Some time ago I posted a thread about this type of skimmer and was wondering if it was doing the job on my 125. Its a 24" Amiracle and its still manufactued, but needs constant tending. I received an answer from an individual who actually makes these skimmers and was wondering about further tips to enhance production.
Counter Current Skimmer Adjustments
- Thread starter fishchef
- Start date
skimmy
T3am Zissou
uummm, pour lighter fluid on it and throw a match...
utter garbage, and a mediocre design from about 10-12 years ago.
I would invest in something a little more beefy, from your tank's description.
and I would also consider ditching the cannister filter if you have a lb. per gal. of live rock.
maybe look at a cheap glass tank for a larger sump, and make a skimmer/refugium combo sump. then I would look at WM/ATB/SWC cone skimmers to put in there.
utter garbage, and a mediocre design from about 10-12 years ago.
I would invest in something a little more beefy, from your tank's description.
and I would also consider ditching the cannister filter if you have a lb. per gal. of live rock.
maybe look at a cheap glass tank for a larger sump, and make a skimmer/refugium combo sump. then I would look at WM/ATB/SWC cone skimmers to put in there.
Mike31154
New member
I have an older diy counter current, air driven skimmer on my 75 and it works fine. I did several mods to it since buying the system used.
If your skimmer uses only one air stone, you can improve bubble production by adding a second or third one. This may require a larger air pump to drive the multiple stones. Shouldn't be too difficult, you simply use some air line 'tees' which will allow you to attach multiple air stones to a single air line. You can effectively double your bubble production that way. I built a manifold from scrap acrylic to enable the attachment of multiple air stones and I've seen pictures of a PVC endcap fitting made into an airstone manifold by drilling holes into it. If you have a small tap & die set, the holes and rigid airline may be threaded to fit the parts together rather than push fitting the flexible tubing on to the rigid.
Without a photo or more details, I'm not sure of the exact configuration of your skimmer, but you do mention it requires constant tending. In what way?
Another mod I did to minimize the fiddling was to add a ball valve to the output line. This allows additional fine tuning of the water column height in the skimmer, independently of the pump output.
Other than that, is the skimmer producing what you consider a good amount of skimmate based on your stocking? If your tank looks good, then I'd say there's no immediate need to go looking for that latest, greatest monster skimmer.
Here's a photo of my 'ghetto' diy with a couple of the mods I mentioned. Uses all of 12 watts of electrical power with a Stellar W60 air pump and an AquaClear 301 power head. Will run for a long time on a battery backup unlike some of the power hungry units available today.
If your skimmer uses only one air stone, you can improve bubble production by adding a second or third one. This may require a larger air pump to drive the multiple stones. Shouldn't be too difficult, you simply use some air line 'tees' which will allow you to attach multiple air stones to a single air line. You can effectively double your bubble production that way. I built a manifold from scrap acrylic to enable the attachment of multiple air stones and I've seen pictures of a PVC endcap fitting made into an airstone manifold by drilling holes into it. If you have a small tap & die set, the holes and rigid airline may be threaded to fit the parts together rather than push fitting the flexible tubing on to the rigid.
Without a photo or more details, I'm not sure of the exact configuration of your skimmer, but you do mention it requires constant tending. In what way?
Another mod I did to minimize the fiddling was to add a ball valve to the output line. This allows additional fine tuning of the water column height in the skimmer, independently of the pump output.
Other than that, is the skimmer producing what you consider a good amount of skimmate based on your stocking? If your tank looks good, then I'd say there's no immediate need to go looking for that latest, greatest monster skimmer.
Here's a photo of my 'ghetto' diy with a couple of the mods I mentioned. Uses all of 12 watts of electrical power with a Stellar W60 air pump and an AquaClear 301 power head. Will run for a long time on a battery backup unlike some of the power hungry units available today.
Last edited:
Well, that's not an option. All my water parameters are right on except for NO. I've been condidering a new skimmer design, but since I've been tweeking the Amiracle its much more consistent.
I'm a bit old school about all of this and I'm no plumber, so we'll see about the sump. The current 125 is the contents of a smaller system, with some new additions and has been up for a little over a year. Thanks for the info. skimmy.
I'm a bit old school about all of this and I'm no plumber, so we'll see about the sump. The current 125 is the contents of a smaller system, with some new additions and has been up for a little over a year. Thanks for the info. skimmy.
Thanks Mike,
Tending refers to regulating water flow and periodic adjustment of air-flow as wood air-stone gets older. It really takes a good pump to get any real results as you mentioned. A little lower water column and plenty of air seem to be the magic setting. It really produces when I get it right. Do you find that when the skimmate cup gets coated that this interferes operation?
Tending refers to regulating water flow and periodic adjustment of air-flow as wood air-stone gets older. It really takes a good pump to get any real results as you mentioned. A little lower water column and plenty of air seem to be the magic setting. It really produces when I get it right. Do you find that when the skimmate cup gets coated that this interferes operation?
