How often do you empty your skimmer cup?

[brett559]

So I empty my skimmer cup twice a week, Tuesday and Friday. Any reason not to just do it once a week?

 

[gargoylenest]

I empty it before its full. Happens about once a week

 

[mcgyvr]

Once a week

 

[soulpatch]

Empty it once a week as needed.

 

[WVfishguy]

I guess I'm feeding too much. I have to empty mine every three days, sometimes every two days. It's an ancient ASM, can't remember the model, but it's a pretty large cup. Black, thick skimmate. Yum-yum.

 

[cincyjim]

Every 3 days. I wet skim though which is why. I change my socks and clean the skimmer every 3 days and by the 3rd day the skimmer is full.

 

[mcgyvr]

I guess I'm feeding too much. I have to empty mine every three days, sometimes every two days. It's an ancient ASM, can't remember the model, but it's a pretty large cup. Black, thick skimmate. Yum-yum.

You cannot correlate feeding to skimmer cup fill time..
I can adjust and skim wetter and fill up the cup in hours yet my feeding rate didn't change..

I choose to let it only fill up in a week..
My skimmate is dark black sludge that stinks up the room when dumped out..

 

[Bent]

Mine goes into a 5 gallon bucket super skimmate locker from avast.

I have to dump that nasty crap once a month, maybe more maybe less.

5 gallons of fish poo is...gross.

 

[Brieninsac]

If I'm lucky every 3-days. But skimmers have a mind of their own sometimes that requires more frequent disposal.

 

[MOBlueDevil]

I have a reef octopus, definitely has a mind of its own. Sometimes I'll get 1/4 cup in 4 days, come home the next day & it's overflowing - without changing feeding volumes or schedule.

 

[jacksonpt]

Once a week, maybe a bit longer depending on how diligent I'm being with my husbandry.

 

[Indymann99]

Once a week, empty and CLEAN the neck.

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[paal]

2-3x / week; empty and clean neck.
It's far from full by then, but it stinks.

 

[PeteStarks]

Very hard to gauge how often the "right" amount of time between cup dumping should be. Factors like what you feed can have an effect and some additives generate tons of random foam. I just tend to keep an eye on my water specs and if they trend high I'll skim a little wetter than I currently am.

 

[MondoBongo]

i take off the cup usually once a week, sometimes if i am busy or lazy that stretches to a week and a half or two weeks, but usually once a week during my usual water change i remove it, clean it well with warm water and paper towels, and put it back.

 

[Kevin Guthrie]

Once a week cleanout on my ASM or it stinks up the room.

 

[jaredbcoding]

Depends how full the cup is but the more often it's emptied the more buffer that's available incase the skimmer goes crazy.