Lifereef skimmer

[njreejer]

My lifereef skimmer seems to be the loudest thing in my entire setup. Was not expecting this after reading many comments of people swearing by them & claiming they are dead silent. The main loud noise is the air sucking noise from inside the cup. How do I go about reducing this noise? If I can’t, I will have to get rid of the skimmer as my tank is in my room & I can’t stand the noisiness

 

[Water Dog]

You can kinda see what this guy did in this YouTube video. See his pill bottle silencer?



I think he may have mentioned building the silencer on the big Lifereef thread on the other forum but I can’t recall where as that thread is huge.

 

[njreejer]

You can kinda see what this guy did in this YouTube video. See his pill bottle silencer?



I think he may have mentioned building the silencer on the big Lifereef thread on the other forum but I can’t recall where as that thread is huge.

I was watching this same video earlier. Was having trouble finding the method of making it tho

 

[Water Dog]

I’d imagine it’s something like this, and judging by the video, it looks like he has it as close to the collection cup as possible.

 

[njreejer]

I’d imagine it’s something like this...

Appreciate the drawing
So basically
put one hole on each end of a pill bottle,
make a cut in the skimmer air tubing
put one end of the tubing into one side & the other end into the other side
Does that sound right?

 

[Water Dog]

Yep. If it quiets it down to acceptable levels for you, let me know. I’ll point you in the right direction for a more ”finished” look. Strange though, my skimmer during testing was fairly quiet for my standards. The filter sock area in my sump is waaaay louder!

 

[njreejer]

I’m gonna try it out tomorrow with a long prescription pill bottle. Just checked the pump separately & it’s dead silent so it’s not that. Hopefully it works out

 

[uncle luke]

I had the same problem. The air sucking was driving me crazy as I went through great lengths and money to make sure everything was dead silent. Sold it...

 

[njreejer]

haven’t done the pill bottle thing yet but this is the noise it’s making

 

[Falcar]

You could reach out to Jeff @ Lifereef and see if he has any ideas too!

 

[njreejer]

Previous video didn’t work for some reason

 

[Water Dog]

What happens noise wise when you detach the airline from the cup? Also, why is your water level so low in the skimmer?

 

[Stanley Wong]

I have 7 Lifereef skimmers running and none of them having the noise issue. The water/bubble level should be all the way to the bottom of the neck area. Why the water level inside the skimmer is so low ?

 

[Mrx7899]

You have to close the gate valve and raise the water level up.

 

[njreejer]

It’s low right now because I was adjusting height to see if it would make any difference. It doesn’t matter if the gate valve is completely open or closed, I get the same noise

 

[blstravler]

What Is that on the top of the collection cup - auto cleaner of some sorts? Do you still have the hole in the top of the collection cup that lets air in or is that blocked off with the auto cleaner is what ever that is? I have the same skimmer but I don’t have that auto cleaner or what ever it is up top. Which pump are you using - Mag 9 it came with?

 

[Keithb22]

Yeah that water level is at half the recommended level, if read the book he sends you and that usually gives you everything you need to set it up correctly. My lifereef is the quietest piece of equipment I have. If you can’t figure it out, I’d definitely call Jeff, he’s awesome about getting back to people and troubleshooting.

 

[njreejer]

What Is that on the top of the collection cup - auto cleaner of some sorts? Do you still have the hole in the top of the collection cup that lets air in or is that blocked off with the auto cleaner is what ever that is? I have the same skimmer but I don’t have that auto cleaner or what ever it is up top. Which pump are you using - Mag 9 it came with?

It’s an avast marine swabbie & im using a varioS 2 pump. I’m not aware of a hole on the top so if there is one it’s definitely covered by the swabbie. I guess that might be a possible reason. I’ll try taking off the swabbie and see if it makes a difference

 

[Water Dog]

Might want to consider a stronger pump. VarioS-2 is a little light IMO.

 

[Mrx7899]

The hole is on the side of the lid were the rim is its small. Might be sucking air from under the neck cleaner. I would take it off and reglue it with hot glue around the rim of cleaner for a better seal.