advice needed please

[Maui The God]

hello, im still new to this forum so here is like my first official post. i hope this is in the right category. im looking for advice. i just recently set up a new saltwater tank. i got myself a innovative marine nuvo 50 int with the stand. im using a bashsea ss cube sump. so the tank has been running for about two months now, i got some corals, 2 banggai cardinals, a hi fin goby and a cleaner shrimp. tank has been running smooth. my one year old son loves it, which makes me happy

so im starting to hit the ugly phase with some algae growing, nothing major. i havent had my skimmer running at this time. i figured id let the tank settle in and bioload get established. i recently had the skimmer plugged in and running the past week and nothing but overflows. the skimmer is the red sea rsk300. i figured itd be overkill but would be good once the bioload picks up. am i wrong? is this skimmer way overkill in general? any recommendations? i was originally looking at the reef octopus regal 150 int skimmer because it had the dc pump. i figured with the more control it wouldnt be crazy overkill. i chose not to go that route and was recommended the rsk300. should i be concerned that its overflowing and not skimming right now? should i look into getting a smaller skimmer and cut my losses?

the other thing is my goby is now hanging out in the fudge section on my sump. i only had some live rock down there for now. i thought i lost him cause hes so tiny. i thought he jumped or was stuck inthe overflow section. im happy to have found him. he looks safe and is getting fed so maybe ill let him grow out a little bit. i need advice on the best way to cover the slits for the overflow. i have some plastic mesh from a project i did a while back that i could use. i didnt know if anyone is using something they could recommend.

i will say ive been a lurker. just reading through the forums soaking up info. this is one active site here. i love it and ill say thank you for any advice given

 

[Crustaceon]

Look into “bird netting”. You can usually get it as either a diy aquarium top kit or from a hardware store. Get the 1/8” stuff if you can.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Run skimmer. They rarely pull gunk on a new tank. Adjust flow tube accordingly to allow more air and creation of fine bubbles

 

[Maui The God]

wanted to give a quick update on my situation here. thank you to Crustaceon. ironically i had some of that bird netting at my parents house. rigged it up to cover the overflow slits. because the netting was black you dont even know its there. i feel like my little goby is alot safer. he is back in the tank now. i reintroduced him and made sure to "pre dig" a burrow for him towards the front of the tank so theres less chance he'd get caught or like sucked to the overflow. it has worked out great. he had a burrow from that spot to the back and left of the tank and now hangs out in a rock towards the back left of the tank. he darts in and out or just pokes his head out of the rock and chills. he seems to be less bothered by the shrimp or even the flow in the tank. so thank you again.

vetteguy53081 i took your advice and let the skimmer run. i let it run with as much air as possible. ive raised and lowered it. it still is just overflowing the cup and i have the leave the drain hose open and running to a filter sock. the microbubbles are killing me. i will be adding more fish in about two weeks. should i keep it going and hope with the heavier bioload the skimmer will..skim? i can see the cup starting to get some very light skim to it but if i close the drain line itll just overflow. it this just something that i live with until the bioload gets closer to what the skimmer actually does? like is this a growing pain with a slightly overrated skimmer? in the past ive had skimmers better rater for my tank and even in the early stages of the tank itll skim. if the honest opinion is that itll be overkill no matter what i dont mind doing a trade or something for a smaller rated skimmer like a reef octopus but i dont want to hit the panic button prematurely.

 

[saltyhog]

The overflowing of the skimmer doesn't have anything to do with it's appropriateness for the tank or the bioload. A new skimmer usually does this for a while.

I cleaned mine thoroughly with white vinegar and that seemed to reduce the over flowing. You should have adjustment for air flow and water flow. If you can't adjust them to achieve reasonable skimming after a while there may be something wrong with your set up.

 

[Pistondog]

wanted to give a quick update on my situation here. thank you to Crustaceon. ironically i had some of that bird netting at my parents house. rigged it up to cover the overflow slits. because the netting was black you dont even know its there. i feel like my little goby is alot safer. he is back in the tank now. i reintroduced him and made sure to "pre dig" a burrow for him towards the front of the tank so theres less chance he'd get caught or like sucked to the overflow. it has worked out great. he had a burrow from that spot to the back and left of the tank and now hangs out in a rock towards the back left of the tank. he darts in and out or just pokes his head out of the rock and chills. he seems to be less bothered by the shrimp or even the flow in the tank. so thank you again.

vetteguy53081 i took your advice and let the skimmer run. i let it run with as much air as possible. ive raised and lowered it. it still is just overflowing the cup and i have the leave the drain hose open and running to a filter sock. the microbubbles are killing me. i will be adding more fish in about two weeks. should i keep it going and hope with the heavier bioload the skimmer will..skim? i can see the cup starting to get some very light skim to it but if i close the drain line itll just overflow. it this just something that i live with until the bioload gets closer to what the skimmer actually does? like is this a growing pain with a slightly overrated skimmer? in the past ive had skimmers better rater for my tank and even in the early stages of the tank itll skim. if the honest opinion is that itll be overkill no matter what i dont mind doing a trade or something for a smaller rated skimmer like a reef octopus but i dont want to hit the panic button prematurely.

