Skimmer Q&A Thread

[Omelette_du_Fromage]

Do you leave the plate in that position when skimming normally?

This part like on the picture, to block the bubbles :

 

[DVal]

Or let it full open.

What fittings are you using with that valve?

 

[DVal]

This part like on the picture, to block the bubbles :

Is that the position it needs to be for normal skimming as well?

 

[ChrisNH]

You have to remove the clamp on air intake. No air restriction needed.
This skimmer is only tunable with the water output.

You put it on the right water high. After removing the clamp it will skim like a charm.

Cheers

Thanks. Its been a while since I originally posted. Since then I have removed the valve on the air intake. It now skims reasonably well. There have been a few things I have done beyond just raising it up to get it to 8" water level.

One of the things that was making it hard was that the water output would raise the level locally if the level in the return area got too close to the top of the baffle setting the height. I am somewhat constrained in how I can set it up but after lowering the level in the return a bit it has been much much more consistent. I have also found that the strength of the output has dropped for some reason, although not the strength of the bubbles.

The other was some confusion on my part on the effect of feeding. Feeding frozen food causes it to settle, not increase as I had in my mind, so I learned to tweak it in the morning before I fed after it had all night to settle itself out. I also needed to have it "idle" at a lower level then had been suggested in my reading.

I now have it locked in and leave it alone. I will re-approach the amount I skim if I need to but for now it seems to be working well enough.

 

[\m/reefsnmetal\m/]

Hey all. Having issues with my Tunze DOC Skimmer 9410 DC.

I have had it running on my newish 120 gallon mixed reef for around 2 months (tank started in Feb. 2020).

It was working great for a while but now it always has an issue with skimmate bubbles oozing up through the holes in the collection cup lid. When this happens, I think it does something to the air supply/pressure as the bubbles block any available air escape which causes the skimmer to basically stop working all together.

I've repeatedly taken the collection cup off and cleaned the lid but it just happens again when I replace. I'm attaching a pic from when it was operating normally vs what happens now. Any suggestions?

Have you started dosing something new recently? Some tank treatments require you to turn off the skimmer because of that reason.

 

[reeftivo]

Hey all. Having issues with my Tunze DOC Skimmer 9410 DC.

I have had it running on my newish 120 gallon mixed reef for around 2 months (tank started in Feb. 2020).

It was working great for a while but now it always has an issue with skimmate bubbles oozing up through the holes in the collection cup lid. When this happens, I think it does something to the air supply/pressure as the bubbles block any available air escape which causes the skimmer to basically stop working all together.

I've repeatedly taken the collection cup off and cleaned the lid but it just happens again when I replace. I'm attaching a pic from when it was operating normally vs what happens now. Any suggestions?

your problem is what many reefers would like to see from their skimmers. an actual hard core functioning skimmer!
that's the anti over foam safety feature that is designed into the 9410. you need to skim wetter. if you skim wetter then an external skim locker or equivalent probably is a must. Tunze used to have the foam extractor head that replaces the cup but not sure if you want to pay a premium price for that sucker. you could also just plumb in a drain by drilling the existing cup and running a tube to a 2 liter bottle or something similar (or get a skim locker). that's some nice dry skimmate BTW

the extractors ribbed drain tube helps burst a lot of the foam as it flows down and mostly liquid drains into whatever you would choose for collection. i've used it on my old 9410

 

[Omelette_du_Fromage]

Is that the position it needs to be for normal skimming as well?

yes ;)

 

[Partsman19]

Hello,

I just put together a 90 gallon reef aquarium that has been up and running for around 2 months. My son, who has been in the aquarium business for around 10 years put a used Eshopps skimmer in the sump, 20 gallon sump, but either it is not adjusted correctly or not working properly as nothing is going into the collection cup. I would like to change skimmers but do not know what to get. I was looking at the Bubble Magus Elite but read a review online that the skimmer is very finicky. Please let me know which one to go with. Thanks

 

[reeftivo]

Hello,

I just put together a 90 gallon reef aquarium that has been up and running for around 2 months. My son, who has been in the aquarium business for around 10 years put a used Eshopps skimmer in the sump, 20 gallon sump, but either it is not adjusted correctly or not working properly as nothing is going into the collection cup. I would like to change skimmers but do not know what to get. I was looking at the Bubble Magus Elite but read a review online that the skimmer is very finicky. Please let me know which one to go with. Thanks

pics of it running please ;-)

 

[osxfreak]

Hello everyone,
Last week I purchased a Reefer 250, and am excited to upgrade my 8 year old 36 Bow to the slightly larger tank.