Mike31154
New member
Haven't really noted whether a dirty cup affects production much. I'm sometimes delinquent in cleaning that out. I find production is more dependent on how long it's been since the last water change and of course the condition of the air stones.
My air pump has no adjustment on it and I haven't added any inline air regulators to tune the air output. I've been considering upgrading to a better air pump. At the moment, I rely solely on the ball valve on the water output line for any tuning. The AquaClear 301 power head is a good match for the skimmer running full out. I rarely need to play with the ball valve. If I see the water column in the skimmer drop, it usually means I need to clean the screen I have on the intake of the power head.
My air pump has no adjustment on it and I haven't added any inline air regulators to tune the air output. I've been considering upgrading to a better air pump. At the moment, I rely solely on the ball valve on the water output line for any tuning. The AquaClear 301 power head is a good match for the skimmer running full out. I rarely need to play with the ball valve. If I see the water column in the skimmer drop, it usually means I need to clean the screen I have on the intake of the power head.
Hey Mike, How did you do the skimmer box? I don't have a sump and I have been looking around for this with no luck. Marine Depot just has a pre-filter overflow which adapts to the Remora.
Did you make this? It sounds like a great idea and I do have an organic film at times. You've jogged my memory because this was something I was considering years ago, but never really figured out how to do it.
Did you make this? It sounds like a great idea and I do have an organic film at times. You've jogged my memory because this was something I was considering years ago, but never really figured out how to do it.
Mike31154
New member
The skimmer box came with the entire used set up I purchased when I started into the hobby. Black rectangular acrylic box with two compartments. I had quite a time figuring out how to fit a powerhead inside the box since it isn't that big. I think the Remora box is quite a bit larger than what I have. When I initially set up the skimmer I ended up running a larger AquaClear powerhead outside the box fed via a vinyl tube shoved through a hole in the bottom of the box. This was unsightly with all the tubing and powerhead plus the box hanging inside the display. After doing some research on counter current skimmers and the importance of longer contact time, I realized a smaller powerhead (the AquaClear 301) would suffice and it happens to just fit inside the pre skimmer box.
I actually ran a RemoraC HOB skimmer for a few months and did not have the Remora box, so I adapted one of those little floating skimmer devices you can get for about $20 at most any LFS. They're actually designed to feed an external filter I think. It's basically a tube similar to a filter intake with slots at the bottom and a small circular float with teeth that drops into the top. Then there's an adjustment piston that runs to the bottom so you can tune the intake slots to make the upper portion skim the surface water. There's a tee just above the slots that you would hook a pump to for suction. This water is then delivered to the filter or in my case, the Remora skimmer. A skimmer box would be better, but as an interim measure it's worth a try. How is the water delivered to your set up right now, just a straight intake powered by a pump?
Here's a link to the cheapo surface skimmer thingy.
surface skimmer
I actually ran a RemoraC HOB skimmer for a few months and did not have the Remora box, so I adapted one of those little floating skimmer devices you can get for about $20 at most any LFS. They're actually designed to feed an external filter I think. It's basically a tube similar to a filter intake with slots at the bottom and a small circular float with teeth that drops into the top. Then there's an adjustment piston that runs to the bottom so you can tune the intake slots to make the upper portion skim the surface water. There's a tee just above the slots that you would hook a pump to for suction. This water is then delivered to the filter or in my case, the Remora skimmer. A skimmer box would be better, but as an interim measure it's worth a try. How is the water delivered to your set up right now, just a straight intake powered by a pump?
Here's a link to the cheapo surface skimmer thingy.
surface skimmer
Mike31154
New member
Here's another link to a nifty little diy skimmer box, made from a floppy disk hard case??:
Box
There is one possible draw back to either solution, it's another item you'll be fiddling with to get adjusted properly. I don't have a sump yet either and my Auto top off is timer based, so the level in my tank does vary a little from day to day. This means I need to keep an eye on the skimmer box to ensure it's low enough in the water, otherwise the pump sucks the level down too far and cavitates.
Box
There is one possible draw back to either solution, it's another item you'll be fiddling with to get adjusted properly. I don't have a sump yet either and my Auto top off is timer based, so the level in my tank does vary a little from day to day. This means I need to keep an eye on the skimmer box to ensure it's low enough in the water, otherwise the pump sucks the level down too far and cavitates.
You've certainly put me on the path. A LFS in my area works with an acrylic fabricator and he knows exactly how to design one. I run a Penquin 660 on the skimmer which is way big, but with the flow valve I can easily get it just right. I've been using a Whisper air pump for a 60 gal tank and it really pushes the stone. It comes with a needle valve which is really necessary with one stone. Not a bad pump for $20/25. I'm having some NO issues and this is another step towards a solution without spending another $500-1000.
Jim
Jim
Mike31154
New member
Sounds like you're on the right track, man on a mission. Since you seem to have a fairly powerful air pump for your single air stone, adding a second or even third might really boost your production. Here's another link to a diy page showing the air stone manifold I mentioned earlier. This guy has a number of good diy projects, many to do with skimmers.
Snailman
Snailman
Similar threads
