Help me get my skimmer right! PLEASE

[trembz]

Hi,
Alright I'm not new to this at all my I'm faced with a challenge, I bought a tank and stand together and had a sump built.
The sump is clearly WAY to high and I had to cut the support of the stand to get the sump in only to reinforce the stand afterwards.
As you can see in the photo,
The skimmer fits JUST! And there's no way of removing the skimmer or sump from where it is without moving the whole tank (not happening?

My problem is, the water in the skimmer level is way to high and I can't mount the skimmer any higher than it is because there is simply no room.
Therefore the water keeps overflowing right away because the as soon as I plug in the skimmer the water level is already 6" too high.

My only idea is to cut the baffle lower on the section of the skimmer leading to return pump.
How would I cut the acrylic baffle in half?
I would cut the silicone down the sides with a razor but once I get to the breaking of the acrylic, how would I go about doing so??

If anyone has any better or easier ideas, by all means let me know
Thank you

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[trembz]

This is the skimmer without lid.
So you can imagine when I get the lid on, it's as snug as can be with top of the stand.

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[ycnibrc]

Measure the level that you want then drill some hole in the baffle to let water pass through I think it will be easier than cut the whole baffle

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[kissman]

IMO I would redo the sump and make it fit better. There is no way to do maintenance on the skimmer and that's a bad idea that will come back to haunt you once the skimmer pump fails and the skimmer needs cleaning


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[CAPT_Dave]

+1 Kissman.

Very frustrating but that can only get worse as your tank becomes established. How will you replace parts in the sump when, not if, they fail if you have to take your tank down in order to lighten it enough to remove the supports to remove the sump to replace the skimmer pump, or get after something alive in there that doesn't belong?

It looks like you have a long sump and a lot of horizontal space, which is great. As frustrating as it would be, I would empty the water into new brute trash cans to save it, remove the supports and sump, and replace it with a long frag tank or something that had a lower profile. You might even consider two smaller sump that would fit through the doors, plumbed together with pvc pipe and a shutoff valve connected with union joints. That way you could remove one if it springs a leak. You could do one as a fuge and the other for mechanical filtration.

The alternative is almost certainly a much, much larger problem down the line when your tank is full of life.

Clearly not what you wanted to read, but that's my opinion.

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[trembz]

The thing is I'm able to disassemble everything piece by piece and take everything out except the actual body of the skimmer.
Neck, , cup, and pump can all be taken out and cleaner and I'm even able to get my hand into the body of the skimmer and clean everything.
My real issue is just getting the water level to where I want it

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[Smokey Stover]

Might be tough getting a drill with a short bit in there. Maybe get a cheap ( Cordless ) Dremmel from Harbor Freight and try not to bind the cut off wheel, To make some slots but, May crack the acrylic. Also acrylic has been known to swell enough to crack a glass tank if it's wedged in too tight.

Edit: Or build a taller stand?

 

[trembz]

I don't really want to empty 350 gallons worth of water.
Drilling holes may be the best idea .


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[Optionman]

Abandon that skimmer. Remove whatever u can salvage. It looks like you have room in front of the sump within the cabinet for an alternative skimmer. Just a thought.

Alternatively, can you change flow within sump to lower water level in center section and raise in to right? Good luck.


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[trembz]

Abandon that skimmer. Remove whatever u can salvage. It looks like you have room in front of the sump within the cabinet for an alternative skimmer. Just a thought.

Alternatively, can you change flow within sump to lower water level in center section and raise in to right? Good luck.


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The water in the compartment is already to high so as soon as I plug in the skimmer the water rushes to the cup with the bubbles.


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[Optionman]

Yes, the water level is too high. Either lower it by opening up the inlet to wherever it flows to, or a HOB skimmer if you can't change the water level.


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[trembz]

Regardless of what I open it to its still over flowing..
The foam instantly creates but it continuously overflows regardless of how much I open it.
It's as if the water level In the skimmer is already set to high.

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[trembz]

I'm unable to drain the skimmer..
Are external skimmers any good and would I be able to mount it to work correctly seeing as how not much can be elevated from the sump?


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[Addict1]

Check the manufacture depth chart for the skimmer


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[trembz]

After doing some research, do external skimmer even require a certain depth?
Isn't it just a return pump feeding the skimmer and then the you manipulate the external air pump?

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[Lsufan]

U are correct, they are fed from a pump. That would be one option. Another option is to take out the baffle & cut it down. If u do this plan on the sump to be offline for atleast 7 to 10 days. It takes silicone that long to cure once u have the baffle back in place. The only other option would be to drill a couple holes in the baffle to let the water flow through. That would only be possible if the section beside the skimmer section is big enough to fit a drill. It's hard to tell but that looks like 1/2" glass they made the baffles out of so drilling a couple holes in a tight space like that would be a pain.

 

[trembz]

I have 2" between the baffle from skimmer side and the one from the return pump side (2 separate baffles at 2 separate heights)
If I drain the sump to the level I want it, I would have no problem getting a drill in and piercing the acrylic with holes from either side

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[trembz]

I have 21" on the skimmer section and 13" on the return pump section from side to side in order to get the drill in

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[trembz]

Battles are also only 1/4" thick

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[Reefbuoy]

I would review the skimmer documentation for the range of water heights for the skimmer and pick a height towards the lower range. Drain the sump and cut a piece a cardboard to the shape of your current baffle on the right side of the skimmer section and cut it to the new water height. Mark spots for your new water height along the baffle and drill. Depending on the flow rate of your sump, you may need to expand the holes up to get enough flow. Hope that makes sense.