Is your protein skimmer working like it should? How do you know?

[rknapp]

1. What's the first thing you check for to make sure your skimmer is working properly? What else do you tick off the list?

Look at volume and color of skimmate output, darker is better, not to much water but not sludge either. Know what I want when I see it and when it’s off. Also watch bubbles and water levels to determine if I have any input side issues to deal with. Dumps into 5 gallon bucket so cleaning the cup happens generally once a week during weekend maintenance unless I find an issue during the week.

2. What skimmer are you currently running and on what size aquarium is it running?

Lifereef VS1-24 external that is about 20 years old, now being used on my 160g display restart, total volume about 220 gallons in total system. Current drive pump is a Pan World NH-40PX.

 

[Trevor Yayoshi]

I'll be the one outlier. Based on skimmate analysis, skimmers are not particularly good for filtration.

However, they are now on my essential list for aeration in combination with a CO2 scrubber.

So all I really care about is lots of bubbles and steady pH. If pH drops, time to replace CO2 scubbing media.

I'm now in the pH is key camp for tank health and stability.

I'm in the same boat! A stable pH can help with KH stability and honestly most chemical interactions in our tanks.

My Tunze Comline DOC Skimmer 9004 DC isn't gonna do much in a new tank with only two clowns on top of the large amounts of biofiltration between my rock, sand, macro, and coral uptake.

Its mainly there for pH stability on top of my reverse lighting schedule on the refugium. They can also be a useful warning sign of overfeeding or contaminants that make it overflow. Mine runs 24/7 and if I ever want to skim less I will just adjust the pump/air. I don't have a CO2 scrubber though, my apartment has plenty of house plants that take care of any CO2.

 

[Treefer32]

I run a 350 gallon mixed reef with no visible nuisance algae in the display and skimmerless with 15 fish. Several of them larger. I consider myself feeding heavy because I make my own food and I don't know how to remove phosphates from the food I make, in fact I probably add phosphates to the frozen food I make. . That said, I run a 25 micron cannister filter, an Algae Turf Scrubber, and daily changes of 200 micron filter socks. I broke my skimmer a few months back trying to get a union to loosen up that connects to the skimmer and the pump. It wouldn't move. I took a hammer to it and the stem accidently broke off. So, I said screw it I'm pulling the skimmer. That made room to add in filter socks, which my tank has never been this clear with running a skimmer. It was room for filter socks or a skimmer not both. . .

I'm still trying to figure out how to manage phosphates, I've got them down to .09 ppm from .56 ppm without going through 5 gallon pales of GFO. I don't think a skimmer would really help that much. I've ready research that indicates skimmers are around 10-20% efficient at removing particles... I don't know if that's really worth losing the room for filter socks to me. . . .

 

[Barnabie Mejia]

Im using a Reef Octopus 150INT and I really like it, but I think something may be off reading some of the comments in the thread. I am only getting about 3/8" of liquid skimmate in the cup per week - week and a half.
I don't have a scheduled time to clean the cup out, but I clean it when it start to get dark on the walls of the cup. and I take a toilet brush to clean down into the neck every 2 cup cleans.
its on a 75g with a fair amount of coral and 13 fishies cruising in there.
This is the first time i use a skimmer on a tank, and I have been running it like this since july.
Am I doing something wrong here?

I figured I would take the opportunity to ask you all here since y'all know what you're doing with the skimmer tools!

Thanks,
Barnabie Mejia

 

[mattdg]

If it is an established tank, I am mostly aiming for consistency. If I have been feeding regularly, there should be a somewhat predictable amount of weekly skimmate to empty from the cup. I prefer dark and stinky, but I do not believe that is the right kind of gunk for everyone. I've had systems that ran best when the skimmate was tea like and others than barely skim at all. Most skimmers will do an excellent job, these days. The truth is results will vary with any skimmer, based on your water conditions.

On a related note, here is a video I put together about my new skimmer, a lifereef svs3-24. Spoiler alert, I really like it.

 

[nicodim55]

I look for dark, thick, foul smelling gunk that collects in the cup lol. I’ve been using an Aquamaxx AM350 skimmer in my 150g mixed reef running for about 15 years now.

