Reef Octopus Essence 130 skimmer - anyone else have this?

[LPTJ]

I’ve had the Reef Octo Essence 130 for about 3 years now. LOVE the skimmer.

I clean it regularly, run it in vinegar water every 6 months or so and it’s always like new. Periodically I disassemble the neck and clean it. Sometimes it gets water in there the salt residue will constrict airflow. Nonetheless it’s easy to clean.

Recently it’s not getting nice foam and filing the cup with very thin skimmate.

My first skimmer, Is it just time to replace it or are there parts I can replace to keep this thing going? Ideally I’d keep it going. Works really well for me and skimmers are expensive.

Interested to hear from anyone else who has experience if possible

 

[scuba steve]

Look first for anything restricting air or water flow nto the pump. If everything is fine there you can try replacing either the impeller or the whole pump. Shouldn't be a reason to replace the whole skimmer.

 

[LPTJ]

Thank you, appreciate it! I’ll start there

 

[LPTJ]

Update. Replaced the pump and getting great, stable performance now. Unclear if the problem was the pump, impeller or even perhaps the O Ring seal.

For others who have this skimmer: this was kind of a pain in butt. First off, the Aquatrance 1800s pump is not easy to find. I found one on Aqua Cave. These folks are very responsive and helpful.

The pump design is different than what is in the skimmer. It doesn’t look correct in the photos and you’ll need to remove some parts. Not much info out there but I did find one video which shows some key parts removal.

You’ll need to remove the front pump cover plate, unscrew the outlet on top to screw in the bubble plate. The Venturi adaptor on the front is of the volute cover is removable, however, the remaining intake valve is not long enough to securely fit the Venturi adaptor from the Essence 130. I used the volute cover from the old pump and swapped the o Ring seal. This all worked out great.