Skimmate from Macro Needlewheel...

[vincegoh]

Needlewheel is using the mechanical moving impeller of the pump to draw in water/air mixture and chopped them in to tiny bubbles using the needlewheel impeller.

Venturi uses the principle of water velocity(flowrate) passing through a narrow chamber which then expands again, this causes a pressure differencial & therefore naturally suck in the air. During the process where the air enters the chamber, the speed of the water chop it into tiny bubbles.

Both Venturi and Needlewheel are equally effective in producing fine bubbles. There are many other factors like the height, diameter of the reaction chamber, sizes of the riser.......etc vs the pump capacity & methods that determines the skimmer capability.

If you are looking at maintenance cost, of cos the venturi will supercede the needlewheel, unless you are using titanium impeller. Which will probably last you a life time.

Eric

Mmm... so from what u have said, that means the needle wheel actually suck in air and water before the impeller and the impeller with the speed of the water will "chopped" the air and mix the 2.

As for normal venturi, only the speed of the water will "chopped" the air.

Basic principle of differential pressure still the same.

If the 2 work at the same efficient, then I suppose using a venturi is good enough, right?

By the way, with the same specification, which one is cheaper?

[andysho]

i am using macro skimmer but always cant get

dry foam

can anyone teach me how to really set it to get dry foam...

[flubberina13]

i am using macro skimmer but always cant get

dry foam

can anyone teach me how to really set it to get dry foam...

You adjust the thing that is the only red thing in the whole skimmer...dun know what it's called...

Nayway, I forgot to mention something until one fellow reefer called me to enquire if I faced the same problems...

Through the six months of usage, there were three occasions when the skimmer 'faulted'...this is what happened...

I will hear something that sounds like churning coming out of the pump and the needlewheel will stop 'chopping' bubbles and the sound will cease after I switch off the skimmer. What I need to do to rectify the situation is to... take the pump out and put it under tap water and rinse it. Sometimes having the need to give it a scrub. After putting it back and switching on the power, viola...it's back to normal.

Can anyone explain this mini phenomenon based on my layman ways of explanation? I can even produce the sound effect if you still dun understand...

Any macro needlewheel skimmer user experiences this too?

[nutx]

i am using macro skimmer but always cant get

dry foam

can anyone teach me how to really set it to get dry foam...

To get a dry foam, you will need to wait fro abt 3 days to break-in......

Adjust the red-knot for more flow coming out, so that the water level is maintain just below the grey ring, where the main chamber slant-in.

foam will form slowly, and need abt 2-3 days, in order for the foam to be thick enough to flow up the collection cup. (I think this is bec the pump is not strong enough, you can change to a stronger pump and use back the needle-wheel)

When I was using it, I adjust the water level to the point abt middle of the slanting portion....and foam will start in 3-4 hrs. but quite wet skimmate.

The design of the narrower collection cup has made the foam to flow up faster, and hence wetter.....This is what I think...

[Eric]

You adjust the thing that is the only red thing in the whole skimmer...dun know what it's called...

Nayway, I forgot to mention something until one fellow reefer called me to enquire if I faced the same problems...

Through the six months of usage, there were three occasions when the skimmer 'faulted'...this is what happened...

I will hear something that sounds like churning coming out of the pump and the needlewheel will stop 'chopping' bubbles and the sound will cease after I switch off the skimmer. What I need to do to rectify the situation is to... take the pump out and put it under tap water and rinse it. Sometimes having the need to give it a scrub. After putting it back and switching on the power, viola...it's back to normal.

Can anyone explain this mini phenomenon based on my layman ways of explanation? I can even produce the sound effect if you still dun understand...

Any macro needlewheel skimmer user experiences this too?

Its call pump cavitation..........a pump is basically build to push liquid and not gases. A compressor is build to push gas. Cavitation started occuring when the air bubbles collapse as they pass from the eye of the pump to the higher pressure side of the impeller causing high vibration on the impeller and therefore you will hear some noise coming out of the pump follow by the drop in pump capacity (flowrate).

For dryer foam, I tune the water level at the bottom of the collection cup and reduce the air intake slightly using those air tubing valves ($0.50). By reducing the air intake slightly, I notice the air bubbles on the surface of the foam become smaller and tend to stick together easily, so slowly the foam will be pushed up to the top of the collection cup, I remove the top cover for the foam to fall freely into the colection cup instead of the foam bubbles bursting at the top. The foam is quite dry and can remain in the collection cup for hrs.

Eric

[yuji]

*weee..* I just got myself a macro needlewheel skimmer today! Hehe, upgraded from an airstone skimmer to macro needlewheel.

[giantbicycle]

*weee..* I just got myself a macro needlewheel skimmer today! Hehe, upgraded from an airstone skimmer to macro needlewheel.

U can start to see the real effectiveness and the potential of this skimmer...and realised how much Skimmate is there in your tank

[shoelevy]

yeah

its the best budget skimmer u can find

good buy

cheers