9002 problem?

[THEmarineman]

Hello
I have a new 9002 .
It is working for a week or so.
I get good foam but the color of the "stuff" it lighter then I have expected .
One more thing is that I read that people are getting a full collection cup every 2-3Days:eek1: main is not even there after one week!:sad2:
Am I doing something wrong?
Can it be that I have small waste load in my thank, so there is nothing much to skim?

 

[rvitko]

It really is almost impossible to compare the skimmate between aquariums, some aquariums just run very efficiently and the waste is consumed by other organisms, others just have low input and hence low output. I wouldn't get caught up on that. As far as the skimmate color, wetter is generally preffered for PO4 removal but you could turn down the air slightly, maybe 1/8th of a turn and get darker skimmate. The adjustment is sensitive on the 9002.

 

[THEmarineman]

Hi,
Roger if I understand you correctly a watery skimmate is better since its relieving the system from phosphate more quickly?

 

[rvitko]

Yes, that is the theory anyway.

 

[THEmarineman]

Hi
Theory is good for the text books
From were I am, the "chase" after dark skimmate is a necessity the more coffee like skimmate the better.
How ever as I read on the web there isn’t any conclusive opinion.
Some likes it lighter and some darker.
What does your experience on that issue?
What is more practical?

 

[smatter]

My 9002 puts out a dark tea, the way I like it. I used to prefer espresso, but from everything I have read, it is not the way to go. A darker skimmate just means it took the foam longer to rise into the cup, and you run the risk of that ultra-concentrated waste collapsing back into the water if you have a change in surface tension from skin oils or feeding. You will just need to monitor the salinity a little more carefully as you will be removing more water.

 

[rvitko]

As smatter said and I would add that skimmate color is very difficult to judger, skimmers vary in what they remove by there design and this adds to the complexity, bubble size, reaction chamber, contact time, all bias the skimmer toward cellulose or proteins and even then toward different proteins that they preferentially remove. The inhabitants of the tank also make a huge difference. Take for example a tank with a hair algae problem, the skimmate will smell like chili peppers as the algae produce capsaicin and it will be a dark green color. In general I look for something that has a reasonable concentration of color, tea colored but it could be green to yellow brown depending on inhabitants/ tank condition.

 

[THEmarineman]

roger and smatter
thanks