wet skimming vs. dry skimming

[trble81]

Our new AquaC Remora came in yesterday and we hooked it up to our tank (yahooo). When I was reading the directions, it talked about adjusting the collection cup whether or not you wanted to skimm wet or dry. Now I've read discussions between people regarding this subject and I want to know what's the difference.

 

I know the fundamental differences (a lot white frothy foam vs. not) but I was wondering what's the advantage of one over the other (if there is one).

 

I apologize in advance for any fights/arguments that may break out as a result of this question. :wink:

 

Thanks.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I've always kept my Remora's collection cup at the lowest point - not that that answers your question. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever have any issues with your Remora the folks at AquaC are extremely friendly and helpful. I've had mine for over three years and recently needed to replace the plastic screw that covers the spray injector's cleaning hole and they sent me three new ones free of charge.

Edited February 20, 2007 by Sugar Magnolia

[Caribbean Jake]

I have a Remora for three years. the screw thread is all %#$& up, but it still works. Now must of the time it skimms dry, and leaves a very messy scum, he riht after cleaning the head it skimms wet, for a day o two and goes back to semi-dry to dry the rest of the time. I clean it once a year. and it works like a champ

[trble81]

I'm glad we went the right way with picking this skimmer for our tank...

 

But as far as wet vs. dry...?

 

Right now we have it at it's lowest point while the break-in occurs.

[Caribbean Jake]

I have a Remora for three years. the screw thread is all %#$& up, but it still works. Now must of the time it skimms dry, and leaves a very messy scum, he riht after cleaning the head it skimms wet, for a day o two and goes back to semi-dry to dry the rest of the time. I clean it once a year. and it works like a champ

did I mentioned this Remora is the skimmer for the 55G ?

 

I have an old CPR914 with a sedra 3500 pump on the 125G tank

[YBeNormal]

I like to skim sort of wet, like thick dark tea or maybe even a little wetter. I've never really understood the idea of trying to get the skimmate to be as thick and dark as possible.

[trble81]

Step one, cut a hole in the box....Step two, ..... wait ..... wrong thread..... :wink:

 

Step one, type in words to search on the forum search engine.... Step two, read what comes up... Step three, post so you don't seem too dumb:

 

Wet vs. Dry Skimming

 

Foam draining is a critical stage for most skimmers. One problem with drainage is that some organics are washed away with the draining water. There is always an equilibrium between organics in solution, and those actually attached to the interface. As water continues to drain, some of the organics are lost. Further, as some bubbles pop and their organics are redistributed into the nearby water, the local concentration of organics in the water between the bubbles in the foam can rise to concentrations far higher than are present in the aquarium. For this reason, the most effective skimming, in terms of total organic removal, comes from removing somewhat wet foam, rather than waiting for this same wet foam to drain prior to removal. The primary difference between wet foam, and drained dry foam, is that additional water and some organics have drained away. A dry form is more efficient in terms of the amount of organic removed in relation to the water volume, and all skimmers and their potential adjustments strike some balance between removing more water and slightly more organics, or less water and slightly fewer organics. Perhaps a careful analysis of different types of skimming will, in the future, show this expected result experimentally.

 

 

Please feel free to still voice opinions on the subject.

[YBeNormal]

This is another of the hotly debated topics on reef forums, probably second only to MH vs T5 discussions.

 

My theory and unscientific observation is that wet skimming will remove more particles than dry skimming. If I skim wet, the bubbles will push whatever load they carry into the collection cup even if it is insufficient to totally coat the bubble. With dry skimming, more particles have to accumulate on the bubbles before they have enough surface tension to rise to the top of the neck on the collection cup. Too bad I can't prove this theory, or at least I haven't put any energy into doing so.

 

P.S. Your question was not dumb at all!

Edited February 21, 2007 by YBeNormal

[Sugar Magnolia]

P.S. Your question was not dumb at all!

Agreed.

 

Umm....Derrr. I just realized you linked yourself to the article I was linking to. I'm an idiot.

Edited February 21, 2007 by Sugar Magnolia

[Caribbean Jake]

 

P.S. Your question was not dumb at all!

 

The only dumb question is the one not asked on time, or the one not asked at all.