Skimmer Q&A Thread

[reeftivo]

Hi reeftivo,

Thanks for your comment! Yes, I have tried cleaning/disconnecting the airline. I usually clean it with q-tips as you said, and I clean it at least once a month. The skimmer stopped acting up not too long after I made this initial post and was behaving until today. I troubleshooted (cleaned it, looked for blockages in all the tubes, etc.) but it still overflows every time I plug it in. I've attached a video this time, it starts right after I plug it in.

YIKES!

so sorry for the late reply. you're not getting enough air to the pump so it is pushing way more water than air and is why it is overflowing. Something is blocking the air. it is either the pump intake where the air hose connects to the pump or the silencer. You stated you cleaned out the intake nipple with a q-tip but something is blocking the air. HAve you tried pulling the silencer off and running the open hose?

I would take the pump out and put it on a table, then remove the volute and needle wheel. shine a flash light into the open volute so light comes through the nipple where the airline attaches and see if it is choked off. if it is then take something rigid like a chopstick or even a drill bit (blunt side not sharp side) and ream out that nipple. Also with the airline removed, blow through the line to make sure air flows through freely and see if you can disassemble that silencer and clean it out. There may be a foam pad inside and it could be clogged with salt and dust build up.

sorry for the headache

Tivo

 

[Qckslvr]

Hello! I need some skimmer help.

I bought a used biocube 32, and it came with a skimmer stuffed in chamber 1. The previous owner removed the hanger so that it would fit in chamber 1. As a result the skimmers waste cup is what supports it on the rim of the tank. I guess my question is, what would the proper depth be for this skimmer? I don't have much option, I can slide it up about 2"s before mount hits the bottom of the tank's lip. I live near a Tap plastics, and am currently making a new light stand, so I will have some left over materials I can use to make a skimmer hanger if I need to.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[saltyHG]

This is the official R2R Skimmer Q&A Thread where the answers to your questions are as concentrated as skimmate!

We will do our best as a community to answer questions you have concerning protein skimmers so ask away!

Thank you!

Hi! I have a skimmer question; just placed a Sicce 150 in the center compartment of a Fluval Flex 32.5 tank. The skimmer seems to be working right away, but there are bubbles forming along the magnet side of the skimmer body. I've tried to capture with a video that I will attach. This is my first salt tank and my first skimmer so I
View attachment 20250929_201542_9720B85F-5423-49F3-8EF9-65E381451230.mov
am unsure if the bubbles coming from the magnet side are normal. The unit is attached by magnet to the interior plastic wall of the filter chamber because it was too big to be turned 90 degrees to attach to the glass. I have the unit set right at the water line mark. There is definitely skimmate forming in the cup. Ps those attachment magnets are no joke!

 

[gms1234]

Do external skimmers need to be above the sump for the drain. Or can they be below and have up hill plumbing?

 

[Freenow54]

I dont know why you would want a HOB/ or external skimmer if you have a sump . Would seriously like to know your thought process for my own knowledge. If you mean a true external Skimmer go to Bulk reefs supply ( search for skimmer installation or maybe listed on the site ) I found it by accident.They have pictorals about the differant ones. When it comes to installation they show a feed pump that is in the sump in its own baffle that feeds the skimmer ( on an octo its the barbed fitting. The pump on the skimmer is the recirculating pump ) . Then through the large pipe which even Octo refers to as a Gate valve when its easy to see its a Globe valve ( they are a superior and more precise means of setting flow ) The large pipe is plumbed back to the sump to its own baffle . It shows the outlet being above the sump lip. It is probably necessary because the recirculation pump is not part of the outlet . It just recirculates the water already in the sump and apparently creates better bubbles ie therefore nutrient exchange. Everything I read says the outlet has to be above the sump lip. This apparently results in a more stable flow. The DC ones really caught my eye as they could be run by a UPS in the event of a power outage . They all say are for Large tanks for a " needed " precise flow ? Hope this helps . Don't forget would like to know your decision process.

