ETSS Skimmer Club!

okay so i have an ETTS evolution downdraft skimmer and it has pretty much stopped producing skimmate .i have heard that you need to replace the bioballs from time to time and mine are 8 years old ,could this be the reason that its not working correctly ? it seems so far fetched that plastic balls could "wear out"but i have no where to point fingers at . i heard this a few years back and just cant get myself to believe it ,any one ?
 
When mine stopped skimming I had to pull the bio-balls out because they were clogged in the downdraft tube. After 8 years I would say it was time to replace the bio balls...
 
okay ,i have taken them out dozens of times and cleaned them so i know they are not clogged thats my problem with this whole thing . i will however replace them and post on this tread if it makes a difference .thanks for your input.
 
How long has it stopped producing? How old is the pump, if it is going bad it may not be able to create the force required to generate enough foam?
The only other thing I could think of could be the air intake is clogged up. Either at the top of the downdraft tube or out at in the collection cup dumps the skimmate out.
 
#1 it hasnt produced for a couple of years
#2 the pump is seven years old /mag12 throttled back and can easily overflow the unit with both water and plenty of foam
#3 air intake open at it can be 100%
it seems to make some "scum" on the inside of the upper tube but only overflows at night when I'm not there to see and the skimmate is clear as ro water in color .it will overflow a gallon every night .i have throttled it back and forth so many times and it just baffles me .it used to work like a monster as it is hooked up to 12 20 gallon tanks . the only thing that has changed is i have less bioload on the system .300 gallons and five Morey eels and a couple of triggers and i feed about 1/4lb cocktail shrimp per week so it seems it should be going crazy .
get this nitrates 160 +++
 
How often do you feed? If you feed all the time it may be down because of that. Mine will lose the foam head for quite a while after I feed. The fact that it overflows at night makes me think something you are putting into the tank is causing it to lose the foam head (even your hand can do that).

IMO, the fact that you throttle back the pump, and it overflows is an indicator that it may not be tuned right. When people say theirs isn't producing it is usually because they cannot get enough foam. If you can in fact get enough foam to overflow it then you just need to dial it in.

Gradually turn it down the gate valve output of the skimmer until it doesn't overflow (a little every day). Eventually it will not overflow and you will have some skimmate. If it gets to the point that it doesn't overflow and you don't have any skimmate then close the value on the output of the skimmer a little more. There is a sweet spot there, you just have to dial it in. Also when doing these adjustments you should try to keep your pump dialed in to the same position. It will be very hard to dial it in if you are adjusting both the pump and the gate valve on the skimmer.

The gate valve adjustments can be very sensitive, so go slow. If I turn my gate valve as little as possible about 1/8 of an inch, and I can notice slightly wetter/dryer skim. I do have mine tuned just the way I want it.

If you are turning 1/2 turn to try to adjust it, that may be too much. Go 1/4 of a turn or 1/8 of a turn and see what that gives you. I've also noticed mine doesn't work quite as well when the neck gets dirty so I try to clean mine once a week.

Hopefully new bioballs and fine tuning will get it working for you.
 
Last edited:
hunnicuttz said:
Its starting to form now. Do you think i'm skimming too wet or does it look ok?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZQCch89AEM
Click to expand...


looks good,i would leave it alone for now


iamwrasseman said:
okay so i have an ETTS evolution downdraft skimmer and it has pretty much stopped producing skimmate .i have heard that you need to replace the bioballs from time to time and mine are 8 years old ,could this be the reason that its not working correctly ? it seems so far fetched that plastic balls could "wear out"but i have no where to point fingers at . i heard this a few years back and just cant get myself to believe it ,any one ?
Click to expand...


new Bio balls always make these skimmers work much better and should be changed about every 6 months to a year.Once water runs over them so long it wears the surfaces smooth much like water running over rocks in a creek bed and they become less efficient.make sure your pump,air intake and hose going from the collection cup to the storage vessel are clear and unobstructed
 
jjk reef00 yes i do adjust over aperiod od days at 1/16 of a turn or less and have cleaned it all its a sump type and you can use the gate to adjust the level which i do but the pump also can be throttled back if necessary ,thats what i was explaining . i do use the gate valve on the exhaust end .i feed three times a week to the triggers and once a week the eels .about 1/4 of cocktail shrimp total each week and realisticaly its closer to 1/3 lb.also there was a period of time when i could easily adjust the unit now it just seems like its impossable .i also clean my skimmers at least once a week as you stated .

ok rigleautomotive i will order new bioballs as this seems to be my problem .

thanks guys and in a week or two when i get them i will post my response as to how they work out .
 
I just got a used etss800 with an iwaki100rlt. when first turn on, it does foam, but 10-15 seconds later, no more foam nor bubble.. any idea?

thanks
 
Is the Iwaki 40RT a pressure rated pump? I am trying to find the numbers on the pump but I cant find it anywhere. Also what other kind of pumps are similar. I just bought a 800RX if that helps. Is the Pan World 100PX External Water Pump (- 790gph) similar? Thanks for your help
 
btb72 said:
Is the Iwaki 40RT a pressure rated pump? I am trying to find the numbers on the pump but I cant find it anywhere. Also what other kind of pumps are similar. I just bought a 800RX if that helps. Is the Pan World 100PX External Water Pump (- 790gph) similar? Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

The Iwalki 40RT is a pressure rated pump as is the pan world.Basically the same pump with different paint
 
ok thanks, then what is the difference in the pan world 100pxx? im not trying to be lazy but i spent a long time trying to find which one is pressure rated and what isnt. Thanks
 
btb72 said:
ok thanks, then what is the difference in the pan world 100pxx? im not trying to be lazy but i spent a long time trying to find which one is pressure rated and what isnt. Thanks
Click to expand...


no problem,the X model is higher flow less head.the pressure rated pumps(without the X) are high head lower flow.
 
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