 24 inches. Are you talking about the drain plumbing or the plumbing from the pump? The drain plumbing I beleive is already one inch while the pump is 3/4 tubing but I have the plumbing to make it one inch. But then I would also have to change the nozzle on the skimmer one inch as well.

 

[mcarroll]

The "tubing" would be from the pump to the skimmer. And that is what I was referring as possibly upgrading from three-quarter inch to 1 inch. But it sounds like you shouldn't need that.

Drain plumbing should be able to be left as is unless it's a very long run back to the tank in which case you should upgrade at one size with an adapter.

 

[justingraham]

So with the pump I have the mag seven. The intake is threaded 3/4 I beleive not sure off the top of my head as I'm at work. Would I be able to make the pump external as well? Or does it have to be submerged? And thank u guys for all the help.

 

[mcarroll]

This ETSS (Reef Devil I think) wasn't all that large...about the same as my AquaC EV90 or Tunze 9410....more or less. It can easily fit in a 12" wide standard glass tank sump.

It can run either way, but I'd be surprised if you can't find enough space for a Mag pump in there.....is your sump really that crowded? (Pic?)