 

[58e970b2-3f88-4897-87ba-5]

Are you guys worried about your lids breaking when the bubbles pop it off?

 

[Auquanut]

I like to kind of gage the consistency of the skimmate. It should be a fairly stiff froth that doesn't run down the neck into the collection cup. More just kind of hangs there and oozes it's way down. I try to keep the skimmer dialed in so that I need to clean the collection cup at the same time I change my filter socks. Every 3 days. I get about a half skimmer cup of dark tea colored skimmate. when I can't maintain a decent amount of skimmate without it being too thin, I know it's time to clean the limpets and/or other stuff out of the pump's impellor.

 

[Scotti]

I have the RSM 130D, I'm currently using the Skimmer that came with it, I upgraded pump. The tanks been set up for 6 weeks now I guess. I finally have the skimmer tuned in, and its kind of amazing.

I empty and clean the cup weekly, I rinse it in R.O. or Salt water before putting it back in service..

Consistently Stinky & dark green ..

Scotty

 

[Midrats]

I have mine tuned to fill the 700ml cup in one week. The consistency is that of muckefuck.

 

[Bradley C]

What has me most puzzled is this, on a 2nd-hand 180-gal reef: the seller had rigged up a 5-gal bucket with an alarm and float. My bucket remains at a constant maybe 1 gallon or so, meaning no overflow. What gives? Not trusting my water supply, I have a sock on the output of the skimmer and a sock going into the lower input tub. Both of these no doubt impede water flow, but they occasionally need replacing, which bothers me, but since the skimmer is not a filter, I don't lose sleep over it.

 

[dbowman5]

What has me most puzzled is this, on a 2nd-hand 180-gal reef: the seller had rigged up a 5-gal bucket with an alarm and float. My bucket remains at a constant maybe 1 gallon or so, meaning no overflow. What gives? Not trusting my water supply, I have a sock on the output of the skimmer and a sock going into the lower input tub. Both of these no doubt impede water flow, but they occasionally need replacing, which bothers me, but since the skimmer is not a filter, I don't lose sleep over it.

is the issue that your bucket does not fill up? i would look at evaporation from the sock and the bucket which eliminates most of the volume that is water as fast as it accumulates.

 

[stanlalee]

Actually it's the ability to adjust for what your preference is that makes it a good skimmer. If you can lower the water level and get dark concentrated skimate then raise it and get high volume lighter skimate you have a good one.
I don't think production really matters as long as it's skimming consistently (and with common sense: obviously a 5" skimmer for a 65g is not suitable for a 400g and so forth). One taking a few hours more than another one to pull out the same thing is here nor there. It may be more efficient and better but does it really matter unless your just struggling to get production, probably not much. Its debatable what they do and don't pull out to begin with.

 

[Daniel92481]

Protein what?? K.I.S.S.

 

[dbowman5]

Protein what?? K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple, Salty? or Keep It Salty, Silly?

 

[Paul B]

I know mine is working correctly because I built the thing about 25 years ago so if it doesn't work there is no need to call the manufacturer.

 

[Daniel92481]

Keep It Simple, Salty? or Keep It Salty, Silly?

Let’s Keep It Serious, Suzy haha

 

[Ryan Doolittle]

1. What's the first thing you check for to make sure your skimmer is working properly? What else do you tick off the list?

Dark Brown/Greenish smelly and thick/sludgy skimate in the collection cup.

2. What skimmer are you currently running and on what size aquarium is it running?

Reef Octopus Diablo 160, had it for about 7 years and it is a beast. Works great for my 125g + 29g sump.

To bad its not made anymore. Replaced the Sicce pump last year luckily since it is still in circulation.

The just added a DC pump and changed them to the Regal Line instead of Diablo

 

[Sdot]

I agree with some of posters claim of using the skimmer for PH. I used to be on the don't chase PH camp, however I'm on the chase PH camp now!! Co2 scrubber on my skimmer allows me to raise my PH which translates into amazing growth....my tank just does better at a higher PH. I also consider the skimmer "lungs" for the tank.... the amount of surface area and oxygenation is unmatched without a skimmer. I look for dark skimate and my Nyos skimmer is a beast at pulling out the yucky stuff

 

[Jekyl]

Reef octo classic 90 HoB on a 90 gallon