Skimmer out of sump

[Druas]

I was looking to change my skimmer to be out of sump beacuse my skimmer takes up too much space in it and it is hard to clean or reach in for maintenance.

 

the sump is 30g. my main tank is 70g

 

my skimmer also does not get much gunk in it, so i wanted to change it anyway

[jamal]

what is your question? are you looking for skimmer recommendations? what do you have now?

[Brian Ward]

you can convert your existing skimmer to recirculate so you can move it out of the sump, or you can buy a new skimmer. which are you thinking of so we can give you either recommendations or instructions

[Druas]

this is where i got my sump/skimmer from

 

http://www.4fishtank.com/sump%20filter.htm...%20combo%20AV55

 

it doesnt have any name/brand

 

I set it up such that the bubbles would stop near 1/4th of the cup, thereby pushing the skimmate up to the top over time.

 

It just seems to slow down / die out over few days. I have adjusted the air nozle but it doesnt do much good becuase if the skimmer is turned up high then it would just overflow or if it is turned down then it doesnt catch much.

 

the pump isnt good either, its noisy at times.

 

so i was considering replacing the whole skimmer setup with something thats nice and actually catches gunk.

 

my sump is 20"L x 16"W x 19"H

the chamber where the skimmer is located is not big enough for most skimmers which was why i wanted to look for an out of sump skimmer. I could put just the pump in it and would lke to have the skimmer cup be over the sump if possible incase it overflows

 

any suggestions on this setup

[zygote2k]

Get a 10 or 15 gallon tank to use as a sump. Cheap, easy, and efficient skimmer is an ASM G1x.

Skimmer recommendations are like ***holes- everyone has one. Find one that is easy to clean, works as stated and meets your budget.

[Origami]

How big is your system? You might consider a hang-on skimmer like a Turboflotor 1000 Multi SL or, for a small system, even an AquaC Remora Pro. The turboflotor can be used in sump or as a hang on. In the hang-on configuration, the footprint needed in the sump is fairly minimal (about 7" deep or so x 10" wide or so). If you had enough room out of the sump, you could run an external skimmer.

[Druas]

How big is your system? You might consider a hang-on skimmer like a Turboflotor 1000 Multi SL or, for a small system, even an AquaC Remora Pro. The turboflotor can be used in sump or as a hang on. In the hang-on configuration, the footprint needed in the sump is fairly minimal (about 7" deep or so x 10" wide or so). If you had enough room out of the sump, you could run an external skimmer.

 

i am considering getting this for my 70g

 

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~act...es~vendor~.html

 

i wanted to get the pro model but my clearance is about 25.5 in the stand so I cannot get that

[quazi]

I have a hang on tank (HOT) Remora Pro available it you are interested. It works great, and is perfect for a 70 gallon tank.

 

You can hang it on your sump or in your tank. Take a look here.

[jamal]

the skimmer you listed in the fourth post would be underrated for your tank. you want something that can skim 150-200gal. for a system with 100gal.

Edited February 9, 2009 by jamal

[Origami]

The Urchin is too small, in my opinion. Depending upon your bioload, a Remora Pro with a Mag 3 may even be a bit undersized. The Aqua Medic turboflotor 1000 multi SL costs as much as a Remora Pro but is sized for a larger system. It's not as sleek as the Remora Pro but I think you may be looking at a Hang-on-Sump installation, not something that's hanging off of your display. If you're too space constrained even for a Turboflotor (which I think will probably work for you, but if not) but less constrained on price, another option is the Deltec MCE600.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Origami2547

[Rascal]

IMO, ditch the wet-dry combo sump and put a container with enough room for the skimmer you want. A standard size fish tank would be fine:

20high 24x12x16

20long 30x12x12

29g 30x12x18

 

Any one of those would give you enough room for the skimmer being offered here: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?show...c=28190&hl= at a really good price.

 

You can always add baffles later. Just go to any glass shop and ask them to cut pieces of 1/8" or 1/4" plate glass to your specs. Then get a tube of silicone and you're all set.

