ETSS Skimmer Club!
- Thread starter reef_only
- Start date
Gill_bucket
New member
So it's when oils are introduced to the tank? Do all skimmers do this? I like to feed small amounts several times a day
Gill_bucket
New member
oh ok thanks for the info I will just let it do it's thing.
jjk_reef00
New member
800 has 2 downdraft towers, which will let you use a more powerful pump to skim better
NeonFish
Member
Thanks. I noticed that the 900 is a little cheaper, but is also taller. Since my sump is actually 20' down in the garage, I have plenty of room for it. I have about 300gal in the system. Use to have 3 skimmers one for each tank, now I only want one in the sump. Is the 900 overkill?
no, it is not possible to create enough pressure that way. The bioballs, must go into the tower for them to work properly. You must use a pressure rated pump for the skimmer to work properly. If you do all these things, your skimmer will work so well, that loosing foam for an hour or so won't matter, a properly set up etss has the capability, and many people have reported that their skimmer will stop skimming at some points in the day, not because something is wrong, but they already have a 1/2 gallon or more of skimmate and their tank is "clean"
i have an etss 800 on a 125 mixed reef, been running like crap, so i took it apart and cleaned the intake that was clogged severly, put it back online and now even with the exit gatevalve open wide it bubbles upto the etss label on the clear tube, and also the air intake i put 3 foot of tube on and it now still sounds like a hurricane wind, didint before i cleaned, i left it overnight and got a gallon of saltwater in my collection bucket, no skimmate, it has a iwaki55 running it also, and is external run
Last edited:
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
i have an etss 800 on a 125 mixed reef, been running like crap, so i took it apart and cleaned the intake that was clogged severly, put it back online and now even with the exit gatevalve open wide it bubbles upto the etss label on the clear tube, and also the air intake i put 3 foot of tube on and it now still sounds like a hurricane wind, didint before i cleaned, i left it overnight and got a gallon of saltwater in my collection bucket, no skimmate, it has a iwaki55 running it also, and is external run
Your skimmer looks to be working great.Your tank is probably loaded with proteins from the air intake being restricted for some time and the skimmer working at less then optimal performance.These skimmers will skim very wet until they get control of your DOC then return to a more manageable level.You can turn the valve down a bit coming off your pump and throttle the intake GPH down a bit until your tank gets a bit cleaner and then slowly start to open it back up as the foam head gets lower in the reaction chamber
Also if the balls are old I would suggest a new set installed,they tend to make a finer foam then old ones for some reason.
FYI most needle wheel skimmer users would love to be able to throttle there skimmers up like this to get them to wet skim but there design tends to make them idle consistently but not allow the ability to crank it up like these downdraft skimmers.
i have an etss 800 on a 125 mixed reef, been running like crap, so i took it apart and cleaned the intake that was clogged severly, put it back online and now even with the exit gatevalve open wide it bubbles upto the etss label on the clear tube, and also the air intake i put 3 foot of tube on and it now still sounds like a hurricane wind, didint before i cleaned, i left it overnight and got a gallon of saltwater in my collection bucket, no skimmate, it has a iwaki55 running it also, and is external run
looks pretty good to me. if your getting to much foam just throttle back the feed pump a little. i have a older reef devil lll and i removed the gate valve (because i always leave it wide open) and put the gate on the output of my feed pump. this gives me fine control. i have run it that way for 11 years. also where the gate valve was i put a elbow in place of it. the only reason i mention it is that every fitting added or removed adds back pressure or removes some. this does affect the skimmer alot. i found that it runs best with no back pressure, or very little on the output of skimmer.i have an etss 800 on a 125 mixed reef, been running like crap, so i took it apart and cleaned the intake that was clogged severly, put it back online and now even with the exit gatevalve open wide it bubbles upto the etss label on the clear tube, and also the air intake i put 3 foot of tube on and it now still sounds like a hurricane wind, didint before i cleaned, i left it overnight and got a gallon of saltwater in my collection bucket, no skimmate, it has a iwaki55 running it also, and is external run
iam pretty sure thats a reef devil, because i have the same one. i found that running 14 mini bioballs about 6" from top of tower works great. anything less then 4" seems to hurt foam production. tie the first bioball to some fishing line ( 20 pound test is about right) and the other end to old foam gasket from a RO filter. you will be able to adjust the high of the bioballs very easy now.Hey guys here is mine. I think it is an older 600 but not really sure??? I plan on plumbing it external I just have to work up the guts to drill my sump. This is only a couple minutes after setup it needed a little more tunning but now the waste water is much darker
rigleautomotive
Premium Member
Yes the common mod for a downdraft incorporates a becket injector or similar and the removal of some or all the balls.I am not convinced it is any better then the original design and I use balls in both of mine.Changing the balls periodically keeps these skimmers working great so I did not see any better performance from the modded ones I have personally seen .
Edward Smith
Active member
Cleaning an ETSS 1400 XR
Cleaning an ETSS 1400 XR
I clean the top two sections of the tower every weekend using hot water from the sink faucet sprayer and rubbing with my hand. It's squeaky clean when done.
Is is possible to over clean it?
From the manual: "1) Cleaning should be done only with a soft sponge and some fresh water to lightly remove build up on the neck and skimmer riser. A harsh cleaning will cause the skimmer to have a mini-break in again. Avoid this if possible. "
Cleaning an ETSS 1400 XR
I clean the top two sections of the tower every weekend using hot water from the sink faucet sprayer and rubbing with my hand. It's squeaky clean when done.
Is is possible to over clean it?
From the manual: "1) Cleaning should be done only with a soft sponge and some fresh water to lightly remove build up on the neck and skimmer riser. A harsh cleaning will cause the skimmer to have a mini-break in again. Avoid this if possible. "
jjk_reef00
New member
As long as your skimmer is working, I don't see anything wrong with your cleaning schedule.
tonythefish
New member
return to sump
return to sump
I have a 600 old style and it is about 1 foot above the water level of the sump . The return from the 600 is about 2" above the water line but makes a lot of water noise . Can you dip the return line into the water to make it quite ? I have tried this but seems to change levels in the 600 . I am worried as my sump level goes up and down it will effect the level or performance of the 600 ..
return to sump
I have a 600 old style and it is about 1 foot above the water level of the sump . The return from the 600 is about 2" above the water line but makes a lot of water noise . Can you dip the return line into the water to make it quite ? I have tried this but seems to change levels in the 600 . I am worried as my sump level goes up and down it will effect the level or performance of the 600 ..
