Can i skim too much?

[menelaos]

I just found a deal on some used equipment i need to finally put up my tank on craigslist. My tank is a 90 gallon acrylic bow front with either a 25 or 30 gallon sump. I can find a decent skimmer for cheap but its rated up to a 250 gallon. Should i get it or will it be to much. I need to find out fast as this deal will not be around long.

Thanks..

Ps. are the mars aqua 165 watts good lights for corals, i have big deal on those also

 

[KingTriton1]

depends whats the skimmer? Only the display is taken into consideration when determining the skimmers capacity (not the sump included).

 

[menelaos]

Asm g2

 

[Harry_Y]

I don't think it's possible to over-skim, once the organics are out the skimmer will go dormant.



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[Arthur1]

Using that skimmer is not over skimming by any means in your situation. I believe that I've used every asm model but either 1 or 2 of them as it's been so long. There is nothing really special about them stock but when given a recirc and gate valve mod, I was very pleased with their performance.

 

[menelaos]

I think i will go with it as it is under my budget. I checked reviews and they said even tho it is a older model it works well especially with a few mods. Also that they seem to over rate the gallons. This is all good news to me.:bounce1:

how about the mars aqua 165w led, i know there a Chinese box light, but i currently have a reefbreeder and love it. I can pick up two of the mars for REAL cheap also.

Thanks again for all the help

 

[slief]

You can't really over skim in my experience but in most cases, when you get a skimmer that is grossly oversized for your display and fish load, the skimmer will not perform correctly. Skimmers need dissolved organics to produce good foam. The bigger the skimmer, the larger the neck diameter and the greater the need for dissolved organics. While I am not familiar with that particular skimmer, my guess is that it will starve for dissolved organics and become very inconsistent. You will likely need to run it very wet and deal with it being over sensitive and occasionally overflowing as a result. If you run dryer, it likely will produce little to no skimmate until the DOC's really build up. Then it will produce some skim and then sit more or less idle until they build back up. A properly sized decent skimmer will consistently produce skimmate and keep the DOC's in the tank to a minimum. Personally, I'd look for a properly sized decent skimmer.

 

[menelaos]

I think i may get it and try it out,since arthur1 has experiences with that brand of skimmer and said it would fine ill give it a shot. I heard there are mods you can perform on it to improve if needed

 

[Sk8r]

Possible to overskim, yes, depending on what coral you keep, but 2x the rating of the gallons of your tank is not likely to do that.

 

[bdsage]

skimmers should be chosen based on bioload...low,med,high not just on system gallons. so you now have an excuse to buy/get more fish,coral ect. win win haha

 

[ca1ore]

I do not believe it is possible to over skim. Studies done suggest that best a skimmer can do is to remove about 1/3 of the organics. Is a moot point in this case because an asm2 is not over skimming. I run an asm3 on my 90 and it's perfect.

 

[NotYoNano]

I think it's a 2-handed question.
Can you overskim and underfeed, yes. Can you overskim and overfeed, yes.
If you feed too much it will seem like the skimmer is working, or isn't very efficient. Once you don't feed enough and skim 24/7, rtn/stn can happen.

Leng Sy even suggests turning the skimmer off for 6 hours a day. After 24/7 skimming for years and then turning the skimmer off everyday for 6 hours I can tell a difference.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

One thing you should keep an eye on if you skim heavily is iodine. I've found that iodine can be depleted a bit more quickly with heavy skimming.

 

[Buzz1329]

You can't really over skim in my experience but in most cases, when you get a skimmer that is grossly oversized for your display and fish load, the skimmer will not perform correctly. Skimmers need dissolved organics to produce good foam. The bigger the skimmer, the larger the neck diameter and the greater the need for dissolved organics. While I am not familiar with that particular skimmer, my guess is that it will starve for dissolved organics and become very inconsistent. You will likely need to run it very wet and deal with it being over sensitive and occasionally overflowing as a result. If you run dryer, it likely will produce little to no skimmate until the DOC's really build up. Then it will produce some skim and then sit more or less idle until they build back up. A properly sized decent skimmer will consistently produce skimmate and keep the DOC's in the tank to a minimum. Personally, I'd look for a properly sized decent skimmer.

Well said and absolutely consistent with my experience with oversized skimmers.