 

Also, it is never a good idea to restrict the air intake on a skimmer if you can help it, because the more air you have mixing with water the better your skimmer will do what it is designed to do. A better way to drop the level of foam in the skimmer body and stop it from overflowing is to reduce the pressure needed for water to exit the skimmer. On some skimmers this is accomplished by opening up a valve on the outflow. For a skimmer like yours the best way would be to lower the height of the exit pipe.

[Druas]

Also, it is never a good idea to restrict the air intake on a skimmer if you can help it, because the more air you have mixing with water the better your skimmer will do what it is designed to do. A better way to drop the level of foam in the skimmer body and stop it from overflowing is to reduce the pressure needed for water to exit the skimmer. On some skimmers this is accomplished by opening up a valve on the outflow. For a skimmer like yours the best way would be to lower the height of the exit pipe.

 

i will try lowering the height of the exit pipe. i believe thats the portion with the sponge.

ill test it out in a bucket because it a pain in the *** doing it in the sump i have atm.

 

the exit pipe does have a valve which is open all the way. if i try closing it my foam is rising too quick. i have most of my issues because the foam rises too quick when the air valve is open all the way.

 

i have not tried dropping the water level in the sump yet. i have an auto top-off unit that tops of to line indicated on the skimmer body " water level should be here"

 

thanks

[steveoutlaw]

Also, it is never a good idea to restrict the air intake on a skimmer if you can help it, because the more air you have mixing with water the better your skimmer will do what it is designed to do.

 

 

I have to respectfully disagree.......I know that the higher end skimmer manufacturers actually recommend that you restrict the amount of air entering the skimmer to get the perfect air/water mix. Not sure about the skimmer you have, but have to agree with the above.......make sure you get something that will handle your water volume and bio-load.

[Druas]

I played around with my current skimmer last night. I got rid of the exit sponge which was makes the exit flow quicker resulting in the foam to build up at a lower level.

its doing better now but i dont think this skimmer will cut it for me .

 

I am trying to get the deltec mce600 in trade from someone. i hope that will do it.

 

I also lowered the water level in the sump which is helping a bit, but I have a 2nd issue which is causing a minor problem here.

My durso pipe setup in the overflow is setup such that the water level in the overflow fluctuates by a couple inches. this causes the sump level to rise up and down by about a half inch over a 20 sec period or so.

 

I have been living with this because its was a trade off with more noise from the durso to less noise. I stuck small piece of pipe from the durso hole top which reduced the gurgling noise substantially but caused the water level height to fluctuate a small amount in the overflow( couple inches).

 

so anyways this was causing the foam in the the skimmer collection cup to push up every so often a little more, which required me to downplay the level to keep that in mind.

 

dunno if that makes any sense, but i wanted to give you some more insight about the behaviour

[zygote2k]

The problem with the Durso pipe causing the sump level to change is simply because the return pumps more gph than the overflow can handle in gph. Try placing a valve on the return pump to slow the amount going back to the tank.

If the skimmer is such a poor design that it needs to have an exact water level in the sump, skip that one and use one that doesn't rely on sump water level.

3 examples come to mind: Turbo-flotor SL, Turbo-flotor 1000, and ASM G1x. Any of these 3 skimmers are very efficient and can handle about 150 gallons easily.

[Druas]

The problem with the Durso pipe causing the sump level to change is simply because the return pumps more gph than the overflow can handle in gph. Try placing a valve on the return pump to slow the amount going back to the tank.

If the skimmer is such a poor design that it needs to have an exact water level in the sump, skip that one and use one that doesn't rely on sump water level.

3 examples come to mind: Turbo-flotor SL, Turbo-flotor 1000, and ASM G1x. Any of these 3 skimmers are very efficient and can handle about 150 gallons easily.

 

the manufacturer also mentioned that the return pump is not the best of quality that they have. so I am thinking of changing that as well. keep it as a backup if ever needed.

570gph main pump. any suggestions on what pumps i could get to replace this.

[zygote2k]

the manufacturer also mentioned that the return pump is not the best of quality that they have. so I am thinking of changing that as well. keep it as a backup if ever needed.

570gph main pump. any suggestions on what pumps i could get to replace this.

A good, reliable pump that I have been using for almost 15 years is the Rio series. The 1700, 2100, and 2500 make excellent return pumps. Another good one is a Mag 5, 7, or 12. Both are submersible and are easy to clean. The Rios come with a flow valve.