I am finishing my diy skimmer! I have a quiet one 3k feeding water, and another quiet one 3k rc mod on the skimmer with a venturi from petsolutions. i had it setup the normal way most skimmers are as far as having the venturi hooked up to the suction part of the pump. However, i dont have a needlewheel and it produces more noise! So I was wondering would it still work if i put the venturi on the return part of the pump would it work? And if anyone can tell me where to get a needleweel impeler for a quietone pump!!

I don't think it would work if you put the venturi on the output of the pump. Atleast it wouldn't work near as well as on the intake. As far as the needle wheel goes, I have no idea where you might find one. You could try marine depot or custom aquatic, they have allot of odds and ends like that. If you don't have any luck there, you could try to make one. Try researching the 'bioball mod' or other ways of making a diy needle wheen.

I know the point of DIY is to save money, but if you run out of luck, you could research what some skimmer makers are using for pumps with needle wheels, buy one of those pumps, then buy the replacement impeller from the skimmer company.

I don't see why putting the venturi on the output of the pump wouldn't work. Yes, it's not as efficient at making a froth as a needle wheel, but that's the traditional way venturi were used before the needle wheel revolution.

You might want to look at the Sedra pumps they are needle wheels. Same pump as ASM uses. I am going to replace the stock pump on my Coralife Super Skimmer with one.

sedras are great. you can get a full needle wheel assembly with venturi from custom aquatic

Ok, from my understanding, the point of using the venturi on the intake is to have the air bubles in the pump to be whipped up by the impeller (iddealy a needle wheel) however, if you're not using a needle wheel impeller, there is not a huge gain by having the venturi on the intake,

in fact, if you get to much air in the impeller chamber at one time, the impeller will lose resistance and this will cause the motor to temporarilly spin faster which will a) burn out the motor over time or b) cause bits and pieces of the impeller to break off (like hitting water at high speeds, it can hurt).
This is what ive learned over time from the pump people. I do not believe a venturi will ever do this in the proper circumstances, but i like to be safe.

but yess, its the venturi itself that creates the bubbles, if you do not know what it does, it pinches the water flow right before the air inlet, this creates somewhat of a vacuum with the water rushing past it, this creates a nice frothy foam. Not as frothy as if you had run that foam through a needle wheel (ideal).

If you have a regular impeller, IMO, it will not do much for the bubbles, and by running it on the return of the pump, you get more water flow out of the pump, less sound coming from the pump, and ultimately, more bubbles (faster flow through the venturi=more bubbular-type vessles)

So yeah, to sum up this long-winded explanation, all a needle wheel impeller does is whip up the already frother venturi water, if you don't have a NW impeller, no need (in my eyes) to have the venturi in the intake.

Hope this helps

Needle wheel impellers deal with air/water mixture better than 'paddle type impellers'. Paddle type impellers do work, but needle wheels work much better because they can handle more air in comparison.

I've ran a GenX-2400 without a needle wheel for a couple of weeks and was satisified with the results. I then threw in the needle wheel and it made an obvious difference in bubble size and density.

Not only does the impeller make a difference ... the venturis make a huge difference too. The GenX venturi sucked big time. I made my own and it made a HUGE difference in air volume.

I don't have an 'air meter' but it doesn't take a scientist or a meter to show you that the pump is drawing more air.

I wouldn't use a venturi on the output of the pump to drive a skimmer, especially after witnessing the performance of a needle wheel type skimmer (with or without a needle wheel impeller).

Here's my DIY Skimmer Page:
DIY Needle Wheel Skimmer (http://randystacye.com/diy_needle_wheel_skimmer.htm)