How do you use your Protien Skimmer

[NeedAReef]

I have asked you about your reduced water changes before. Would you say your skimmer and salt in the ato is a big part of why you do that?

No not a big part. Maybe it helps maybe not hard to tell. I do know if the skimmer is giving me nothing that is not good.

 

[s2minute]

I have often not been the biggest supporter of protien skimmers especially oversized ones on newer lightly stocked tanks. I feel it competes with corals and gas exchange can be achieved through much cheaper methods (airstone).

I have been rethinking there use on established tanks recently

Question:
Do you guys set your skimmer to the desired setting and just leave it? Or do you when you see production slow down keep increasing settings to get production again?

I shut mine off at night. Other than that, I dial it in so the water line is about an inch below the top of the box and temporally dial it up as desired. ETSS 1500XR. It’s a Beast!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I shut mine off at night. Other than that, I dial it in so the water line is about an inch below the top of the box and temporally dial it up as desired. ETSS 1500XR. It’s a Beast!

Why turn it off at night? Assuming I wanted to turn one off, it would likely be when O2 is highest and CO2 lowest, during the day.

 

[Rp8]

I have often not been the biggest supporter of protien skimmers especially oversized ones on newer lightly stocked tanks. I feel it competes with corals and gas exchange can be achieved through much cheaper methods (airstone).

I have been rethinking there use on established tanks recently

Question:
Do you guys set your skimmer to the desired setting and just leave it? Or do you when you see production slow down keep increasing settings to get production again?

I have noticed on my newest tank that if I run it 24/7 it pulls all my nitrates out and I develop stringy dinos. So I’ve cut it back to run about 72 hrs intermittently thru the week. Fixed the issue so far

 

[Aquadude1]

I have often not been the biggest supporter of protien skimmers especially oversized ones on newer lightly stocked tanks. I feel it competes with corals and gas exchange can be achieved through much cheaper methods (airstone).

I have been rethinking there use on established tanks recently

Question:
Do you guys set your skimmer to the desired setting and just leave it? Or do you when you see production slow down keep increasing settings to get production again?

I have noticed on my newest tank that if I run it 24/7 it pulls all my nitrates out and I develop stringy dinos. So I’ve cut it back to run about 72 hrs intermittently thru the week. Fixed the issue so far

Did you do a dry or live rock start?

 

[s2minute]

Why turn it off at night? Assuming I wanted to turn one off, it would likely be when O2 is highest and CO2 lowest, during the day.

I usually feed within an hour of lights out. I turn it off so the skimmer doesn’t pulls out the food .

 

[Uncle99]

So if it stopped, pulling as much all else remaining equal would you change the settings?

If it “stops” pulling then its time for inspection, ensuring Venturi and/or inlet is not obstructed.

It should always pull something if working correctly and is fully “broken in”.

I might change the settings to increase the height of the bubbles in the chamber if they are either running too low.

I have a certain level I maintain in the cup, about 2” from the cap.

For me, this always pulls.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Thats kind of what im getting at. Skimming to add something back either nitrate or phosphate seems counterintuitive to me.
Ive been trying to think of the best way around that.

In my opinion, there isn't a good way around it. It is hard to balance nitrogen and phosphate in a system without some reefer management because the foods we feed are not balanced. It is high in phosphate... either because extra phosphate is added as a preservative or because ingredients aren't of great quality.

When I use the skimmer enough to keep the phosphate in check, the nitrate drops to zero very quickly no matter how heavily I feed. I add ammonia to make sure the organisms are getting enough nitrogen as evidenced by a nitrate reading above zero.

Ammonia is cheap, safe, and easy to dose. You can make your own solution and dose it by hand. You need to understand how, but there is plenty of info about it here at R2R.

 

[Aquadude1]

Thats kind of what im getting at. Skimming to add something back either nitrate or phosphate seems counterintuitive to me.
Ive been trying to think of the best way around that.

In my opinion, there isn't a good way around it. It is hard to balance nitrogen and phosphate in a system without some reefer management because the foods we feed are not balanced. It is high in phosphate... either because extra phosphate is added as a preservative or because ingredients aren't of great quality.

When I use the skimmer enough to keep the phosphate in check, the nitrate drops to zero very quickly no matter how heavily I feed. I add ammonia to make sure the organisms are getting enough nitrogen as evidenced by a nitrate reading above zero.

Ammonia is cheap, safe, and easy to dose. You can make your own solution and dose it by hand. You need to understand how, but there is plenty of info about it here at R2R.

I totally agree ammonia dosing works. I use it frequently when needed.

I also have kept dart frogs and one of the things I like about that and terrariums in general is the cycle of nutrients. Creating an enclosed ecosystem. I know that in vivariums and to a greater extent in reef tanks an entirely enclosed ecosystem is impossible, but tightening the cycle as were is a good goal in my opinion. I like brainstorming how to do that.

 

[Rp8]

Did you do a dry or live rock start?

Dry rock

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have noticed on my newest tank that if I run it 24/7 it pulls all my nitrates out and I develop stringy dinos. So I’ve cut it back to run about 72 hrs intermittently thru the week. Fixed the issue so far

I personally would not (do not) reduce skimming to boost N. I dose ammonium bicarbonate, but feeding more also works.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I get that but if all i wanted to do was aerate i would buy something much cheaper to do that.

I have nothing against skimmers, sometimes i just wonder if its possible some of what they pull out could be used by corals.

Any method used to reduce organics or remove nitrogen and phosphate competes with the corals. Unfortunately, particularly in less mature systems, the corals can't use all of the food/nutrient input. Even in very mature systems, heavy feeding can cause more input than the corals can use. Some level of nutrient management is usually required. The requirement is higher in new/immature systems and lower in older/mature systems.

 

[Paul B]

I don't remember when built my 5' DIY venturi skimmer but it was over 40 years ago.

I installed it and ran it as fast as it would go as there are no settings on it. It has been running 24/7 continuously for all that time and now my tank is 55 or 56 years old. The skimate goes into the drain and there is very little maintenance.

 

[johnnycamp5]

@Paul B
Wow!
Great diy skimmer!

Do you think extending a commercially made skimmer (Octo RSO regal INT 250) would be of any benefit?
I’ve always wondered what the advantages might be
My skimmer is in a large closet, it doesn’t need to remain 2’ tall as if it were in a tank stand

 

[Paul B]

Johnnycamps, I'm not sure, but I think a taller skimmer would always be beneficial. In mine, I designed it so the water "swirls" as it enters the thing, which also lengthens the time the water comes into contact with the bubbles. I don't like the design on those short models.

 

[drblank1]

I have an old Euro Reef skimmer that I converted to a recirculating skimmer which really helped to control skimming overflow. I added a drain to the collection cup that empties into an old gallon jug that has a float switch to let me know when its full and turn off the skimmer. My goal it to wet skim so that the gallon jug looks like its filled with very dirty lemonade. I can remove about 1 gallon every two days. When I empty the gallon jug, I add 1 gallon of saltwater back to the tank. On average I am doing a water change of 3.5 gallons per week on my 90 gallon system.

 

[Aquadude1]

I have an old Euro Reef skimmer that I converted to a recirculating skimmer which really helped to control skimming overflow. I added a drain to the collection cup that empties into an old gallon jug that has a float switch to let me know when its full and turn off the skimmer. My goal it to wet skim so that the gallon jug looks like its filled with very dirty lemonade. I can remove about 1 gallon every two days. When I empty the gallon jug, I add 1 gallon of saltwater back to the tank. On average I am doing a water change of 3.5 gallons per week on my 90 gallon system.

Interesting!
Whats the polyp extension on your corals like?

 

[drblank1]

Interesting!
Whats the polyp extension on your corals like?

Very good. I have only LPS and a couple of softies. everything looks healthy.

 

[drblank1]

Interesting!
Whats the polyp extension on your corals like?

This is what I pull out of my tank every couple of days (today's booty ).

 

[nanocp]

I’ve reached the end of the road with wet skimming. It has become clear that running the skimmer too wet prevents the tank from establishing a healthy ecology. While it kept nuisance algae and Dinos away because I was feeding heavily, I still couldn't keep any new additions alive—they would just show signs of stress, retract, and eventually bleach.
If the filter compartments are packed with media, they compete with the skimmer for organic waste. In that specific case, wet skimming might work to some extent, but the media itself eventually leads to algae issues and nutrient accumulation that’s hard to shake off.
I'm now a firm believer in dry skimming. It allows for the growth of healthy microalgae, which acts as a biological barrier against pathogenic bacteria and Dinos while helping corals thrive. I completely agree now: Aggressive wet skimming can absolutely destroy an established system.