lifereef skimmer users

[sergifed91]

starting a new build. Specs are a 75 g reef ready marineland tank
Recommended flow no more than 700 mph.
Been browsing these skimmers. what can anyone tell me about them? not much information from there website. If I decide to go this route how long once I order it will it take to get it?

 

[JoshH]

starting a new build. Specs are a 75 g reef ready marineland tank
Recommended flow no more than 700 mph.
Been browsing these skimmers. what can anyone tell me about them? not much information from there website. If I decide to go this route how long once I order it will it take to get it?

Depends on what you want, if you want custom colors it will take a little longer, I honestly forget how long it took to get mine (Months I think) but I had a custom sump, ato reactors and fuge to go along with it....

I'd say if you're interested, make sure you get the Flanged version. It's worth the extra little bit of money in the long run by a landslide. Something I wish someone had told me... they are SUPER easy to tune, will last you decades as long as you look after it. You rarely have to clean it but when you do you will be thankful you got the flanged version.

 

[Be102]

Depends on what you want, if you want custom colors it will take a little longer, I honestly forget how long it took to get mine (Months I think) but I had a custom sump, ato reactors and fuge to go along with it....

I'd say if you're interested, make sure you get the Flanged version. It's worth the extra little bit of money in the long run by a landslide. Something I wish someone had told me... they are SUPER easy to tune, will last you decades as long as you look after it. You rarely have to clean it but when you do you will be thankful you got the flanged version.

If you are like me and not smart like josh!! You will get the non flanged version... I think I’ve heard Jeff can upgrade it in the future if you had a desire to tho. I love mine. I also have custom green color and I have some cups to match!

 

[JoshH]

If you are like me and not smart like josh!! You will get the non flanged version... I think I’ve heard Jeff can upgrade it in the future if you had a desire to tho. I love mine. I also have custom green color and I have some cups to match!

I'm guilty too man, I got the non-flanged version lol!! But honestly I've only had to clean it once, when I did though, holy cow it was a nightmare! Mine was the first color other than green that Jeff made and it cost me a ton of money and coaxing to get him to do it lol

 

[Be102]

I'm guilty too man, I got the non-flanged version lol!! But honestly I've only had to clean it once, when I did though, holy cow it was a nightmare! Mine was the first color other than green that Jeff made and it cost me a ton of money and coaxing to get him to do it lol

LOL!!
First how did you manage to clean it and second... how did you manage to dirty it!? I’ve had mine for like 2 years and the only thing that ever got dirty so far was the cup!

 

[JoshH]

LOL!!
First how did you manage to clean it and second... how did you manage to dirty it!? I’ve had mine for like 2 years and the only thing that ever got dirty so far was the cup!

I'm not sure how it got dirty, the top portion started growing algae inside it for some reason on the one side. I used a bottle cleaner and bent it like 10 ways to get in around the pipes inside the chamber.

 

[sergifed91]

Depends on what you want, if you want custom colors it will take a little longer, I honestly forget how long it took to get mine (Months I think) but I had a custom sump, ato reactors and fuge to go along with it....

I'd say if you're interested, make sure you get the Flanged version. It's worth the extra little bit of money in the long run by a landslide. Something I wish someone had told me... they are SUPER easy to tune, will last you decades as long as you look after it. You rarely have to clean it but when you do you will be thankful you got the flanged version.

What's the difference between the 2 versions?

 

[Be102]

What's the difference between the 2 versions?

The difference is the green part you can see on mine would come with like screws on it which would allow me to remove it for not only easier cleaning access but also upgrade ability . You can add a mid section I believe and then add your collection cup on top to get more performance

 

[sergifed91]

The difference is the green part you can see on mine would come with like screws on it which would allow me to remove it for not only easier cleaning access but also upgrade ability . You can add a mid section I believe and then add your collection cup on top to get more performance

Cool. Mu next question is running the airline outside be cause of co2 is high in my basement. Is this doable with this skimmer and will it effect the performance of the skimmer. 40 feet run. Going to use half inch tubing.

