Dialing in RSK-900, Red sea reefer 425 v2

sneakerhead

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Hello guys,
Having a hard time dialling in this skimmer; been almost a month.

One problem I am having is keeping the water levels at the suggested line on the skimmer.
My current setup is reefmat, this skimmer, and vectra m2 in the sump.

Does anyone else with a red sea sump/skimmer have any suggestions?
 

TheBear78

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Which water level are you struggling with? The sump water level that it's sat in or the top of the aerated column within the skimmer?
Also, which sump chamber do you have it in?
I have the 425 XL V2 but not with a RS skimmer which in this case is probably the issue.
 
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sneakerhead

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Is the water level in your sump at the recommended levels? Sometimes that make a world of difference
Well, it should be. As I am using the float valve, ATO provided the sump.
At least, that's my hope.
Which water level are you struggling with? The sump water level that it's sat in or the top of the aerated column within the skimmer?
Also, which sump chamber do you have it in?
I have the 425 XL V2 but not with a RS skimmer which in this case is probably the issue.
I think the skimmer chamber's water level

I'm pretty confident that where the chamber skimmer sits fluctuates, even though the float ATO seems to be working fine.

I have it in the 3rd chamber, left of the pump. so the top left of the sump. the bottom half of the sump has reefmat etc.


A better question would be, could this be attributed to how open the return to the sump is? Or does that not matter as long as the equilibrium is balanced; return opening vs pump speed producing the water?
 

Petcrazyson

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I have it in the 3rd chamber, left of the pump. so the top left of the sump. the bottom half of the sump has reefmat etc.
Shouldn’t it be in the designated skimmer chamber? The water level drops faster in the return pump chamber than the rest of the sump because the return pump is constantly running water and sending it back to the tank. For some skimmers the water level needs to be right under the gate valve. But idk if thats the case for your skimmer.
 

Petcrazyson

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To make sure the skimmer is at peak performance the water level for your specific skimmer should be touching the sticker on your pipe connected to the gate valve that say “water level”
 
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sneakerhead

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Shouldn’t it be in the designated skimmer chamber? The water level drops faster in the return pump chamber than the rest of the sump because the return pump is constantly running water and sending it back to the tank. For some skimmers the water level needs to be right under the gate valve. But idk if thats the case for your skimmer.
I believe that is the skimmer chamber, maybe I'm describing the location incorrectly.
Regardless, I'm trying to get the water to the designated line. Not sure how to achieve that.
Should I be closing the water return line more?
 

Petcrazyson

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I believe that is the skimmer chamber, maybe I'm describing the location incorrectly.
Regardless, I'm trying to get the water to the designated line. Not sure how to achieve that.
Should I be closing the water return line more?
So to raise the water level in the skimmer, you need to turn the valve (on the skimmer) to the right. If you want to lower the water level in the skimmer, turn the valve left. It’s a kinda righty tighty lefty loosey scenario.
 

Petcrazyson

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So the skimmer (red) should be in this chamber and the return pump (blue) should be in the chamber behind all the main and emergency drain pipes are. You can kinda see a sliver of that return pump chamber where the blue arrow is pointing. Hope this is what you meant by the chambers.
1667502617605.jpeg
 

TheBear78

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Well, it should be. As I am using the float valve, ATO provided the sump.
At least, that's my hope.

I think the skimmer chamber's water level

I'm pretty confident that where the chamber skimmer sits fluctuates, even though the float ATO seems to be working fine.

I have it in the 3rd chamber, left of the pump. so the top left of the sump. the bottom half of the sump has reefmat etc.


A better question would be, could this be attributed to how open the return to the sump is? Or does that not matter as long as the equilibrium is balanced; return opening vs pump speed producing the water?
Only the top right (return) chamber should vary in height and even this is maintained at the level of the float valve.
I have my skimmer in the bottom left (left hand, closest to the door) and while I do have it (Bubble Magus C5) much higher than recommended the chamber level remains constant except when the return is switched off. I've lost count of the number of times I've forgotten to turn off the skimmer during feeding and had all the brown muck overflow back into the sump...
Anyway, I don't think that either of the left hand chambers is wrong necessarily.
Out of interest, is the return chamber sat at the float valve level? On mine this is noticeably lower than the rest of the sump.

20221103_194859.jpg
 

Petcrazyson

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Only the top right (return) chamber should vary in height and even this is maintained at the level of the float valve.
I have my skimmer in the bottom left (left hand, closest to the door) and while I do have it (Bubble Magus C5) much higher than recommended the chamber level remains constant except when the return is switched off. I've lost count of the number of times I've forgotten to turn off the skimmer during feeding and had all the brown muck overflow back into the sump...
Anyway, I don't think that either of the left hand chambers is wrong necessarily.
Out of interest, is the return chamber sat at the float valve level? On mine this is noticeably lower than the rest of the sump.

20221103_194859.jpg
Why do you turn it off during feeding? It should never overflow during feeding if set correctly.
 

TheBear78

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No? The return chamber‘s water level does rise when switched off but my other sump chambers don‘t fill up.
If you have return nozzles lower in the tank it will drain more before the syphon is broken. In my case, even with a hole drilled to break the syphon enough flows back to affect the level of each chamber.
I also run my flow at around 7-8 times per hour which I have found requires a higher volume than if I ran it slower.
 

Petcrazyson

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If you have return nozzles lower in the tank it will drain more before the syphon is broken. In my case, even with a hole drilled to break the syphon enough flows back to affect the level of each chamber.
I also run my flow at around 7-8 times per hour which, being at the higher end, requires a higher volume than if I ran it slower.
What tank do you have? Mines a RedSea model and the nozel(s) are at the very top at the overflow box.
 

TheBear78

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Same as the OP, 425XL V2.
I have added random flow generaror nozzles which are directed downward to cover deadspots in my gyre flow. I drilled a syphon break as high as possible without water squirting out of the tank but even so...
 

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