Skimmer Q&A Thread

[D.Disbrow]

Mojo-

In your experience what would be the best skimmer for a 55 gallon mixed reef (bang for buck)? In sump type would be preferred.

Currently have a cheapo JEBO that is not impressive to say the least.

 

[Reefer Dan]

Any tips for stopping micro bubbles escaping from an eshopps nano skimmer?

I never had any problems prior to cleaning it with citric acid and it’s been two months since
I’ve done that. The micro bubbles make it difficult to see my tank. I’ve tried adding extra filter sponge, adjusting water level, filter floss in place. I was thinking about trying to add a filter bag over the bottom, but I’m betting that won’t do anything.

 

[reeftivo]

So I have a Reef Octopus Regal 200INT. My tank is a Reefer 750 and I have the Red Sea sump. The chamber that I have the Skimmer in the water is 9” deep. On BRS it says that the water height needs to be 7-8.5” of water. What should I use to raise my Skimmer height?

cheapest is light diffuser panel zip tied together. just snap off to dimensions and zip together. or you can buy a manufactured stand (overpriced IMO). manufactured looks nicer, but with diffuser, you can find you sweet spot for the level, then make it look better with pvc pipe legs. I've put silicone pot pads on some of the diffusers i've made because most skimmers have vibration dampening feet on bottom and they can get awkward leveling them on the diffuser panels.

 

[reeftivo]

Any tips for stopping micro bubbles escaping from an eshopps nano skimmer?

I never had any problems prior to cleaning it with citric acid and it’s been two months since
I’ve done that. The micro bubbles make it difficult to see my tank. I’ve tried adding extra filter sponge, adjusting water level, filter floss in place. I was thinking about trying to add a filter bag over the bottom, but I’m betting that won’t do anything.

probably took off the slime coat completely with the citric. hard to stop those little buggers and may take a while. the filter bag over bottom will help a bit and should make it bearable for a while until the slime coat can develop again. a dropper of skimmate fed to the skimmer (only a few drops at first) will help but with a nano you would have to watch it for a while if you add, because it may over foam for a little while and fill your cup a couple times until it settles. not many people keep a little jar of skimmate around, but i find it comes in handy when settling skimmers.

 

[reeftivo]

i'm no Mojo, but what's your budget?

I would take a gander at the reviews for the aquamaxx FC 80.

 

[SundownReef]

I’ve read nothing but good reviews for the simplicity 240dc. My tank is fairly new, just turned on the skimmer for the first time and a little taken back by the noise. It’s supposed to be a quieter skimmer but there is definitely a working hum and the loudest piece of equipment I have so far. It’s louder than my Syncra silent 5.0 return pump. Granted the skimmer noise isn’t overkill by any means and I haven’t ran a skimmer before so don’t know what to compare it to. I can live with it, just want to know if some noise is normal or is it supposed to be dead silent?

 

[reeftivo]

I’ve read nothing but good reviews for the simplicity 240dc. My tank is fairly new, just turned on the skimmer for the first time and a little taken back by the noise. It’s supposed to be a quieter skimmer but there is definitely a working hum and the loudest piece of equipment I have so far. It’s louder than my Syncra silent 5.0 return pump. Granted the skimmer noise isn’t overkill by any means and I haven’t ran a skimmer before so don’t know what to compare it to. I can live with it, just want to know if some noise is normal or is it supposed to be dead silent?

give it some time to break in and the pump should quiet down a bit. No unusual for a low hum on a skimmer. DC's are usually quieter than ACs.

