Help me maximize the function of my skimmer!

[mjt82]

I have a Reef Octopus Elite 200S skimmer with a DC pump. This is by far the nicest skimmer I have owned, and I am getting (what I consider) nice consistency skimmate. I have to empty the cup about once every two weeks, but my bioload is rather low for my 220 with a 40 gal sump. When I set the skimmer up, I somewhat blindly set the pump speed and air intake to produce a water level that I thought would do well, and it has so far... I guess.

Recently, I played around with the pump speed and the air intake a little bit - I found that as I raised the pump speed the water level in the skimmer would rise (makes sense). Also I played around with the air intake a bit and tried to observe the relationship between the pump speed and the air intake. It's sitting in a consistent 9" of water, which seemed to be the optimal operating height, per the research I performed before buying the skimmer.

I'm using a fresh air intake to help with boosting my ph, so ideally (in my mind) I want to have the most optimal air intake possible. I recently watched a ReefBuilders video in which @Jake Adams used a Aqua Medic Airmeter to assist in tuning the air intake of his skimmer - I emailed Aqua Medic, and they informed me that the Airmeter has been discontinued, unfortunately.

Does anyone have any pro-tips for me in helping me to maximize the function and efficacy of my skimmer?

 

[laverda]

I am sure Aqua Medic just sold a rebranded gauge from someone else. Dwyer make a large range of gauges. I have one of their guages somewhere.

 

[Diesel]

Imo you have enough air coming into your skimmer.
All you looking at is to improve contact time between the water and air.

I do not know this skimmer but it seems to have a DC pump as you increased the flow of it right?
Next question is with what kind of pump does it operate?
Does this skimmer rely on a Venturi or some kind of needle wheel/bubble blaster?

 

[mjt82]

Imo you have enough air coming into your skimmer.
All you looking at is to improve contact time between the water and air.

I do not know this skimmer but it seems to have a DC pump as you increased the flow of it right?
Next question is with what kind of pump does it operate?
Does this skimmer rely on a Venturi or some kind of needle wheel/bubble blaster?

Yes, it has a Reef Octo DC pump feeding it with a needle wheel impeller.

 

[CMO]

I have the Elite 150 with auto neck cleaner. The neck cleaner has been great and will certainly improve skimming while reducing maintenance. Although the neck cleaner is easy to take off it's kind of bulky and wired up so you'd probably also want a skimmate locker along with it. The neck cleaner and skimmate locker are some of my more fond purchases for sure.

 

[mjt82]

Reviving this thread...

Can anyone educate me on the effects of pump speed when using a DC pump on a skimmer like mine? My skimmer has a Varios4 variable speed pump - Currently its on the highest setting, and I have tuned the air intake to produce the skimmate consistency I'm looking for. Is there a benefit to having the pump slowed down? It seems to me that the higher the speed of the pump, the more the bubbles will be chopped and finer.

Secondary question - My skimmer is currently sitting in 9" of water, which is the upper range of the recommended operating depth. I'm considering playing with the height to see what effects it will have. Several of my reefkeeping friends seem to operate their skimmers MUCH shallower than I do.

Any input is appreciated!

 

[doughboy]

the idea is to have as much water to air contact and long contact time.
to maximize contact, you want smaller bubbles, lots of really small bubbles. I think increasing pump speed will generate smaller bubbles (as you have observed). tuning the air intake I think also affects the bubble size.
I think the cone shaped body prevents the bubbles from prematurely bursting before it reaches the cup.

 

[doughboy]

fwiw, skimmer exports "dissolved organics". these are broken down by nitrogen cycle that creates nitrates.
addressing nitrate issue is fine, but wouldn't it be better to address it further upstream in the process? like export as much dissolved organics as possible, then you have less nitrates to deal with.

then there is the particulate organics that can be captured and removed via mechanical filter (like socks).
although the skimmer can, by chance, suck in some (never all) smaller particulates and make it end up in the cup, I don't think skimmer is the right tool for that.

before people start going out and get the biggest skimmer they can find, I think there is another thread about bigger skimmer is not better. I think that applies to this thread topic as well.

 

[mjt82]

fwiw, skimmer exports "dissolved organics". these are broken down by nitrogen cycle that creates nitrates.
addressing nitrate issue is fine, but wouldn't it be better to address it further upstream in the process? like export as much dissolved organics as possible, then you have less nitrates to deal with.

then there is the particulate organics that can be captured and removed via mechanical filter (like socks).
although the skimmer can, by chance, suck in some (never all) smaller particulates and make it end up in the cup, I don't think skimmer is the right tool for that.

before people start going out and get the biggest skimmer they can find, I think there is another thread about bigger skimmer is not better. I think that applies to this thread topic as well.

Thanks for the reply! I'm not sure where you got the idea that I'm using the skimmer for any sort of mechanical filtration, though. I use filter cups and pads for that.

I'm simply trying to get the most out of my skimmer, and make it as efficient as is possible. I may be doing it the best way, but I may not - That's why I asked for input from those much smarter than me. There are several factors at play here, including pump speed, air intake, and operating height. Just asking for input from those with experience in tinkering with those, that's all.

Regarding "buying the biggest skimmer they can find" - I did quite a bit of research before purchasing my skimmer, as I would recommend anyone do, but rarely do you find reviews or threads on forums that cover specifics with regards to the specific tuning of the specific skimmer you're looking at, rather more along the lines of the efficacy with certain bioloads and so forth. I agree 100%, however, that buying a skimmer rated for a high bioload in a 500 gallon system, for a 100 gallon system, will not produce better results - You're right, bigger is not always better. That being said - Not sure how that applies here. I think my skimmer is appropriately sized for my system.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Wow— you guys are way over my head. For an amateur like me, if I had enough green-gunk in my skimmer cup to empty it out ‘about every two weeks’ I’d say “Works like a charm!” Lol. Best wishes to all!

 

[mjt82]

Wow— you guys are way over my head. For an amateur like me, if I had enough green-gunk in my skimmer cup to empty it out ‘about every two weeks’ I’d say “Works like a charm!” Lol. Best wishes to all!

I'm the king of overthinking things...

I like to "tinker" with things and find out how they work and what makes them work! Maybe one day I'll leave "well-enough" alone!

 

[doughboy]

Thanks for the reply! I'm not sure where you got the idea that I'm using the skimmer for any sort of mechanical filtration, though. I use filter cups and pads for that.

I'm simply trying to get the most out of my skimmer, and make it as efficient as is possible. I may be doing it the best way, but I may not - That's why I asked for input from those much smarter than me. There are several factors at play here, including pump speed, air intake, and operating height. Just asking for input from those with experience in tinkering with those, that's all.

Regarding "buying the biggest skimmer they can find" - I did quite a bit of research before purchasing my skimmer, as I would recommend anyone do, but rarely do you find reviews or threads on forums that cover specifics with regards to the specific tuning of the specific skimmer you're looking at, rather more along the lines of the efficacy with certain bioloads and so forth. I agree 100%, however, that buying a skimmer rated for a high bioload in a 500 gallon system, for a 100 gallon system, will not produce better results - You're right, bigger is not always better. That being said - Not sure how that applies here. I think my skimmer is appropriately sized for my system.

It applies here as the topic is optimizing skimmer, and bigger does not optimize the skimmer. The other thread gives all the reasons why not.
I've been around long enough to see enough number of posts from people who don't use mechanical filtration for reason that they think the skimmer will do that.