Basic tips on skimmers

[crt81]

So I am going to be turning on my skimmer (ASM G1) tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone can share some tips about skimmers in general.

I have a 12 gallon aquapod (way too small now) and I have upgaded to a 65. I have pretty much filled the tank but not completely yet! It will be tomorrow!

So since this my first skimmer- I have NO expierience with skimmers so please be patient!!!

For the initial set-up, ASM company recommended to riser tube be at a certain height (just right below the collection cup rim). How long does this have to be like this, and why?


So the tips I'd appriciate the most is-
1. If the riser tube is high, what type of junk will it produce?
2. If the riser tube is lowered, what type of junk will it make?
3. How often does the collection cup need to be emptied?
4. If it is not producing junk in the collection cup, what can be done to correct this?
5. ANY OTHER TIP YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU SET UP YOURS FORN THE FIRST TIME!!!!!



Please enlighten me, PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[Aquarist007]

here is a good read:

http://www.proteinskimmer.com/skimmerdatabase.htm

 

[crt81]

Anyone else?


Come on guys, I know everyone has something they wish they knew when they started using a skimmer, or even now!!!

 

[Aquarist007]

you might want to repost in the hardware forum

 

[Misled]

Ok, here you go. First put the tube where ASM says, and leave it there in the beginning. It normally will not produce much of anything in the beginning. After about a week the body of the skimmer will begin to slime up and you'll begin to produce skimate. At that point you can adjust the tube to produce the type of skimate you want it to.

I won't answer the questions the way you have them. The lower the tube the thicker the skimate. It depends on whether you want to skim wet or dry. This depends on your setup, what you want to keep and how you want it. This also determins how ofter you have to empty the cup.

What I do:

1. Clean the venturi once a week.
2. Clean the pump every month.
3. I skim a little wet. I have a mixed sps dominant tank.
4. I clean the cup once a week. Looks like this every week:

I don't clean the body of the skimmer.

HTH