CPR Bakpak Help!

[colindoug3]

Just picked up a bakpak... the instructions kind of blow.
The first instructions about the o-ring are "slide the oring up or down until the desired skimmate wetness is acheived"
well, thats all good and well... but there are no prior instructions on where this o-ring goes.
I am assuming it goes around the collection cupin between the actual skimmer body. It was a tight squeeze, so I want to make sure thats where it goes before I break it. Dont want to crack the welds on the acrylic before it even skims. Thanks, Colin.

[colindoug3]

I guess in the picture it just rests on the rim... so its not making an airtight seal? Its just to hold it at a certain height?

[suver569]

The 0-ring goes on the collection cup. Start it around half way up the cup, and adust accordingly. If after a few hours, it's full of water, move the ring down the cup. If no foam is coming up, move the ring up the cup.

Oh, and yes, the ring rests on the rim.

HTH

[jrjuiliano]

The o-ring just keeps the cup from falling in. Start with about 1/8" below the water line and then adjust up and down to get the best amount of skimmate.

At one point or another you'll start getting a lot.

[colindoug3]

Perfect, thanks guys.

[sonnybihis]

The instructions say to rinse the collection cup cone with hot water. Did you do that too? I just got a CPR Aquafuge PS and it's doing pretty well. However, compared to my BackPak, it's not producing as much foam. The only difference is that the Aquafuge PS has a Maxijet 1200, and the BakPak has a Rio 600. Obviously it does make a difference. I thought the 1200 would be better, but right now it isn't. I guess I need to figure it out.

[Dakota]

Also, remember that a newer skimmer may need time to break-in and you may not see much foam for a week or so. Don't panic if you don't see any foam during this time. My bakpak only took a few days to start up, but you never know.

[Phischy]

I've got a CPR Bakpak 2 and the air line seems to always be getting fouled. Anyone else have problems with this? It seems that every two weeks I've got to take the damn thing out and clean the airlines. It has a Rio pump (stock), is that the problem? Otherwise it works great when everything is clean.

[Dannyboy]

It has a Rio pump (stock), is that the problem?
Yeah those Rios completely suck. It's so worth it to get the MJ1200 with the venturi attachment so you can adjust the air and water flow. Makes a big difference in performence. All the newer CPR's are comming with the MJ1200 now stock.

[Phischy]

I don't think I've ever heard anything decent about the Rio's but from the amount of maintence and pain it's been, I think I'll pick up a different pump this weekend and finally get it straightend out. I can use the Rio to pump water back behind my live rock to eliminate some of the dead spots.

Thanks for the advice.
*edit*
Whoa, wait a second, isn't the MJ1200 a bit big for the CPR BakPak? I've got one of those as a powerhead and it flows way too much. It also wouldn't fit in the skimmer box either. Is there a smaller MJ that would work better?

[sonnybihis]

I have the MJ1200 on my Aquafuge PS and like I mentioned before, the Rio600 I have on my BakPak make more bubbles that the MJ1200. I've tried adjusting it as much as you can, but still the 600 wins. I've had the 600 for almost 8 years now too! I've cleaned out the MJ1200 and everything, but it doesn't help. Any ideas?

[Phischy]

I've got the Rio600 on my bakpak but the airline is always getting clogged. I think the 'L' shaped piece that attaches the air hose to the pump is a POS as it looks like it's splitting. Do you have this problem? I'm going to have to take it out again this weekend to fix it so my skimmer will skim again. It's such a pain in the butt.

[Dannyboy]

Whoa, wait a second, isn't the MJ1200 a bit big for the CPR BakPak? No, the MJ1200's are perfect. An MJ900 will also fit in the intake but the 1200 works way better. It seems like alot for it and I though so at first too, but unlike the Rio, the MJ's are adjustable. As far as fitting in the skimmer box I'm not sure cause I dont use one. Mabey since the new CPR's are comming stock with the 1200 the new skimmers boxes are built to accommodate them. Just with the countless horror stories of Rios catching on fire, or frying the tank(Marlo), I would never use a small Rio in any of my tanks.

[sonnybihis]

Phischy - I replaced my tubing with the flexible kind and don't usually have any problems. Every once in a while it might get a little clogged. When that happens I just blow into the air tube and it clears it right up. Are you using a prefilter box? If so, are you using the sponge at the inlet? I do. It seems to work fine. Like I said before, I've had mine for almost 8 years and it's still running. Hope this helps.

[colindoug3]

Originally posted by sonnybihis
The instructions say to rinse the collection cup cone with hot water. Did you do that too? I just got a CPR Aquafuge PS and it's doing pretty well. However, compared to my BackPak, it's not producing as much foam. The only difference is that the Aquafuge PS has a Maxijet 1200, and the BakPak has a Rio 600. Obviously it does make a difference. I thought the 1200 would be better, but right now it isn't. I guess I need to figure it out.
Sonny... To my understanding you have a skimmer with a rio and a refugium with an MJ. You say the fuge doesnt produce as much foam? The device is not meant to produce foam, just to circulate water into the fuge and gravity takes it back out. The skimmer produces the foam because air is injected just before the impeller, creating lots of microbubbles. Hope this helps, or is this just a misunderstanding?

[lucubrator]

The aquafuge PS (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12591&inm=1&N=2004+22768+2035) ha s skimmer built in.

[colindoug3]

aaah I see.
Another question guys...
The collection cup doesn't fit perfect in the skimmer body. It's somewhat loose, there is a gap in between that foam is climbing (just a little on the outside of the funnel). Is mine a defect, are they all like this? It seems to me that it would perform alot better if there wasnt the gap.

[Dannyboy]

It does seem wierd that there is a little gap but thats just how they work. As long as the foam is not climbing up the side of the collection cup its fine.
Hey sonny, how have you had the rio for 8 years? I guess its not the one that came with the fuge? Thats a miracle Rio! Out of the 3 rios I have ever bought, not one made it past 3 months.

[Phischy]

If you mean that little sponge that is like a little pillar, the snails kept pushing it all over the place so I removed all the sponges in mine. The only gripe I have is the airline gets clogged with salt creep or in one case what i think was a flatworm. How it got in there I haven't a clue. I've had mine since early December.

[sonnybihis]

Hey dannyboy, yeah it's been about that long. I got the 600 with my first CPR Bakpak, the OG one with the spillway instead on the outlet pipe. Yeah, I probably jinxed it now that I've been bragging about how long I've had it. But I've always cleaned it as soon as the flow seemed a little low (which wasn't that often), so maybe that's it. My Aquafuge PS (PS for protein skimmer) does have the skimmer built in. CPR just started making them and it seems to perform it's function quite well.

Hey colindoug3, I think someone already answered this for you, but yeah, the skimmer is built into the fuge. Sorry, my fault for assuming people know what the "PS" in Aquafuge PS is. My bad. Thanks for posting back!