RedSea Reefer Skimmer 300 Oversized for Reefer G2?

[Tuna Melt]

Hi Everyone, I'm newish to the hobby (tried reefing when I was a teen and am revisiting it in adulthood) so would love some advice.

I have a RedSea Reefer Skimmer 300 on my RedSea Reefer 170 G2. Total system volume is ~38 gallons which is decently below what BRS recommends for this skimmer. However, RedSea claims this skimmer is an appropriate fit for the Reefer 170. I have been having very little success with it, I rarely get any skimmate and it constantly overflows. My tank is about a month an a half old and I'm only feeding 1/3rd of a cube of Mysis a day. I also have a RollerMat and an Algae Scrubber so my filtration is pretty overbuilt. Perhaps my tank is just too young and once its more mature and fully stocked the protein level in the water will increase and the skimmer will start working, but I think it's just oversized, especially considering my other filtration? What are others experiences with this skimmer on similar sized systems? I'm flirting with the idea of getting the Reef Octopus Classic 110SSS 5" which has excelent reviews and seems more proportional to my tank. What do you all think?

Thanks!
TM

 

[blaxsun]

The short version is that's the smallest skimmer Red Sea makes. If you have it setup correctly there's no way it should be overflowing (zero).

 

[Tuna Melt]

The short version is that's the smallest skimmer Red Sea makes. If you have it setup correctly there's no way it should be overflowing (zero).

So I’ve got it sitting at the recommended water level. My issue is I need to adjust the gate valve such that the bubble point is halfway up the collection cup to even have a hope of some foam reaching the brink of the cup and spilling over. so there’s a much smaller margin for error and it’s super volatile. Any suggestions?

 

[blaxsun]

So I’ve got it sitting at the recommended water level. My issue is I need to adjust the gate valve such that the bubble point is halfway up the collection cup to even have a hope of some foam reaching the brink of the cup and spilling over. so there’s a much smaller margin for error and it’s super volatile. Any suggestions?

You want the foam way lower - no higher than the bottom of the collection cup. Don't worry - it'll climb up.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I am basically running the same system and I remember it took a bit for it to break in. Running a roller filter and a skimmer you are not going to get a lot of skimate on a smaller system. But because your system and skimmer are new it will not want to be consistent. I just took off the top and removed the hose and let it over flow for about two weeks. Then when it settled down, I would slowly open the flow valve until I just started getting a bit of skim.
No you’re not crazy or doing anything wrong. It is just how it is. Also get your self some food grade silicone grease to put on the O-ring on the cup or you will have a hard time getting it off when you have to clean it.

 

[Tuna Melt]

I am basically running the same system and I remember it took a bit for it to break in. Running a roller filter and a skimmer you are not going to get a lot of skimate on a smaller system. But because your system and skimmer are new it will not want to be consistent. I just took off the top and removed the hose and let it over flow for about two weeks. Then when it settled down, I would slowly open the flow valve until I just started getting a bit of skim.
No you’re not crazy or doing anything wrong. It is just how it is. Also get your self some food grade silicone grease to put on the O-ring on the cup or you will have a hard time getting it off when you have to clean it.

Great thanks a lot! Are you running it at the recommended water height? I’ve read people have had success raising the skimmer on smaller systems?

 

[Troylee]

Great thanks a lot! Are you running it at the recommended water height? I’ve read people have had success raising the skimmer on smaller systems?

Raising it up makes it easier to adjust… you can fine tune them when there isn’t so much head pressure.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Great thanks a lot! Are you running it at the recommended water height? I’ve read people have had success raising the skimmer on smaller systems?

Yes I run it at the water height sticker at the adjuster. Also just be sure you turn off your skimmer at feeding time. Otherwise it will overflow