My problem/question is, I have an Skimz SM122 skimmer that sounds like a Marble is stuck in the Power Pump. I've heard replacing the impeller MAY fix it, but I've also heard that there is a design flaw in the EDEN/Skimz ES 2000 pump. I can buy a new ES 2000 pump, but haven't heard anywhere that the design flaw is fixed. This goes back to 2014/15.

So my options are, buy a new skimmer for $300ish, Buy a new ES 2000 Impeller for $30ish, hope it works for some time, buy a new EDEN ES 2000 pump for $90, or upgrade the pump to an ES 2800 for $165.

The concern with the ES 2800 pump is that it has a max airflow of 1020 l/h, where the ES2000 has a max airflow of 720 l/h.

Do you guys think it would be a problem for the SM122 to handle the more l/h? Am I risking a possibility of always fighting overflow?

 

[osxfreak]

Hello everyone,
Last week I purchased a Reefer 250, and am excited to upgrade my 8 year old 36 Bow to the slightly larger tank.

My problem/question is, I have an Skimz SM122 skimmer that sounds like a Marble is stuck in the Power Pump. I've heard replacing the impeller MAY fix it, but I've also heard that there is a design flaw in the EDEN/Skimz ES 2000 pump. I can buy a new ES 2000 pump, but haven't heard anywhere that the design flaw is fixed. This goes back to 2014/15.

So my options are, buy a new skimmer for $300ish, Buy a new ES 2000 Impeller for $30ish, hope it works for some time, buy a new EDEN ES 2000 pump for $90, or upgrade the pump to an ES 2800 for $165.

The concern with the ES 2800 pump is that it has a max airflow of 1020 l/h, where the ES2000 has a max airflow of 720 l/h.

Do you guys think it would be a problem for the SM122 to handle the more l/h? Am I risking a possibility of always fighting overflow?

Ok, this can be ignored. I decided to buy a Octo Regal Skimmer.
Thanks.
Chip

 

[>>klong<<]

I decided to pick up a RO Regal 150SSS during the Black Friday sale at BRS. I have a 73 gallon Reefer 350. Is this overkill? I’ve seen others running the same on a Reefer 525xl.

 

[MmeAssoc]

Hi all,

Brand new to reefing - I don't even have a tank yet, just planning my build.

My question is, do I need a skimmer from day 1? Or should I add it after I've added livestock, when waste removal will become more important?

Any advantages to adding the skimmer early? Will it help me avoid algae?

 

[Pierre96]

Looking for peoples opinions. In the near future going to be upgrading my tank for a 120 gallon to a 180 mixed reef. I have a sump in my basement that has about 40 gallons in it. Bought a new skimmer as I am trying to acquire things for the new tank. Its a Aqua Maxx ConeS DRC-3 Controllable In-Sump Protein Skimmer. It was on sale at Marine Depot. Wanted something with a DC pump. It is rated 270 gallons heavy load. Wondering if I went too big? I may try to add more water volume to my sump at some point. Just need to make sure when my return pump is off it can handle the extra water. The sump is a 100 gallon tote. Sure it will but being cautious. Thanks in advance.

 

[davidwillis]

Does anyone make a tall (3' or more) counter current skimmer that uses a recirculating needle wheel for the air?

 

[design.maddie]

Is it possible to replace my Red Sea Skimmer's pump with a DC pump? If I could control the waterflow I believe the skimmer would be perfect.

 

[bludeath5]

I accidently posted another thread about a question I had: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a...immer-run-over-on-an-established-tank.785444/

Maybe it would have been better here?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Taki]

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!

Greetings, and thank you.

I just want to confirm if my Reef Octopus Regal 150INT be enough for a 110.4 gallon?

Website states the following
light 210
medium 160
heavy 100

I'm a light to medium feeder and will hold mainly Zoas and lps
I'm looking at 2 or 3 larger fish and the rest small.

 

[EHaddad]

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?

 

[Rp8]

Greetings, and thank you.

I just want to confirm if my Reef Octopus Regal 150INT be enough for a 110.4 gallon?

Website states the following
light 210
medium 160
heavy 100

I'm a light to medium feeder and will hold mainly Zoas and lps
I'm looking at 2 or 3 larger fish and the rest small.

i would consider that to be in the light to medium range