 

[JoshH]

What's the difference between the 2 versions?

If you look at mine, the top of the skimmer chamber is solid and glued to the cylinder body.

The flanged version has a removable top plate instead. This makes cleaning SUPER easy as you can basically take the whole top off for full access to the skimmer chamber. You can also purchase extensions and screw them on to increase the skimmers contact time (if you ever upgrade systems down the road you can just upgrade your skimmer along with it to handle higher bioloads).

And here you can see a skimmer with extensions added...

 

[Sharis100]

Jeff is great! Ordered mine recently for my rebuild. Received it when promised. Love it! Really great workmanship!

 

[Be102]

Cool. Mu next question is running the airline outside be cause of co2 is high in my basement. Is this doable with this skimmer and will it effect the performance of the skimmer. 40 feet run. Going to use half inch tubing.

I unfortunately can not help you there because I don’t do anything fancy with the tubing. It actually even recirculates (I think that’s what you’re talking about) so there’s never like a Smell or anything

 

[sergifed91]

I unfortunately can not help you there because I don’t do anything fancy with the tubing. It actually even recirculates (I think that’s what you’re talking about) so there’s never like a Smell or anything

It recirculated the co2? I have been using a co2 scrubber to get my ph up and stable. I want to move away from the co2 scrubber and just run the airline to the outside and pull air ti the skimmer since even opening up the windows doesn't work for lowering the co2 in the house unless if it's a windy day.

 

[sergifed91]

Jeff is great! Ordered mine recently for my rebuild. Received it when promised. Love it! Really great workmanship!

How long did it take to get?

 

[Sharis100]

It took about a month to six weeks from when I ordered to receipt of the skimmer.

 

[JoshH]

Cool. Mu next question is running the airline outside be cause of co2 is high in my basement. Is this doable with this skimmer and will it effect the performance of the skimmer. 40 feet run. Going to use half inch tubing.

This is doable absolutely. This skimmer is also ideal for using a CO2 scrubber if you want to continue using that. The air line is 3/8" line just so you know you will probably need an adapter to run 1/2". Performance wise I'm not entirely sure if it will hurt it in the long run or not.

It does not recirculate CO2 but, if you do want to continue using the scrubber the Lifereef setup is ideal as it pulls moist air from within the skimmer cup which can help increase the performance of your media.

 

[Bpb]

Just make sure you get one of the flanged top models and I’ll assume you most likely want an in-sump model so get the one that comes with a mag drive, not with the blue line pump. Or just get one with no pump and use whatever pump you want with it. I use a jebao pump with mine

 

[JoshH]

Just make sure you get one of the flanged top models and I’ll assume you most likely want an in-sump model so get the one that comes with a mag drive, not with the blue line pump. Or just get one with no pump and use whatever pump you want with it. I use a jebao pump with mine

It's also worth noting that if you talk to Jeff and you don't want a Mag drive, he can source other internal pumps for you for cheaper than retail. The cost will obviously be more than thr skimmer with the included mag drive but still cheaper than sourcing your own new pump...

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

So does the LR skimmer get top heavy when it is put a sump with water? I am putting together a build for my 240 isch gallon tank. I just bought a Fiji 46" sump for it. So when you order your skimmer that is via the phone and you asked for the Flange top, anything else?

 

[JoshH]

So does the LR skimmer get top heavy when it is put a sump with water? I am putting together a build for my 240 isch gallon tank. I just bought a Fiji 46" sump for it. So when you order your skimmer that is via the phone and you asked for the Flange top, anything else?

You can email Jeff to order as well, theres a form you can submit on his website. He will probably want to have a call with you to just firm up all the details (Custom colours and what not). The skimmer with the Flange has a particular product number depending on what size you wish to get (I believe there are stock 24 and 30"). The ones with the flange will end in 3 on the first few letters of the product code ex. SVS3-30