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

I have an icecap k1 nano that I just got. I’ve never used a skimmer before. I found a YouTube video by coral vue walking through setup and I followed that. The power supply lights up and the pump gets hot but nothing else happens. No bubbles or anything. I’m not sure if it’s able to pull air? Is it possible something is messed up there? Any troubleshooting advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[yourmom]

Another skimmer question for the group! I’m super new, so please explain this to me like I’m a child. I have a Nuvo 40 AIO. Bought a Tunze Comline 9004 DC. There are 5 chambers in the back. Pre-skimmer set up was, L-R: (1) filter sock, (2) heater, (3) pump that came with tank and ATO sensor, (4) empty, (5) media tower. The 9004 will not fit facing the front of the tank with magnets in the back in any of the 5 chambers, it is too deep. I can (and just did) fit it in the filter sock chamber sideways so the magnets are on the inside of chamber 2 holding it in place. I moved the filter sock to chamber 5 on the right and removed the media tower. Is it wise to operate the tank with a skimmer instead of a media tower? Is an aftermarket tower available that I might be able to use in chamber 4? What future equipment needs might I have that I should consider with my current set-up? Thanks in advance! I feel very over my head with this stuff!

 

[reeftivo]

I have an icecap k1 nano that I just got. I’ve never used a skimmer before. I found a YouTube video by coral vue walking through setup and I followed that. The power supply lights up and the pump gets hot but nothing else happens. No bubbles or anything. I’m not sure if it’s able to pull air? Is it possible something is messed up there? Any troubleshooting advice would be greatly appreciated

is it new? if new it shouldn't be seized up, but a used skimmer pump can bind up a bit if it has sat for any length of time. It's usually the bushings at the ends of the impeller rods. that usually can be remedied by taking out the pump and opening the volute and spinning the impeller a bit. best to just remove the impeller though and clean bushings and impeller ends with a small bottle brush. Then reassemble and things should spin fine. if that doesn't fix it then it could be a bad pump.

 

[reeftivo]

is it new? if new it shouldn't be seized up, but a used skimmer pump can bind up a bit if it has sat for any length of time. It's usually the bushings at the ends of the impeller rods. that usually can be remedied by taking out the pump and opening the volute and spinning the impeller a bit. best to just remove the impeller though and clean bushings and impeller ends with a small bottle brush. Then reassemble and things should spin fine. if that doesn't fix it then it could be a bad pump.

is the pump pushing water at all?

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

It was brand new. Wasn’t pushing anything out at all, the impeller itself would move freely when the pump was unplugged but once plugged it it was hard to turn in either direction. I’m just gonna return it, it was a real squeeze to get where I needed it anyways and I might not even need a skimmer

 

[reeftivo]

It was brand new. Wasn’t pushing anything out at all, the impeller itself would move freely when the pump was unplugged but once plugged it it was hard to turn in either direction. I’m just gonna return it, it was a real squeeze to get where I needed it anyways and I might not even need a skimmer

sounds like a bad pump

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

I currently am running an Aquaclear 50 filter with sponge/carbon/biomax in my tank. Tank cycled great, my clowns are happy thus far being in the cycled tank for 3+ days, and I am going to be extremely diligent with weekly water changes and rinsing the filter media in tank water every 2-3 days.

But after reading multiple threads and advice on this site, I know that I will save myself a lot of time & headaches by making the switch to a protein skimmer. I'm actually ready to make the purchase, however I'm a bit wary as I don't want to mess up the biology in my tank as currently all looks and is testing very well. Has anyone gone through this switch before? Do you think I'm better off waiting maybe 4-6 months to really get the tank in a solid place biologically, and then making the switch?

I'm looking into the HOB Aquamaxx 1.5 skimmer as I've seen very solid reviews, it's within my budget, and I don't have a sump so it's perfect for the setup I have. Thanks for the help!

 

[reeftivo]

I currently am running an Aquaclear 50 filter with sponge/carbon/biomax in my tank. Tank cycled great, my clowns are happy thus far being in the cycled tank for 3+ days, and I am going to be extremely diligent with weekly water changes and rinsing the filter media in tank water every 2-3 days.

But after reading multiple threads and advice on this site, I know that I will save myself a lot of time & headaches by making the switch to a protein skimmer. I'm actually ready to make the purchase, however I'm a bit wary as I don't want to mess up the biology in my tank as currently all looks and is testing very well. Has anyone gone through this switch before? Do you think I'm better off waiting maybe 4-6 months to really get the tank in a solid place biologically, and then making the switch?

