go tunze go tunze go tunze :P

[goda]

well i did somthing that i would never recomend.

i was wondering if my skimmer was underskimming or if i just had low levels of junk in my tank




now heres where it gets fun

i dumped a weeks worth of skimmate back into the tank ( xenia instatly starting pulsing btw)

within an hour and 15 minutes the cup was filled back up to the same spot

i guess i just have low doc levels

but anyways O_O that was fast

 

[futrtrubl]

That was gutsy ;']

What skimmer and how large a tank/fuge/sump?

I'm thinking of getting 1x 9020 for a 450 gal setup (250+2x100) we have and then getting another when we upgrade to 4x 250s and sump, but I've not been able to get ANY opinions on the Tunze skimmers ;']

To the Tunze guys, is the 9020 pretty much 2 9015s welded together? The setup we have is a constant stream of natural sea water coming into the system which is probably importing quite a bit of DOCs (need to get the lab to test the DOC content of our SW but our reefs are pretty damn algal and we are drawing from a lagunal area) so adding a 9015 might be on the table and it would be great if parts are common with the 9020.

Edward

PS Can I get a pic of the back of a 9020 so I can finnish my sump plan?
Currently it is....

and

. The 2 left boxes being 9020s

 

[goda]

dude your planning it out better then me!!!


i just kinda. threw a sum together for it hehe

 

[goda]

btw make sure you have themat the right depth. if they arnt at the right depth you cnat use them as a recirc skimmer. but if you are using ocean water. it would proboly best to use flow throu design and skimm as heavy as possiable ( if you have alot on incoming water)

anyways. these skimmers rock. i dont know why more dont use them

 

[futrtrubl]

Yup, the sort of stand thing they are sitting on SHOULD keep them at the right depth and will be removable should I change them... any info on the skimmers coming out later this year, beyond that given in the pdf? ;']

The "wetness" of the skimate is adjustable correct? Since I have a drain for the excess water I might as well have my skimate going the same way and wetter will stop it from gunking up the lines as much (I think). Will wetter skim better? Most seem to go for a very dry skimate but it seems to be only so they don't have to empty the collection cup as often.

I'm glad I have found an opinion on these skimmers, and such a glowingly positive one too ;'] I'm pretty new to the hobby so forgive me when I ask; Has tunze only recently got into the skimmer biz?


Edward

PS. SInce we have to put in a request for the funds for this I though pretty, proffesional looking pictures would help ;']

 

[goda]

tunzes had skimmers forever
people hear tunze and think expensive and thats my guess why people dont use them ( there actualy really cheep for a high end skimmer )

but if your going to be skimming wet it almost seems like a waste of a good skimmer.

the doc skimmers are adjustable. the masterdoc skimmers from what i heard will not be adjustable and will always skimm 'perfectly'

 

[futrtrubl]

If anything goes wrong with a pice of equipment here it's not as easy to send it to the manufacturer for repair so I'd prefer getting a quality skimmer even if I'll not be utilizing its full potential.

And I agree about the price, for such a high rating AND such a small package it is incredibly cheep. That's why I really had to get an opinion on whether or not it was too good to be true.

If it's just about ease of use then I won't wait for the masterdocs.

Edward

PS Sorry about hijacking your thread!

 

[rvitko]

Edward, what do you plan to keep. The 9020 is essentially two 9010s or 9015s (same except for the cup), they use a drain instead of a cup and cannot use cups because the bodies are too close.

 

[futrtrubl]

The current setup will have the 250g as a reef tank representing the forereef at 50 ft, the 100g tanks will be a mangrove nursery tank and a sea grass bed tank, so quite a bit of natural filtration. When we upgrade to 2x 250s the plan is to have on as prisitne reef, one as degraded reef as our reefs are now (so lots of algae), one mangrove and one sea grass, so again alot of natural going on though with quite a high fish load. The problem is the constant inflow of sea water, which I think is rather nutrient rich around here. The drain is perfect for us as we can dump the skimate constantly without worying about overflows, plus it allows us (even requires us) to run it wet.

Edward

PS. I love orchids too, I'm rebuilding my collection of natives that my mother killed while I was at uni in the US ;'] My only experiment brewing beer exploded in my fridge

 

[rvitko]

I should update that, I don't have any orchids now, I still love them and I really like gardening but outside of a few Bletillas growing in my yard, no orchids. It sounds like the beer got infected by bacteria or another strain of yeast or the airlock got stuck?

Even though it would not have a drain I think the 9440 would be the skimmer I would choose given what you describe. The 9020 would probably work but you are spending nearly what it costs for the 9420, the 9440 is the same skimmer but with 2 pumps and it sounds like you need a fast throuput to lower the waste level of the source water. Will the source water have any sterilization (UV or Ozone)?

 

[futrtrubl]

Ummm... airlock? ;'] Yeah, airlock.. got to remember that for next time ;']

Hmm.. it does look good, but the problem is that we'll need a skimmer for our current setup within the next month. Plus while the 9440 has redundancy of 2 pumps, twin 9020s will have complete redundancy so I can skill keep skimming (at half rate) if anything goes wrong with one, not just with the pump. I see that Tunze has a great reputation, but getting a repair from down here will take a while so extra insurance is needed. We'll probably get spare parts as well when we get the skimmers.
But mainly it's that we can't wait 'till September or later.
Are the 94xx skimmers going to be totally unajustable or just mostly idiot proof? Since we'll probably want to run them wet to ease draining and for smell controll.
We had a UV sterilizer

but when the tanks were shut down 3 years ago it wasn't even rinsed with fresh water (like all the rest of the tank equipment, what a waste) and I very much doubt it works now. I can't even figure out the brand or know what UV bulb it takes. I don't think we will go with an Ozone system with possible bromide issues with NSW and the possible generation of peroxide (possibly why corals bleach).

Edward

(mumbling) airlocks!.....

 

[jamesdawson]

Edward,

I have one of the first 9020s in the U.S. Always worked great!

Click on my gallery for pics.

James

 

[futrtrubl]

Thanks James, those are exactly what I needed.

 

[rvitko]

I can see how the 9020 may be superior for your situation. I have had some on order for about 6 weeks now but we have not recieved more, so I cannot promise a delivery time.