Is my skimmer too big?

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Hey al, i recently upgraded from a Octo regal 150sss to a Octo regal 200sss.
I purchased the skimmer from a guy who stopped with his tank and the price was good and nitrates were climbing a bit so i thought why not.

Now my tank + sump are around 120 gallon.
Nitrate 15
Phosphate 0.08

I expected that the skimmer would take care of the nitrates fast but it just stays at 15.

Is the Octo 200sss skimmer too oversized for my tank or is there something else that I'm missing?

150s is rated for 211 gallon
200s for 400 gallon

I've read some things about when a skimmer is oversized the gunk couldn't make is to the neck or something.
Does this mean that i would need more bioload to make it work?
I mean, i have nitrates in the water so it should work right?

Screenshot_20210121-211057.jpg
 
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Gtinnel

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According the brs that is about right for a heavily stocked tank of your size. Is the skimmer producing skimmate? As long as your skimmer is able to produce a stable head and get the foam up into the collection cup then IMO it isn't oversized.
 

MaddyP

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Seems reasonable by my estimates, though my estimates lean towards the "overkill = good" perspective. I will be running a Vectra Omega 150 on a 12G tank...
 

Littlefishbursalı

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if fish are large nitrate will not decrease.
Because,
The ammonia extracted by the fish will turn into nitrate. The protein skimmer does not collect ammonia.
To reduce nitrate, look at growing your anaerobic bacteria.
 

Gtinnel

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As I understand it, and I may be completely wrong, protein skimmers just remove organics from the water before they have a chance to break down and enter into the nitrogen cycle. So it reduces nitrates in the sense that it helps keep them from being produced, but it won't lower nitrates that are currently in the water.
 

Gtinnel

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Seems reasonable by my estimates, though my estimates lean towards the "overkill = good" perspective. I will be running a Vectra Omega 150 on a 12G tank...
Protein skimmers are an exception to the bigger the better thinking. If they're too big there isn't enough organics in the water to form a stable foam, and if it does produce foam it isn't enough to "climb" up the neck and into the collection cup.
Assuming the protein skimmer you plan on using is a Vertex 150 then that is ridiculous for a 12g tank. When you start using it you should post how well it is working for you. Hopefully it works well but I have my doubts.
 

MaddyP

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Protein skimmers are an exception to the bigger the better thinking. If they're too big there isn't enough organics in the water to form a stable foam, and if it does produce foam it isn't enough to "climb" up the neck and into the collection cup.
Assuming the protein skimmer you plan on using is a Vertex 150 then that is ridiculous for a 12g tank. When you start using it you should post how well it is working for you. Hopefully it works well but I have my doubts.
Yes, it can be detrimental to run an oversized skimmer if the plan is to merely pull organics. But if the plan is to increase aeration in addition to offsetting heavy, continuous feeding then it's perfect. :)
 

Gtinnel

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Yes, it can be detrimental to run an oversized skimmer if the plan is to merely pull organics. But if the plan is to increase aeration in addition to offsetting heavy, continuous feeding then it's perfect. :)
That logic makes sense to me. I have a crappy old hob protein skimmer on my 29g qt tank because I have an outside airline hooked up to try and increase my pH, I get that a skimmers have advantages other than skimming. Anything it pulls out is just an added perk
 
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According the brs that is about right for a heavily stocked tank of your size. Is the skimmer producing skimmate? As long as your skimmer is able to produce a stable head and get the foam up into the collection cup then IMO it isn't oversized.
I kinda have to tune it upwards to get the foam in the cup, I might need to add some fish to reach its capacity
 
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