 

[LiquidFunk]

I dont know why you would want a HOB/ or external skimmer if you have a sump . Would seriously like to know your thought process for my own knowledge. If you mean a true external Skimmer go to Bulk reefs supply ( search for skimmer installation or maybe listed on the site ) I found it by accident.They have pictorals about the differant ones. When it comes to installation they show a feed pump that is in the sump in its own baffle that feeds the skimmer ( on an octo its the barbed fitting. The pump on the skimmer is the recirculating pump ) . Then through the large pipe which even Octo refers to as a Gate valve when its easy to see its a Globe valve ( they are a superior and more precise means of setting flow ) The large pipe is plumbed back to the sump to its own baffle . It shows the outlet being above the sump lip. It is probably necessary because the recirculation pump is not part of the outlet . It just recirculates the water already in the sump and apparently creates better bubbles ie therefore nutrient exchange. Everything I read says the outlet has to be above the sump lip. This apparently results in a more stable flow. The DC ones really caught my eye as they could be run by a UPS in the event of a power outage . They all say are for Large tanks for a " needed " precise flow ? Hope this helps . Don't forget would like to know your decision process.

There are many reasons to have an external skimmer AND a sump:
Wish to keep your sump as empty as possible, IE uncluttered from skimmers
Wish to use a larger skimmer, perhaps even with an external pump - The Reeflo Orca comes to mind
External skimmers give more control over throughput, which can produce longer dwell time

 

[mourningsage]

Hi Guys,
Just looking for some advice with my protein skimmer.
Fairly new to working with a sump i have had a reef tank running off canister filters for about 2 years and recently (about a year ago) won a new Cade 1200 S2 from my local fish store.
tank has been running now with the skimmer for a year but i feel like im just not getting efficient filtration from my skimmer.
I have a Bubble magus Curve 7 which seems to be a good basic skimmer but it doesnt have air adjustment.
My tank also does not allow me to adjust my sump water level in the cade without me adding some DIY Elements, i do have small ceramic feet to raise the skimmer if required but when used i noticed the skimmer just stopped having any skim come over.
The skimmer has a adjustment that opens and closes a valve on the bottom of the unit. (i have it set to open fully)

The issue i have is my skimmer seems to go from working well to not working constantly.
When i clean my skimmer i get a very wet skim which is a dark colour (this seems to be good and i like this usually) (photos attached)
But after 24 hours the air vents on the cup get very clogged with gunk and the skimmer stops working. The cup/neck seems to be full of foam but nothing is moving until i unclog the air vents at the top, sometimes the pressure gets high enough the whole lid pushes up and foam comes over the side. (photo attached of how it looks after 24hours)
I go in and clean them out usually and it lasts for another couple of hours.
I was advised to put some cooking oil on the lid to stop the foam from sticking to it and this works and extends the skimmer to work for maybe a week. but i feel like i dont have it tuned correctly if this is the case.

I honestly feel like i don't have enough information on how to adjust this thing and i felt like adjusting the vent at the bottom didn't actually change anything as it still stopped working after 24 hours.
Does anyone have any advise for what i can try or if you need more information let me know.
Sorry about the long post thankyou for reading.

 

[Freenow54]

are you dosing with anything ?

 

[me & my baby]

Do external skimmers need to be above the sump for the drain. Or can they be below and have up hill plumbing?