I'm looking into the HOB Aquamaxx 1.5 skimmer as I've seen very solid reviews, it's within my budget, and I don't have a sump so it's perfect for the setup I have. Thanks for the help!

a skimmer won't mess up the biology. Only benefit it since it helps raise dissolved O2 and removes a decent amount or organics before they can break down in the water column. It's up to you though. you can start a skimmer now or wait and see how just water changes control things. weekly water changes are fine for a small system and you can get by without a skimmer on a small system. I like skimmers because of the peace of mind in the event i had some spawning event or strange die off. Remember though, it's another piece of equipment that will require maintenance and we already have quite a bit ;-). After my first skimmer (remora) i got the shinyitis and couldn't stop looking for the next best thing. This hobby is addicting.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

a skimmer won't mess up the biology. Only benefit it since it helps raise dissolved O2 and removes a decent amount or organics before they can break down in the water column. It's up to you though. you can start a skimmer now or wait and see how just water changes control things. weekly water changes are fine for a small system and you can get by without a skimmer on a small system. I like skimmers because of the peace of mind in the event i had some spawning event or strange die off. Remember though, it's another piece of equipment that will require maintenance and we already have quite a bit ;-). After my first skimmer (remora) i got the shinyitis and couldn't stop looking for the next best thing. This hobby is addicting.

Tell me about it man. I’m all over the internet counting down the days until I’m ready to add my next fish and first corals. I was on YouTube for hours today looking at awesome sump systems, even though I’ll never have enough room in my house for one.

 

[reeftivo]

Tell me about it man. I’m all over the internet counting down the days until I’m ready to add my next fish and first corals. I was on YouTube for hours today looking at awesome sump systems, even though I’ll never have enough room in my house for one.

I know how ya feel!!!! LOL.
Need to get a bigger house so you can upgrade! I own a condo and while it is spacious enough for the two of us, the floor plan down stairs is not accommodating for my dream tank. will be moving soon and renting it out and i'm sure one of the prerequisites for the new home will be a nice spot for my upgrade LOLOLOL. Yikes!

 

[yourmom]

I know how ya feel!!!! LOL.
Need to get a bigger house so you can upgrade! I own a condo and while it is spacious enough for the two of us, the floor plan down stairs is not accommodating for my dream tank. will be moving soon and renting it out and i'm sure one of the prerequisites for the new home will be a nice spot for my upgrade LOLOLOL. Yikes!

I started the hobby in 2019 when my stupid kid brought a hermit crab home from a vacation in Florida. Got a 10 gal and set him up (after learning it's not a sandy kind of hermit). This was about 18 months ago and I now have a 40 gallon Nuvo AIO that I'm starting to finally stock with corals, the OG 10 gallon along with a 20 gal in my office and dreams of a 100+ peninsula-style tank and sump in the "next house". At which time I will move the 40 into my office and use the 10 as a quarantine and turn the 20 into a Lego and pin cushion urchin tank. Seriously addicting, expensive, rewarding hobby.

 

[reeftivo]

I started the hobby in 2019 when my stupid kid brought a hermit crab home from a vacation in Florida. Got a 10 gal and set him up (after learning it's not a sandy kind of hermit). This was about 18 months ago and I now have a 40 gallon Nuvo AIO that I'm starting to finally stock with corals, the OG 10 gallon along with a 20 gal in my office and dreams of a 100+ peninsula-style tank and sump in the "next house". At which time I will move the 40 into my office and use the 10 as a quarantine and turn the 20 into a Lego and pin cushion urchin tank. Seriously addicting, expensive, rewarding hobby.

You'll get there I'm sure! Your kid sounds like me when i was little (still a kid-lol). Always wanting to bring critters home from the tide pools;Woot

 

[yourmom]

You'll get there I'm sure! Your kid sounds like me when i was little (still a kid-lol). Always wanting to bring critters home from the tide pools;Woot

We had a conversation about it and I honestly thought it would go the other way. I loved all the critters too, but we asked him “would you rather leave him here with his hermit crab friends and family in this huge beautiful ocean or bring him home to die a slow excruciating death in a tiny prison?” So I’m pretty sure he is a psychopath