1st off, welcome Mr dolo and son.
I had the same problem, vertex 150 on 75g + 25 tank. Would skim, but any little thing would overflow it. Tried all the reccomendations, restriction on air input, raise etc. Just too much water from the pump. Bought a reef octo 150 elite with varios . Put it in, turned the tube fo 1/3, dialed speed down to 3 of 5 and there it sits 3 months later working better than the vertex could. Stop banging your head against the wall, get the reef octo with varios, then move on to the next challenge.

 

[Maui The God]

The overflowing of the skimmer doesn't have anything to do with it's appropriateness for the tank or the bioload. A new skimmer usually does this for a while.

I cleaned mine thoroughly with white vinegar and that seemed to reduce the over flowing. You should have adjustment for air flow and water flow. If you can't adjust them to achieve reasonable skimming after a while there may be something wrong with your set up.

the skimmer has been doing it for about two months. i assumed not enough bioload or it was overrated. i only gave it a warm water run but i didnt do any vinegar or anything. i can definitely try that. recommendation on what to use? any specific white vinegar? if i remember right its like a small ratio of vinegar to water. but it doesnt have to be organic or anything does it?
if that doesnt work what could be wrong with the set up? like the water level stays consistent and if i made adjustments in terms or water level i let it run for almost a week when i set a new water level.

 

[Maui The God]

1st off, welcome Mr dolo and son.
I had the same problem, vertex 150 on 75g + 25 tank. Would skim, but any little thing would overflow it. Tried all the reccomendations, restriction on air input, raise etc. Just too much water from the pump. Bought a reef octo 150 elite with varios . Put it in, turned the tube fo 1/3, dialed speed down to 3 of 5 and there it sits 3 months later working better than the vertex could. Stop banging your head against the wall, get the reef octo with varios, then move on to the next challenge.

thank you! pictures should come soon. i never did a build thread cause im more of a lurker but i do have a whole video recorded of the process
that exact skimmer was my fist option. i figured it would be overrated for my tank but with the dc pump it would make up for it. i felt like i settled a bit with the rsk 300 but even this one would work great. figured to not hit the panic button right away and give it a chance since this hobby is all about patience

 

[Pistondog]

thank you! pictures should come soon. i never did a build thread cause im more of a lurker but i do have a whole video recorded of the process
that exact skimmer was my fist option. i figured it would be overrated for my tank but with the dc pump it would make up for it. i felt like i settled a bit with the rsk 300 but even this one would work great. figured to not hit the panic button right away and give it a chance since this hobby is all about patience

If its dc,can you dial the speed down?

 

[Maui The God]

If its dc,can you dial the speed down?

the one i have is the red sea rsk 300. its an ac. but had some nice features so i went with it after it was recommended

 

[DungSl1nger]

hello, im still new to this forum so here is like my first official post. i hope this is in the right category. im looking for advice. i just recently set up a new saltwater tank. i got myself a innovative marine nuvo 50 int with the stand. im using a bashsea ss cube sump. so the tank has been running for about two months now, i got some corals, 2 banggai cardinals, a hi fin goby and a cleaner shrimp. tank has been running smooth. my one year old son loves it, which makes me happy

so im starting to hit the ugly phase with some algae growing, nothing major. i havent had my skimmer running at this time. i figured id let the tank settle in and bioload get established. i recently had the skimmer plugged in and running the past week and nothing but overflows. the skimmer is the red sea rsk300. i figured itd be overkill but would be good once the bioload picks up. am i wrong? is this skimmer way overkill in general? any recommendations? i was originally looking at the reef octopus regal 150 int skimmer because it had the dc pump. i figured with the more control it wouldnt be crazy overkill. i chose not to go that route and was recommended the rsk300. should i be concerned that its overflowing and not skimming right now? should i look into getting a smaller skimmer and cut my losses?

the other thing is my goby is now hanging out in the fudge section on my sump. i only had some live rock down there for now. i thought i lost him cause hes so tiny. i thought he jumped or was stuck inthe overflow section. im happy to have found him. he looks safe and is getting fed so maybe ill let him grow out a little bit. i need advice on the best way to cover the slits for the overflow. i have some plastic mesh from a project i did a while back that i could use. i didnt know if anyone is using something they could recommend.

i will say ive been a lurker. just reading through the forums soaking up info. this is one active site here. i love it and ill say thank you for any advice given

i had the same issue with my RSK 300. I just left the drain tube in the sump and open until it “broke in” (9 days). I haven’t had an issue since.

Others leave the cup off. I used the tube to keep splashing water to a minimum.

 

[Maui The God]

i had the same issue with my RSK 300. I just left the drain tube in the sump and open until it “broke in” (9 days). I haven’t had an issue since.

what size tank do you have? and did you give it a vinegar bath or a clean before using it? im thinking i may need to. ive left it open but its legit been like a month and still no break in really. i just want to make sure that im not missing anything or if there is something i need to do

 

[DungSl1nger]

54 gallon (RedSea reefer 250). I cleaned it with tap and then RO to remove any remaining manufacturing oils off. I am no expert but I also played with water levels too. My waterline is at the top of the fill sticker. This may help but as it is my first skimmer it worked so I stopped Messing with it. It drove me mad and had me watching YouTube video after video.

