Is my Euro-Reef THAT good ....

eskymick

Active member
..... or am I understocking my reef ??

I have a 155 bow with a 30 gallon sump. I think I have a decent sized bioload and I worry about over-taxing my Euro-Reef RS135 skimmer.
Euro-Reef rates this skimmer at 135 gallons for a moderate bioload and 100 gallons for a heavy bioload. I'm not sure where I sit in that range, but I do skim wet and it takes two to three days to collect a half cup of skimmate.

Here's what I have in my reef ....

2 - Occelaris Clowns (adult pair)
1 - Powder Blue Tang (4")
1 - Bluejaw Trigger (7")
1 - Kole Tang (5")
2 - Bicolor Anthius
2 - Flameback Angels
1 - Bicolor Blenny
1 - Midas Blenny

Also ...

A large GBTA
Numerous SPS colonies and frags


My water params are listed below. The water appears crystal clear and I have great color and growth in my SPS corals. No nuisance algae, either.
In addition to the skimmer I run a mechanical (Eheim) canister with carbon, and also an Aquaripure Denitrator and also a Phosban reactor.

I'd like input on the follow questions ....

Why am I getting so little skimmate .. even skimming wet? Am I far under the rated bioload for that size tank and skimmer?
What exactly is the definition of "heavily stocked" and "moderately stocked"?

When I got the 155 I was thinking I might have to upgrade my skimmer, but now I'm not so sure.
Any input is appreciated.
 
Is the water level in your sump pretty stable? If it fluctuates between top offs that might hurt your skimmate production. I noticed a 100% increase when I added my ato system.

Also, how frequently do you clean your skimmer neck? I find I need to clean mine every two or so days, or it will decrease skimmate production.
 
I do empty the skimmer cup and clean it every two or three days.
I do have an ATO so the water level does stays constant in the sump.
 
hmmm...

On my bb 75, I get a half a cup (wet) per day with a cs80. Smaller cup than yours though. I'd say I have about 1/3 your bioload too.

IMO, if your params stay the same, keep on keepin on.

Have you cleaned the needlewheel? or enkamat wheel? Do you run ro water through the venturi from time to time to clear the salt creep?
 
How much and how often do you feed? You don't have any large fish, so i would guess that your bioload at the moment is small enough that the bacteria can take care of it. Do you see any diatoms on the tank walls from time to time?

I have a 75gal also, with 5 fish the largest a 6" desjardini tang. I use a modded Octopus NW200, this is 4 days for me.

dscn0085.jpg
 
I went through this very same thing. You should be getting more. I had a CS12-2 RC (the older version of the RC500) on my 125 and thought it worked good until I put a Reeflo Orca 250 on it. If you look at the skimmer body and the bubbles inside don't make it look like it's full of milk it's not skimming up to the level that newer technology skimmers can.

I used to think the same thing about my ER until I got a different skimmer........
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11679448#post11679448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by impur
How much and how often do you feed? You don't have any large fish, so i would guess that your bioload at the moment is small enough that the bacteria can take care of it. Do you see any diatoms on the tank walls from time to time?

I don't get any diatoms .. and I clean the glass every three days ... not because it's covered in algae, but just because I like it crystal clear.
 
Love my RC12-2 to RC500 conversion (w/Eheim pumps). Don't be fooled into thinking huge amounts of liquid skimmate are the only measure of skimming effectiveness. Look at the stuff in the tank, the algae growth, etc. Crystal clear water - check. No nuisance algae - check. Good SPS coloration - check. I don't see the problem...

I've run my skimmer wet (1g/day), and I've run it dry. I've gone over a month without cleaning the neck or dumping the collection cup. I've never had any problems, and wipe the glass every 1-2 weeks. It just....skims.
 
I have the exact same skimmer, but on a smaller display. I get a lot of disgusting dry skimmate in a few days. I fill half the collection cup with dry skimmate every two to five days.

This is 2 days worth
skimmateamt.jpg


Better picture of how dry it is
skimmate.jpg


Do you have a drawing of your sump? My Euroreef can get finicky about the water level and the amount of nutrients.

I'm no expert, but my skimmer seems to be working fine. Here are some tips that I've gotten from other reefers.

Water Level
The suggested height is 8". If your skimmer is sitting too low, build a stand, or sit the skimmer/pump on some 8" pvc reducers from home depot. Then make sure the output is EXACTLY at the surface of the water. If you have your skimmer in an area which adjusts in water height, you may want to move it to an area that doesn't.

Nutrients
I make sure NOT to feed heavy, and try to keep the marine snow down to a minimum. Otherwise, my skimmer overflows or is extra wet from excess bubbles.

FYI: My bioload
Blueline surgeonfish (4")
Manini (2")
2X dominos (2")
2X ocelaris (1@4" 1@3")
2X wrasse (4")

Babysitting for the week
3X Hawaiian Squirrelfish (1X 8" 2X4")
2X Squirrelfish (4")
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11679448#post11679448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by impur
How much and how often do you feed? You don't have any large fish, so i would guess that your bioload at the moment is small enough that the bacteria can take care of it. Do you see any diatoms on the tank walls from time to time?

I have a 75gal also, with 5 fish the largest a 6" desjardini tang. I use a modded Octopus NW200, this is 4 days for me.

dscn0085.jpg

Wow, how much do you feed?

A "perfect skimmer" can only pull out as much organics as you put in... and no skimmer is perfect, so pictures of lots of skimmate only make me wonder how much people feed...
 
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Thanks for all the informative replies.

I'm not complaining about the operation of my skimmer. I actually think it works great. I do get a riser full of milky froth, and the foam produced at the top of the riser is thick and frothy, like the head of a good German beer.

The skimmate is dark and rich, and it looks like those pictured in many responses.

I was curious as to how the "stocking load" is determined for skimmers, and whether I should be concerned about the bioload I now have (I am considering adding one more fish).

Like "jeffbrig" said, everything looks good, so maybe I shouldn't be too concerned.
 
[iOriginally posted</a> by HBtank [/i]
Wow, how much do you feed?

A "perfect skimmer" can only pull out as much organics as you put in... and no skimmer is perfect, so pictures of lots of skimmate only make me wonder how much people feed...

I feed 1-2 cubes of frozen food a day. Mysis, enriched brine, emerald entree, plankton, or marine cuisine. I like to mix it up each day.

Its gone in under a minute.
 
I guess I'm considered a "light" feeder. I let them graze on the rocks all day. I feed twice in the evening ... a pinch of flake ... a couple cube-sized portions of Hikari mysis shrimp, and a couple freeze-dried jumbo krill for the trigger. I rinse the frozen food well, and I soak all food in either Vita-chem, Selcon, and/or Zoe.

Twice a week I add a clip of nori for the tangs.

Nothing is left uneaten and everyone is fat and healthy. I'm happy to say all my fish have retained vibrant color, with no fading at all (even the anthias). In fact, some are more colorful now than when I purchased them.

I recently purchased an auto-feeder, and I plan to have it dispense a portion of flake food in the early afternoon.
 
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