mini BK 160 with Red Dragon X pump

[chema]

Hi: I have been using the new mini BK 160 with the Red Dragon X pump for a fez months. I am happy because it is the quietest skimmer I have ever had. However, I'¡m a little bit disappointed because I can not regulate it to extract more and lighter skimmate. It produces a small amount of a very dark skimmate. If I open the valve to make the bubbles rise in the collecting chamber then water begins to flow between the body and the cup.

Water height in the sump where it is located is 22 cm.

Any ideas on how to get more and lighter skimmate?

 

[slief]

Hi: I have been using the new mini BK 160 with the Red Dragon X pump for a fez months. I am happy because it is the quietest skimmer I have ever had. However, I'¡m a little bit disappointed because I can not regulate it to extract more and lighter skimmate. It produces a small amount of a very dark skimmate. If I open the valve to make the bubbles rise in the collecting chamber then water begins to flow between the body and the cup.

Water height in the sump where it is located is 22 cm.

Any ideas on how to get more and lighter skimmate?

What is your fish load? Sounds like it's very light relative to the skimmer size. These skimmers are very conservatively rated and with a light load, it's tough to maintain consistent skimming. Especially if you need to run it really wet. With the lighter load, the skimmer doesn't fill the column up with the same amount of foam that a heavier load would result in and as you are seeing, you'd need to raise the break line up above the bottom of the cup which will result in some water seepage between the cup and the body due to the Mini's weighted sealing of the collection cup. While it's not an issue having that little bit of seepage as it won't impact the skimmers performance, you can add a bit of silicone grease between the cup and body to help create a better seal. Once the cup has some skimmate in it, that should further help with the seal when running the water level above the body. That should help some but increasing your fish load will help the skimmer perform better and make it easier to tune without having to run the break line so high.

 

[chema]

What is your fish load? Sounds like it's very light relative to the skimmer size. These skimmers are very conservatively rated and with a light load, it's tough to maintain consistent skimming. Especially if you need to run it really wet. With the lighter load, the skimmer doesn't fill the column up with the same amount of foam that a heavier load would result in and as you are seeing, you'd need to raise the break line up above the bottom of the cup which will result in some water seepage between the cup and the body due to the Mini's weighted sealing of the collection cup. While it's not an issue having that little bit of seepage as it won't impact the skimmers performance, you can add a bit of silicone grease between the cup and body to help create a better seal. Once the cup has some skimmate in it, that should further help with the seal when running the water level above the body. That should help some but increasing your fish load will help the skimmer perform better and make it easier to tune without having to run the break line so high.

Hi slief: thank you for your very descriptive response. You are right, my fish load is not too high. But with the same fish load my former skimmer, an old mini BK 200 was a beast producing any kind of skimmate, either a little of very dark one or a lot of a light one. That's why I'm surprised that a skimmer rated well below the mini BK 200 can not produce the same amount of skimmate.

 

[slief]

Hi slief: thank you for your very descriptive response. You are right, my fish load is not too high. But with the same fish load my former skimmer, an old mini BK 200 was a beast producing any kind of skimmate, either a little of very dark one or a lot of a light one. That's why I'm surprised that a skimmer rated well below the mini BK 200 can not produce the same amount of skimmate.

You can run the 200 as wet as you want but they don’t/can’t perform consistently with a dry skim since the neck volume is huge compared to that of the 160. Also, if you run it wet with the water level above the body, it will have the same issue with seepage. The cup on the 200 is nearly twice as heavy so it’s less of a problem with seepage when the level is above the body but still will seep a bit. And the skimmer will only produce skimmate based on the amount of dissolved organics in your water. So it’s possible that while you have the same fish you had before, the water in the system may be cleaner. It’s something I’ve encountered countless times with people who add fleece filters to their system but other factors could impact the amount of dissolved organics in the water. If the seepage is a big concern, try some silicone grease like I suggested and place a small weight on the skimmer cup lid. That should help a bit too.

 

[chema]

Thanks again Slief. I'll try both tricks and check if I can raise the break line without much seepage between the body and the cup

 

[slief]

Thanks again Slief. I'll try both tricks and check if I can raise the break line without much seepage between the body and the cup

Just make sure to apply the silicone grease only to the o-ring and perimeter and a very thin layer to the flange on cup side . If you get some inside the neck, it will likely cause the foam along the side to break down back into water so don’t apply so much that it squishes out into the inside of the neck. Just a very thin layer that helps provide an additional seal.

 

[chema]

Just make sure to apply the silicone grease only to the o-ring and perimeter and a very thin layer to the flange on cup side . If you get some inside the neck, it will likely cause the foam along the side to break down back into water so don't apply so much that it squishes out into the inside of the neck. Just a very thin layer that helps provide an additional seal.

Slief: your recommendation worked like a charm. Just with the silicone grease, with no weight added, I have been able to increase the water column inside the neck and get a larger volume of skimmate.

Thanks again

 

[slief]

Slief: your recommendation worked like a charm. Just with the silicone grease, with no weight added, I have been able to increase the water column inside the neck and get a larger volume of skimmate.

Thanks again

Great to hear and very glad to help!