Before work, I looked at my sump and was pleased with an inch of brown skimmate produced by the Diablo skimmer. All was well and it looked like the skimmer was getting broken in nicely. When I got home from work, the T5's were off and the ominous clatter of the Mag 7 return was not apparent. The return pump's impeller sheared off the front end of the venturi and locked up. This raised the water level in the sump and the skimmer kept chugging away and overflowed the skimmate into the sump producing an inch thick layer of sea foam. I removed the Mag 7 and replaced it with my old Mag 5 and ordered a new pump (Diablo DC 3500). The tank has stabilized and the skimmer is working to purge the tank of waste material. I wanted to hold off on ordering a new return pump, but sometimes reality changes the I can wait to geez I should have ordered it with express shipping! Madness has been averted for now...................Jim
The pump was at the end of its life and could not be salvaged. The fittings were worn on the pump motor so the impeller would rotate about 1 to 2 degrees off true. The pump was always kept clean and the impeller was replaced recently. It may have had a slight defect in the epoxy coat which caused abnormal wearing of the fittings. The power went off this afternoon and when power was restored, the pump impeller's torque was enough to rip out the front of the venturi. I always have a backup for cases like this.....................Jim
I did an annual impeller replacement on that particular pump. The Diablo DC-3500 has adjustable speeds. I have one on my new skimmer and it seems to work very well. They have a fairly heavy duty impeller and I really like the adjustable speed settings. Jamie--it is a good thing to have a backup pump. Breakdowns usually occur when stores are closed or especially when you go on vacation.......................................... ...Jim
Jim - You may have no ill effect on the tank with this mishap but a controller could prevent it. I have an APEX controller and have it set to shut off top-off unit (Tunze) and Skimmer if main pump fails. I also have it set to delay the start of the skimmer and top off when main is turned back on. This way after a power outage the skimmer doesn't overflow while the tank levels are stabilizing. Expensive I know but it has saved me a few times already.
I may to try a controller in the future. I expect to receive the new pump soon. Apparently most of the vendors do not have the Dc 3500 in stock. The tank has recovered with no ill effects so far. The new skimmer has been pulling out a lot of waste from the water. By next month, I'll know whether I can remove the nitrate reactor from the sump.....................Jim
Last edited by Jim Z.; 08-11-2013 at 06:01 AM.
Reason: Add item.
As a note to others. Mag drive pumps have small plastic washers on the impellar shaft. When they wear thin the impellar can wobble. The result is a broken impellar cover. If these washers are replaced regularly the pumps will last for many years.
The equipment upgrade is now in full swing. I replaced my Euro Reef skimmer with the Reef Octopus DCS 150. This skimmer is powered with the DC 3500 pump and it performs very well and it runs quietly. The skimmer is handling the bioload and is producing quite a bit of skimmate. I also replaced the Mag 7 with the Diablo DC 3500 pump. I'm running it at half power and the flow is comparable to the Mag 7 at that setting. I am looking into replacing my over-driven T5 setup with an LED lighting system. I do like how the LED's can be adjusted for some systems and my T5's almost crank out too much light which leads to bleaching and lack of color for some SPS corals. I stopped by Reef Paradise on Saturday and talked to Andy about lighting, carbon dosing etc. Andy has a nice shop and if you are near Flint--it is worth stopping in to check out the corals. I liked Andy's LED setup and the SPS were showing some nice coloration. I'm looking into purchasing the Reef Breeders Photon 32 which may work very well on my tank. Now time to start saving for the lighting upgrade................................Jim
Mag 7 Dies, Tank foam Madness
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