 

[Maui The God]

54 gallon (RedSea reefer 250). I cleaned it with tap and then RO to remove any remaining manufacturing oils off. I am no expert but I also played with water levels too. My waterline is at the top of the fill sticker. This may help but as it is my first skimmer it worked so I stopped Messing with it. It drove me mad and had me watching YouTube video after video.

okay im thinking i may give it a good clean in some white vinegar like saltyhog recommended and then a good rinse in ro water. ive tried mine at three levels the top of the sticker, about midway and then the bottom of the sticker. id like it to work so i can stop worrying about it and i can stop messing with it lol. but i was also ready to cut my losses and find a trade or something if i had to. appreciate the feedback. makes me feel better knowing it isnt just me and someone with a similar sized tank to me had issues that were resolved

 

[DungSl1nger]

okay im thinking i may give it a good clean in some white vinegar like saltyhog recommended and then a good rinse in ro water. ive tried mine at three levels the top of the sticker, about midway and then the bottom of the sticker. id like it to work so i can stop worrying about it and i can stop messing with it lol. but i was also ready to cut my losses and find a trade or something if i had to. appreciate the feedback. makes me feel better knowing it isnt just me and someone with a similar sized tank to me had issues that were resolved

it is just another one of those think that takes forever to come around. I agree give it a wash but other than that just let it run. It will be broken in soon enough. It was a characteristic of the product when I was searching for answers.

 

[Maui The God]

it is just another one of those think that takes forever to come around. I agree give it a wash but other than that just let it run. It will be broken in soon enough. It was a characteristic of the product when I was searching for answers.

thank you for the positivity. at first i was salty not gonna lie cause this was my second choice but ill give it a wash, and let it run. maybe ill update in another two weeks or month lol

 

[DungSl1nger]

thank you for the positivity. at first i was salty not gonna lie cause this was my second choice but ill give it a wash, and let it run. maybe ill update in another two weeks or month lol

I understand. I have bought some stuff for this tank that are either blah or don’t last. I’m biggest issue is cleaning the sand. I already did a rip clean but that takes forever and isn’t practical. I like the skimmer now (chose it because it fit my sump).

 

[Maui The God]

quick update for the people here. so as i was giving the red sea skimmer a cleaning and rodi bath someone i know who i gave everything i had for a 180 gallon tank because he had a power surge that killed his equipment, hit me up. i gave him everything i had because i was moving out of my parents house and moving out on my own and wasnt taking the tank with me. he was a super cool guy and extra thankful. i said hey keep the tank going and dont worry about repayment or anything. i told him whenever i get a tank back just hook me with with some corals. i gave him jaebo pumps and some ebay leds so nothing special. well he hit me up on facebook to give me an update on his tank, which looks great. he asked if i had a tank again and i said yes. gave him an update on mine.he said he was upgrading his skimmer and asked if i wanted to try his old one. i said sure. he had a reef octopus regal 150int. so legit the original skimmer i wanted. i asked if he wanted money or anything he said no. i lost my mind. tried to cash app him and he sent the money back. so the update here is ive been running that reef octo skimmer for a week and a half now. it is doing great. easy to turn and its pulling out some nasty stuff. im so happy. and i guess karma comes around. i didng even really get a chance to retry the red sea skimmer, but the reef octo one is working great with no complaints. so i guess now to possibly sell the red sea skimmer.

side note build video will come soon and update video will be coming soon too if anyone is interested

 

[xxkenny90xx]

quick update for the people here. so as i was giving the red sea skimmer a cleaning and rodi bath someone i know who i gave everything i had for a 180 gallon tank because he had a power surge that killed his equipment, hit me up. i gave him everything i had because i was moving out of my parents house and moving out on my own and wasnt taking the tank with me. he was a super cool guy and extra thankful. i said hey keep the tank going and dont worry about repayment or anything. i told him whenever i get a tank back just hook me with with some corals. i gave him jaebo pumps and some ebay leds so nothing special. well he hit me up on facebook to give me an update on his tank, which looks great. he asked if i had a tank again and i said yes. gave him an update on mine.he said he was upgrading his skimmer and asked if i wanted to try his old one. i said sure. he had a reef octopus regal 150int. so legit the original skimmer i wanted. i asked if he wanted money or anything he said no. i lost my mind. tried to cash app him and he sent the money back. so the update here is ive been running that reef octo skimmer for a week and a half now. it is doing great. easy to turn and its pulling out some nasty stuff. im so happy. and i guess karma comes around. i didng even really get a chance to retry the red sea skimmer, but the reef octo one is working great with no complaints. so i guess now to possibly sell the red sea skimmer.

side note build video will come soon and update video will be coming soon too if anyone is interested

Nice! I love stories like this!

Soulo dolo... You Kid Cudi?

 

[Maui The God]

Nice! I love stories like this!

Soulo dolo... You Kid Cudi?

bro huuuuggeeeee kid cudi fan haha. didnt want to take the name as he spells it so i put soulo as in soul to put a deeper perspective on the name lol. respect for seeing the reference!