Skimmer tuning question

[huthain]

So ive been running my skimmer pump at 20% and using the valve to get it up to the neck, however I noticed i can also run it much higher at around 70% and use the valve to get the skim uo to the neck.

Does it make a difference what the intensity of the pump is given your able to achieve the same height through valve adjustment? Would it give you better skimming? Increase oxygenation? Are there pros and cons to each?

 

[allof fish]

So ive been running my skimmer pump at 20% and using the valve to get it up to the neck, however I noticed i can also run it much higher at around 70% and use the valve to get the skim uo to the neck.

Does it make a difference what the intensity of the pump is given your able to achieve the same height through valve adjustment? Would it give you better skimming? Increase oxygenation? Are there pros and cons to each?

What skimmer and pump is it. Normally when you sync the pump speed and how much the water valve is open to the skimmer you can either dry or wet skim more

 

[huthain]

Ive got the DC redsea skimmer. But both settings im able to achieve the same skimmate height

 

[allof fish]

Ive got the DC redsea skimmer. But both settings im able to achieve the same skimmate height

It will likely just Increase oxygen exchange and production of the skimate

 

[EnterName]

Pump High + Valve Low = The skimmer is constantly fed with "new" tank water. Particles don't have much time to end up in the upper section of the neck and might get flushed out of the skimmer without being removed, but the entire system's water will go through the skimmer in a shorter time.

Pump Low + Valve High = The skimmer keeps a lot of the same water in it's body for longer. This helps to skim out particles that would otherwise just pass through, but the skimmer will go through a lower percentage of the tank water compared to the Pump high + Valve low setting.

It's impossible to tell you where the optimum for your tank is. In old skimmers the pump would always run at 100% and there only was the valve to control.

 

[huthain]

Pump High + Valve Low = The skimmer is constantly fed with "new" tank water. Particles don't have much time to end up in the upper section of the neck and might get flushed out of the skimmer without being removed, but the entire system's water will go through the skimmer in a shorter time.

Pump Low + Valve High = The skimmer keeps a lot of the same water in it's body for longer. This helps to skim out particles that would otherwise just pass through, but the skimmer will go through a lower percentage of the tank water compared to the Pump high + Valve low setting.

It's impossible to tell you where the optimum for your tank is. In old skimmers the pump would always run at 100% and there only was the valve to control.

So based on this, lower pump would be more efficient at bigger particles and higher pump better at removing smaller particles? Or am I totally off

 

[EnterName]

Pump High + Valve Low = The skimmer is constantly fed with "new" tank water. Particles don't have much time to end up in the upper section of the neck and might get flushed out of the skimmer without being removed, but the entire system's water will go through the skimmer in a shorter time.

Pump Low + Valve High = The skimmer keeps a lot of the same water in it's body for longer. This helps to skim out particles that would otherwise just pass through, but the skimmer will go through a lower percentage of the tank water compared to the Pump high + Valve low setting.

It's impossible to tell you where the optimum for your tank is. In old skimmers the pump would always run at 100% and there only was the valve to control.

So based on this, lower pump would be more efficient at bigger particles and higher pump better at removing smaller particles? Or am I totally off

I think this depends on chemical and physical properties of the particles and I can't promise you that my answer to that question would be correct .

I would rather compare it to a UV sterilizer: If you push too much water through the UV light won't have enough time to do its job and if you push not enough through too few organisms will end up in the UV sterilizer to have a noticable effect.

If you are unsure just take a value above 75% for the pump and go with it. This should maximize gas exchange and gives the skimmer enough room to throttle the pump down if it detects overskimming. I'm fairly certain this will give you acceptable results.

 

[TylerHaworth]

I prefer to run the pump as high as possible and then adjust the gate valve accordingly.

My thoughts are : Higher pump speed = more air = more bubbles = more surface area for gunk to attach.