expected skimmer output

[MatthewJ]

The skimmer on my RSM (old school) barely seems to work. I have done the "air hose in cup" mod. If I were to dump it once a week, what should I expect in terms of output (how much of the skim should I expect in the cup)? I feel like it's not working well enough. In the 2 months I've had the system up I would guess maybe 4 tablespoons of total output. I continue to get algae and I'm going to have to remove the live rock and scrub it once again. I'm seriously considering getting another skimmer.

I know load and feeding make a big difference. I have 2 clown fish, fed very lightly and at most once a day (although I often skip days). The typical CUC. Some coral frags. I would guess about 30 lbs of live rock. I have on 2 occasions target fed the yellow polyps.

 

[Reefmack]

Same situation I had Maybe try running it every other day & see what happens? I guess it's possible there's nothing to skim, but when I replaced my skimmer it started cranking stuff out within a day or two.

 

[redseareef]

I have a question for you. you say very little in the collection cup correct? but, is the neck of the skimmer getting brown gunk stuck to it?

 

[ReefGuy69]

Also what type of water are you using? You may be skimming all you can at this point in time but maybe you are using water full of phospates which is causing the algae to grow. I would feed every other day with the load you have.
Other things to consider:
Lighting, make sure your tank isnt by a window with natural light.
If its not then cut back your lighting. If your at 12 hours go to 8 hours or less.
How bout flow? maybe your not moving enough water. Make sure you dont have spots where you notice things just settling there. Your water should always be moving all over your tank. it really is hard to get to much flow.
i would start with those.

 

[MatthewJ]

I have a question for you. you say very little in the collection cup correct? but, is the neck of the skimmer getting brown gunk stuck to it?

I mean in the collection cup. I guess I never really consider the thin brown film on the inside of the collection cup (where the bubbles come up through) to be significant.

 

[MatthewJ]

Also what type of water are you using?

RODI water. 0 TDS.

I would feed every other day with the load you have

Today I feed probably 5 out of 7 days. I start to feel bad for the clowns. Will they thrive when just fed every other day for long periods?

Lighting, make sure your tank isnt by a window with natural light.
If its not then cut back your lighting. If your at 12 hours go to 8 hours or less.

The only window in the room was covered weeks ago, and it wasn't resulting in direct sunlight on the tank. I did reduct the lighting to about 10.5 hours.

How bout flow? maybe your not moving enough water.

1 week ago I got a korilia pump. So now I have the standard RSM pumps in the upper left (including a hydor deflector on one) and the Korilia on the opposite side. I really have no idea where to direct flow though.

 

[Reefmack]

If you have a buildup of brown gunk on the bottom neck of the cup, and top of the skimmer chamber, that's where the skimmate is being deposited. That was my problem - it was skimming stuff out but instead of making it up into the cup it was all deposited on the neck & upper chamber. That brown buildup is actually counter-productive to getting stuff into the cup - the deposit can break the bubbles before they make it up into the cup.

 

[redseareef]

myusernamerocks,
The reason I ask if the neck in the cup is getting muddy all the way through or from the bottom up only so high, "but you are not getting any skimmate the cup is this:"
Sounds to me like your water level in the skimmer is way too low! Raise the level up by adding water to the tank or adusting the overflow box if you have one.
If you do not have a overflow box i would recommend getting one for sure. Then start marking the water level in one of the sump boxes with a piece of masking tape or electrical tape.
Monitor the level and note the changes to the skimmer production in the cup. Continue to raise the level until you start getting skimmate. Then fine tune the level to your desired color of skimmate with the overflow box and or water additions to the desired level.
This certainly was a design flaw or should I say "barbarack" design on teh first model. However, the overflow cup in my opinion will certaily change this immensily!
I have saw pics of your skimmer pull out some good gunk! It's all a matter of getting that water level just right. The overflow box just makes it easier, and the new viewing level winder is the iceing on the cake for the new model!
The tape or mark on the back will substitute the water level eye we hav eon the new model.
I think if you do this, you will not need to spend the money on another skimmer. The original skimmer may just be fine.
DO YOU AHVE ANY PICS OF THE BUBBLE OUTPUT FROM THE SKIMMER THAT YOU CAN POST?? That would be great and I would love to see some pics!
I hope this helps

 

[redseareef]

Also,
HAve you deisassembled the air intake on the skimmer and looked in the hole? They get plugged with salt quite quickly(all needle wheel pumps do at the air intake) and need to be cleaned. This also may be a big part of the problem.

 

[Reefmack]

Good points redseareef! The water level in the skimmer is extremely important. On the other hand, nothing I ever tried got my skimmer working well. I tried several mesh mods on the impeller, etc. I'm pretty sure these things must be hand assembled from the looks of them, and I'm still convinced that there's some tolerance on the original skimmers that varies between one skimmer and the next depending on how they were assembled. Some work great and others don't. I think the new surface skimmer overflow box may solve some of the problems with the original skimmers, by allowing the water level to be raised in both the tank and in the skimmer chamber in back. Good point also on checking the air hose for a possible salt deposit obstruction.

