9010 Setup

crumbletop

New member
Hi Roger.

I'm supposed to be getting my 9010 skimmer tomorrow. I have a question about setup. The skimmer will be going into a section of my sump that is a constant 11" (about 28 cm). With this constant depth of water I am wondering whether or not I should set it up as an "in sump" with the base, feet, and output tube, or whether it would work just as well or better set up as an "in tank." It is my understanding that the in tank setup allows for some recirculation which I am thinking may make it skim more efficiently. What are the pros and cons of each setup choice and what do you recommend I go with?

Thanks!
 
The in tank setup would be best for this app. Basically, in sump it passes through 100% of the water and processes about 300 gph. In tank it does about 5%-80% new water so it loses a small bit of efficiency but it is negligible at 80%. You adjust this yourself. The reason to turn it down is that on full recirc where only 5% new water enters the skimmer, it is almost harmless to plankton as proteins and waste enter by osmosis rather than active pumping action. This is preferred for heavy feeders.
 
Plankton and Skimming

Plankton and Skimming

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8231707#post8231707 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rvitko
The reason to turn it down is that on full recirc where only 5% new water enters the skimmer, it is almost harmless to plankton as proteins and waste enter by osmosis rather than active pumping action. This is preferred for heavy feeders.

I am intrigued by the possibility of protein skimming without consuming plankton and the role of recirculation in minimizing plankton loss. Does Tunze have an article or white paper that delves on these issues? Do you have links to more information?

Thanks very much!
 
Last edited:
We have made skimmers that were plankton safe since 1970. The concept is very simple and it works, the water inside ths skimmer is only recirculated and by osmosis the waste from the aquarium diffuses into the skimmer for removal. There are some details of how this works in our book "Aquarium Ecology".
 
Roger,
I am running a 9010 and MCE600 both at present, I would deffinately rather keep the 9010 as its easier to clean/quieter and any overflows are in the Sump. The 600 so far pulls more stinkier and darker skim but a similar quantity as the 9010 which is lighter.
If I run the 9010 in Tank mode, does that mean it will take more or less the same amount of gunk out by osmosis whilst saving the plankton?? compared to Sump mode. Hopefully that makes sense.
 
It will pull out less, in plankton safe mode it works much slower, if you completely shut the intake door it only pulls in 5% new water and just recircs everything else.
 
Thanks Roger,
When I have finished testing, I shall give tank mode a try.
I am still slowly adjusting the air on the 9010 trying to find the sweet spot as they say. Seeing one picture on here it seems as though the 9010 is quite capable of pulling out the heavy stuff when set up. and it certainly passes more water than the 600
Thanks
 
Back
Top