Can a different salt or salinity make my skimmer work better?

[mpyers]

I switched from sea Chem salt to red Sea. This is my second water change with it (both 15%). Thus time after filling the tank to the same level as always my skimmer went insane. Ive also been pushing my salinity slowly to 1.026 from .024. Would this have an impact on my skimmer? It overflowed after the water change. So I dialed it down. Now it's producing the heaviest head I've ever seen it produce. It's a coralife 125 on a 95g system.

 

[Capsle]

The higher the salinity the more bubbles you will get. Hence why there are no skimmers in freshwater.


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[heathlindner25]

Coralife is the worst of the worst in the skimming department.

 

[mpyers]

Everyone says that. It works great though. Produces plenty of coffee black skimmmate.

 

[mpyers]

The higher the salinity the more bubbles you will get. Hence why there are no skimmers in freshwater.


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That's what I was thinking. Thanks!

 

[ssick92]

Everyone says that. It works great though. Produces plenty of coffee black skimmmate.

"Works great," except doesn't skim consistently, and overflows to kill your lights... Different salt mixes should not overflow your skimmer. Coralife's are just that sensitive to change which makes it extremely hard to dial them in properly to work consistently.

I ran a coralife skimmer for a bit too, and was in denial about how crappy it was because I was getting decent skimmate, but once I switched to a bubble magus, all my frustrations went away and got even better skimmate.

 

[mpyers]

Well it does skim consistently. But apparently when you push your salinity around it requires adjustment. I would assume that goes for anything. I don't think it was the salt mix. I think as stated above its salinity. I dialed it in once for the old salinity. Now once for the new. And have 1 nitrate and 0.1 phosphate. So I'd say it's doing just fine. I'm not about to drop $300 for no reason.

 

[Jah2707]

Hate to beat a dead horse but I had a coralife and thought it worked ok. Then I got a ASM and Vortec and would never ever go with a coralife again.

 

[ssick92]

Well it does skim consistently. But apparently when you push your salinity around it requires adjustment. I would assume that goes for anything. I don't think it was the salt mix. I think as stated above its salinity. I dialed it in once for the old salinity. Now once for the new. And have 1 nitrate and 0.1 phosphate. So I'd say it's doing just fine. I'm not about to drop $300 for no reason.

No worries, if it works for you then by all means keep with it! Eventually (maybe years, who knows) when it kicks the bucket and you upgrade, you will know what we're talking about :lolspin: