Maxi streams

[MR Teee]

Just following on from another thread in this section, has anyone built a maxistream or is interested in building one.

I actually bought a couple of the kits from the states and could do a bit of a guide if anyone is interested?

[stegoodall]

yeah i'd be interested, i just bought a maxi jet 1200 off ebay. it doesn't have a strainer though, could i still do this? it has the output deflector thing and the bit which can join to flexi-pipe, sorry not sure what the bits are called

[MR Teee]

You dont need any of those bits actually.

Just the pump body, and the impellor assembly.

I shall get a tutorial sorted!

[stegoodall]

sounds good to me, seen a few tutorials around but they seem to have different opinions on certain things such as carbon rod etc, and they aren't all as simple as they say they are :) or is it me being simple :D

[Lulabell55]

hi i would be very interested as i,m running 4 maxi pumps and i think with this conversion i will only need to run 2 please can you tell me were you got these kits from and how much they are many thanks kerry

[MR Teee]

No problem Kerry I will have a bash at the tutorial tomorrow, as I'm off out tonight.

The kits were from a place in america called http://www.mjmods.com (http://www.mjmods.com/). Think in total for 2 kits it was around £30.

If you are any good at DIY you could gather the kit yourself, but i preferred the or finished look you get with these sorts of kit.

[Cudders]

Hmmm, I wait with interest :)

Love all things DIY

Cudders

[stegoodall]

MR Teee, have you got any further with this? :)
have you put your kit together? is it worth doing?

cheers
stephen

[MR Teee]

Yep built 2.

I had totally for gor about this. But will get pics etc up later tonght.

[stegoodall]

nice one, much appreciated

[MR Teee]

Right then, I ordered the delux kit for 2 maxijets from http://www.mjmods.com (http://www.mjmods.com/)

It cost £30 and was delivered within a week. (no trouble with customs etc)

Upon opening the kit I got :
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r5/adambirkitt/DSCF0801.jpg

I think they have updated it now and you also get a shield to stop vortexes fromt he surfac of the tank forming.

[MR Teee]

Construction is easy and should pose no problem to eveen the most hamfisted types.

Following the instructions provided, I put the cap on the shroud and added the stopper.

The most tricky part was snapping off the plastic on the magnet assembly from the impellor and hollowing it out.

I found the best fit materials were the acrylic tube and the stainless rod. I found the carbon parts to be either too saggy or too tight.

Sticking the propellor on plumb and straight was tricky as the superglue took an age to dry. I reckon if I had used a quality brand of glue then it would have made the job alot easier.

It was simply a case of waiting for it all top dry, (I left them overnight) and to get them in tank. When they fired up one was a bit rattley, but after an hour or so it was as silent as the other one.

They kick out a serious amount of flow. Not quite as much as a 6100 stream on full flow, but they are pretty damn close. When I pull my finger out and make an acrylic hanger for them both I will hav them in either corner of the tank, facing my stream and wavebox.

HTH

[stegoodall]

sounds promising. is there a stopper part to prevent it turning the wrong way? thats the bit that always confuses me, i just dont see how it would work or where it would go.

[callum_parsons]

very cool
do u reckon it would be possible to convert other powerheads?

[jlowden]

another interested onlooker to this one,,i.e. me

[MR Teee]

sounds promising. is there a stopper part to prevent it turning the wrong way? thats the bit that always confuses me, i just dont see how it would work or where it would go.

Stopper is easy, Take an inch of the acrylic and sharpen the end in a pencil sharpener. Rub the end on a bit of sandpaer so it isn't a poin any mer but still tapered. 2cm from the end of the shroud, drill a tight fitting hole for the acrylic and stick it in.

Thats all there is to it.

If the prop spins the wrong way, it tries to move out toward the end of the housing. It then hits the stopper, Stops! and starts spining in the other direction.

[MR Teee]

very cool
do u reckon it would be possible to convert other powerheads?

It is possible, but some involve more DIY (some less).

I think it has been done to aquaclear powerhheads.

The hardest bit I think is makling the shroud from scratch.

On a yank website, someone actually did this mod to an eheim pump. It was actually lifting rocks off the bottom of the glass and pushing others to the end of an 8 footer!

[callum_parsons]

have you got any pics of them to get a feeling of size?
i like the idea of doing this but not sure if it would look right in my tank

[MR Teee]

Willl sort you one out shortly Callum.

[reefbloke]

Ive just knocked up a stream type affair from an Aquaclear 802,once ive sorted the stopper ill post some pics.

[Lulabell55]

i have just ordered 2 of these kits from the states how are yours going and what brackets do you use to hold them thanks

[MR Teee]

Running fine at the moment.

For the brackets, I used a strip of acrylic, and formed it into the shape of a hook. Then I used another flat piece with a couple of plastic bolts to clamp it onto the side of th tank.

I only did this because I had chucked the original maxijet hangers, I think these would be better to use IMO.

[Lulabell55]

ok thanks do they work as well as you thought ??

[MR Teee]

More so, they kick out a serious amount of flow over a wide dispersed area.

Just a tad less flow than my 6100 stream on full whack.

The only thing you have to watch is when you are building the propellor assembly, keep it all straight, otherwise it will vibrate and make a noise when its in the tank.

[stegoodall]

MrTeee are you stil using these? do they work as well as when you first made them?
ta
stephen

[MR Teee]

Not using them at the moment, but were fine until I took the tank down. Bout 6 months of trouble free running though.

Good flow too.

I supppose how well they work depends on how well you build them. Take your time and do everything carefully and they should run fine.

[stegoodall]

how much was postage from mjmods? i am thinkin about getting 2 kits for my 1200's

[MR Teee]

Not much, bout a tenner. With the dollar being so weak, they are even better value now.

You should get 2 kits for 30 quid delivered.

[stegoodall]

i'll have a look on the site later then
cheers adam

[stegoodall]

$62 for 2 high flow 1200 kits delivered, thats about £30 so doesnt seem to bad a price. are there any spares you would recommend getting?it would save ordering them another time

[MR Teee]

Not really, you get enough spare bits in the kits anyway.

Just be carefull with the shrouds and end pieces , as you only get 1 go!