Skimmer Question.....

[steveoutlaw]

The skimmer I'm running on my frag system gives me about 1/4 cup of skimmate per week, but it really builds up a heavy layer of gunk in the neck of the collection cup.

 

Which is better and why:

-wait until the cup fills up more?

 

or

 

-clean out the skimmer cup weekly?

[Bob]

Steve,

My skimmer does the same. If I am not lazy I empty and clean, even if just a little skimmate in cup. All logic says the skimmer works better if clean. If I am lazy I let it go until I feel like cleaning. Bob

[lhcorals]

I have noticed that my skimmer works better when neck is clean. I clean the skimmer cup and neck every 2 days.

[zygote2k]

Easy answer-

 

empty it daily into a container and let the stuff dry. weigh it.

empty it weekly and let it dry.

 

Compare the weights and see which one pulls more out.

[fishcam]

The skimmer I'm running on my frag system gives me about 1/4 cup of skimmate per week, but it really builds up a heavy layer of gunk in the neck of the collection cup.

 

Which is better and why:

-wait until the cup fills up more?

 

or

 

-clean out the skimmer cup weekly?

 

I've got this problem too. The buildup is on the inside of the neck and the skimmate is on the other side in the collection cup. IME I've found that the skimmer basically stops skimming when the buildup becomes too thick (say a quarter inch) When this happens I notice a lack of skimmate and I clean the system out. I drain my skimmate daily with a timer and aqualifter, but since the buildup is on the inside, I dont think it matters what I do with the skimmate.

 

d

[GaryL]

isn't this the old wet skim dry skim debate? cant remember where i had seen it..either here or RC.

[steveoutlaw]

isn't this the old wet skim dry skim debate? cant remember where i had seen it..either here or RC.

 

Not really. I like skimming dry - I'm just not sure if the skimmer performs as well with the buildup on the neck vs. cleaning it frequently.

[GaryL]

i was told when i first got into this hobby that skimmer perform much better clean, including the chamber. i pulled my beckett skimmer apart and and found a buttload of tube worms in there.. all be it a good sign of a healthy tank IMO they can cut down the foamy action. so i guess the buildup in the skim mate the i guess it could hinder foamy performance..if that make sense.

[jason the filter freak]

I'll echo what the rest have said, skimmer works better when clean. This certainly is the case on my Aqua C remora pro X

[johnnybv]

Nah, let it get dirty, then throw it away and buy a new one....

Edited July 11, 2009 by johnnybv

[steveoutlaw]

Nah, let it get dirty, then throw it away and buy a new one....

 

 

Ah, Johnny........if only you had one that fit my system!!

 

And, by the way, I'm not sure why you said that........you act like I buy and sell a lot of stuff in this hobby!!

Edited July 12, 2009 by steveoutlaw

[treesprite]

Most likely the lower you have the level of the top of the bubles in teh neck, the more gunk you will get in the neck. I think the gunk inhibits skimming to a certain extent. My cup is too hard to remove so I use an airline through a hole in the cap to drain it, and just use my fingers and papertowells to clean the cup. That stuff is just plain nasty, but it should be a sign that your skimmer is taking the gunk out of the water.

[reefmontalvo]

From what I have seen your Skimmer needs to have a layer of protein in the neck in order to properly draw up the foam it produces into the collection cup, I clean mine once a week or when I see the skim mate at a certain level in the cup. The gunk build up is certainly out of the tank and no longer in the water. The problem I have seen (and this is first hand) is when you allow some of that gunk build up to fall back in to the skimmer, you start running into problems. For example I cleaned my skimmer some time back last week, and when I placed everything back I adjusted the foam to be a little higher than normal not much but a hair past where the collection cup neck and the body meet at that o-ring. After a few days everything was fine and then one night when I got home from class late in the evening I heard splashing water which we all know that is not good. I opened the door and found the skimmer had been overflowing and not really skimming, I later found out thru a friend, by setting a skimmer a little higher than normal some of the protein gunk falls back in to skimmer and causes the skimmer to go into overdrive. So long story short you need that small layer of protein gunk in the neck but not a lot just enough to help push the foam into the collection cup.