 

[MatthewJ]

If you have a buildup of brown gunk on the bottom neck of the cup, and top of the skimmer chamber, that's where the skimmate is being deposited.

Maybe I'm not talking about the same thing? I'm talking about the inside of the cup. There will naturally be some gunk on that part of the cup because the bubbles carrying the gunk travel up it no? Kind of like the tube of your remora in this pic (btw, what skimmer do you have today reefmack?):

 

[Reefmack]

Yes - the tube of the skimmer cup. That buildup will keep bubbles from getting up the tube into the cup. Also - look at the top of your big skimmer chamber - it is coated with a lot of brown deposit as well? That'll also cause the bubbles to break before even getting into the neck. It's a messy job, but I used to shut the skimmer off, take off the cup, pull the skimmer chamber up and try to wipe that deposit off as best I could with paper towels. I'd even pull the whole skimmer out at times (leaving the skimmer pump balanced on the back somewhere, and rinse the whole thing out in the sink. Then I'd get a teeny bit of skimmate in the cup, for a while. 4 tablespoons of skimmate in 2 months is practically nothing.

Also check your air hose to be sure the pump end isn't cracked. You might even want to pull it off and rinse it out (redseareef's comments) to be sure it's not obstructed.

I'd wait for the new surface skimmer to be released before replacing the skimmer - it just might fix the problem. Time will tell on that one.

 

[MatthewJ]

Thanks for the ideas folks.

I have the old model and my understanding is that there is no overflow available yet for the old model (I'm talking about the "overflow box" that is like the one on the new 130D). I'm waiting anxiously for it to become available in December.

RedSeaReef, I'll double-check the for salt buildup in the air intake. Do you mean the valve where you adjust or where the intake connects to the skimmer (or whatever it connects to, never actually looked).

I'll also clean up the dirt in the skimmer cup/tube. I actually do have some pictures where the skimmer was working much better for a few days. I'll post when I get home. It's all relative though...I NEVER saw the kind of action reefmack is getting with his skimmer.

 

[redseareef]

I am talking abou the nipple that the airline attatches to! That becomes clogged with salt always and should be cleaned out at a regular basis! I like to get a drill bit the hole size and thraed it though. When you pull it out it threads on the bit are CAKED FULL of white salt and mineral deposits! This cuts the air intake down dramatically and increased water throughput.
Skimmers need to be paid very close attention to. It's right up there at the top for keeping water quality where it needs to be!
Get us some pics man! Of that thing in action! The reason I ask is it may just have been built with a POOR water/air intake percentage! IF that the case it may take some modding.
However, I have seen some really gunky skimmate pics from your skimmer!
Thanks

 

[Reefmack]

Redseareef - you brought up an interesting point. There was an owner or two in the past that saw improved skimmer performance when replacing the RSM air valve with one of the low cost plastic ones from the lfs. Maybe it wasn't that the original air valve was poor quality, but instead was clogged with salt. Interesting. I wonder if could all be that simple. It sure would be an easy fix.

 

[MatthewJ]

checked the airline, everything looks fine. I cleaned this out pretty good when I first got the tank. I cleaned up the skimmer. I keep my water level in the tank just under the plastic rim. I deleted my old pictures of the skimmer, but here are some new ones:

 

[redseareef]

Rocks,
Thanks for the pics. It looks like quite a bit of air bubbles in there to me! IT looks ot me like the water level is too low for the skimmer.
The reason I say that is there is not a uniform amount of grunge on the neck of the skimmer.
Can you raise the water level safely in the sump area? Since you do not have a overflow box in the tank, where is the water level at in the tank?
Thanks

 

[Reefmack]

How's the water level in the back and in the pump chamber - is it close to the top of the pumps - maybe 1/2" or less from the top. Are you cleaning the sponge every few days? Anything you can do to keep water level up in the back will get the water level up in the skimmer and help skimming by lowering the amount of height that the bubbles need to climb to get into the cup. And maybe follow redseareef's comments above (and mine) about the airvalve itself possibly being clogged with salt.

 

[Reefmack]

The best way to raise the level in back (other than clean filters) is to drop that gate all the way to the bottom to get maximum water pulled into the back.

 

[MatthewJ]

There have always been a TON of bubbles. The sponge gets cleaned about every 3 days, and as you can see it has been trimmed down. When I turn on just one of the pumps, the water level is above the pumps. The bubble/water level within the skimmer rises a good 1/2" inch. With both on it drops to about 1/8" or so below the top of them. There is a corresponding drop in the skimmer. where do you guys keep your water level in the main tank?