You don’t want the plumbing going up hill . That will just create more back pressure . What skimmer are you running

 

[Freenow54]

You don’t want the plumbing going up hill . That will just create more back pressure . What skimmer are you running

Do you mean an actual external Skimmer or a HOB Skimmer. An actual External skimmer has an outlet that has to be above the sump lid obviously so pluming has to be uphill from the sump. If you search you will find pictorials of it. They are meant for commercial set ups as I had a conversation with the LFS owner about them he told me they would be overkill for normal tanks

 

[me & my baby]

You don’t want the plumbing going up hill . That will just create more back pressure . What skimmer are you running

Do you mean an actual external Skimmer or a HOB Skimmer. An actual External skimmer has an outlet that has to be above the sump lid obviously so pluming has to be uphill from the sump. If you search you will find pictorials of it. They are meant for commercial set ups as I had a conversation with the LFS owner about them he told me they would be overkill for normal tanks

The output of the external skimmer need to be above the top of the sump . That way the water flows out of it freely. If there is any back pressure it will make adjusting the skimmer more difficult because the drain of the skimmer is designed to be free flowing then you have a gate valve to adjust your water height .

 

[Freenow54]

yes i know some also have recirculating ability ( octo )and as i said overkill for most of us so i am told see above

 

[mourningsage]

are you dosing with anything ?

No, Tanks just been maintained on weekly water changes.
i dont have many corals yet.

 

[sonoransurvivalist]

Hey all, I've been planning out my Red Sea Nano max G2 XL (33 total gallons) system. The Red Sea nano's come with a custom designed skimmer that sits in the rear sump. I understand what skimmers do and how there's some overlap with a refugium (mainly in nutrients export). My original plan is to carve out a small space in the rear sump for a small refugium to go along side the rest of the components (roller, skimmer, carbon filter media, sponge) and am wondering if for this tank size, would the skimmer AND refugium be too much in terms of nutrients export. I guess I'm wondering if having all of these parts running together is total overboard and would end up causing more problems than solving.

To add more context in terms of bio-load, this will eventually be a mixed reef. The livestock, while may change slightly, will consist of -
- Two Clown fish
- spotted watchmen goby
- Two Kaudern's Cardinals
- Either a Royal Gramma OR a 6 line wrasse

This doesn't include inverts/CUC.

Appreciate any input from those more experienced than I!

​

 

[mcarroll]

Wait on the refugium until the system actually seems to need it.

 

[Freenow54]

I was sent an article that I am going to read today about Coral needing Ammonia . Also People here say they also need Nitrates , and Nitrites . Since I suck at raising Coral so far , I am going down every rabbit hole I find until my situation is resolved . Right now I run multiple filtering methods so maybe they are correct

 

[ClownSchool]

Hey all, I've been planning out my Red Sea Nano max G2 XL (33 total gallons) system. The Red Sea nano's come with a custom designed skimmer that sits in the rear sump. I understand what skimmers do and how there's some overlap with a refugium (mainly in nutrients export). My original plan is to carve out a small space in the rear sump for a small refugium to go along side the rest of the components (roller, skimmer, carbon filter media, sponge) and am wondering if for this tank size, would the skimmer AND refugium be too much in terms of nutrients export. I guess I'm wondering if having all of these parts running together is total overboard and would end up causing more problems than solving.

To add more context in terms of bio-load, this will eventually be a mixed reef. The livestock, while may change slightly, will consist of -
- Two Clown fish
- spotted watchmen goby
- Two Kaudern's Cardinals
- Either a Royal Gramma OR a 6 line wrasse

This doesn't include inverts/CUC.

Appreciate any input from those more experienced than I!

​

Not sure if it’s true, but I was told skimmers remove Nitrates and Refugiums pull Phosphates.

 

[FishMann410]

I am looking for a skimmer for my soon to be 240 mixed with a moderate bioload. Locally I can get a used deltech 1000i, 1500i. I little further away is a used reef octopus regal 200int.

Is one of these quieter than another? Noise level is definitely my biggest consideration due to location of the tank.

 

[smarie]

I have an Aquamaxx HOB 1.5. When I was putting it back together, I broke the threaded end off of this little part that connects to the yellow hose. I did email BRS and they said I should be able to get it at any hardware store. I’ve checked 3 so far and none have anything remotely close. Does anyone know where to get these?

 

[SpyC]

Looks like a threaded elbow with a barb where the threaded part ripped off in the skimmer. Are you looking for this exact piece or the one with the thread and barb?