[cabrego]

So, is this situation considered dry skimming? I think so.

 

I have the same issue, my skimmer is pulling very dark liquid but the neck seems to cake up with the big nasty gunk. I would rather see the gunk in the collection cup, rather than building up in the neck. I am going to likely adjust my setting to see if I can skim a bit wetter to prevent the build up.

[reefmontalvo]

So, is this situation considered dry skimming? I think so.

 

I have the same issue, my skimmer is pulling very dark liquid but the neck seems to cake up with the big nasty gunk. I would rather see the gunk in the collection cup, rather than building up in the neck. I am going to likely adjust my setting to see if I can skim a bit wetter to prevent the build up.

 

Dry skimming refers to the foam in the cup. I think we are all getting massive build up of protiens in the neck. I still get liquid skim mate in the cup along with a thick build in the neck of the collection cup.

[chucelli]

if you adjust your skimmer to skim wetter, your skimmer will stay clean longer and operate at peak efficiency longer.

Skimmers definitely work better when clean, as the bubble integrity holds longer when rising through a clean surface.

[cabrego]

Dry skimming refers to the foam in the cup. I think we are all getting massive build up of protiens in the neck. I still get liquid skim mate in the cup along with a thick build in the neck of the collection cup.

 

Same here, but i do not think I can skim any more dry. As noted, it makes sense that skimming a bit wetter will probably help keep the crud out of the neck.

 

Currently, my skimmer seems to skim a bit on the slow side but it is very dark liquid along with all the gunk in the neck.

[jnguyen4007]

When you guys do your water changes regularly, say every 3 to 4 days, do you notice if there is less crud for the skimmer to pull out of the water or about the same?

[treesprite]

When you guys do your water changes regularly, say every 3 to 4 days, do you notice if there is less crud for the skimmer to pull out of the water or about the same?

I imagine if the water changes are consistent the gunk would be consistent as well.

 

Here you go, want some breakfast?

[Coral Hind]

When you guys do your water changes regularly, say every 3 to 4 days, do you notice if there is less crud for the skimmer to pull out of the water or about the same?

 

You do a water change every 3 days?

[treesprite]

A good practice is to every day or two set the skimmer on fast/wet skimming, with an airline to suction the water out into a bucket, for a couple gallons worth of what will be yellow or pale green water. There has to be some bubble action going on, but don't set it so slow that you have to stand there all day.

[reefmontalvo]

You do a water change every 3 days?

 

Double , I never did water changes for almost a year until I got an RO/DI unit. Now I do a 10% water change once a week. The pain is getting the new water ready and aged and mixing with the salt. and the fact I have a dehumidifier running in the house so water evaporates super fast.

[guppychao]

for what its worth, i also heard that you can do water changes through your skimmer if you get it super wet.

i guess the logic is that it removes all the "bad" water.

[reefmontalvo]

for what its worth, i also heard that you can do water changes through your skimmer if you get it super wet.

i guess the logic is that it removes all the "bad" water.

 

That sounds good but the problem with that is you remove any water good or bad. Plus you run the risk of filling a container that will just spill on the floor and cause a smell in the area.

[treesprite]

That sounds good but the problem with that is you remove any water good or bad. Plus you run the risk of filling a container that will just spill on the floor and cause a smell in the area.

 

You use an airline (like 1/4th") so the skimmate will drain into a bucket that is big enough to hold the water, and you watch it without leaving the room. Once the initial increase in "wetness" is over, the bubbles get smaller and "thinner" and may disappear if you don't re-adjust, so you stay there and re-adjust when needed to make the through-skimmer change as effective as you want it to be compared to just taking water out of the tank. It's a matter of how much time you want to spend on water changes and how patient you can be.