New skimmer

R

Rbaker1325

New member
Hey guys. I just got a new skimmer. The reef octopus 110 ext for my 50 gallon system. I have done a bit of research but wanted to ask directly just to be safe, and maybe even drum up some conversation about best practices so the experienced can teach us noobies a thing or two about skimming and getting started with new skimmers in particular. Anyway, I know there is a break in period and my question is are the manufacturers oils harmful to tank? Can I break it in by using it with the tank? I would also love if anyone has a few pointers on use. Just got this thing and it's kinda intimidating. Thanks guys.
 
A lot of people will break in their skimmer out side of the tank in a container with saltwater and vinegar. Its called a vinegar bath. You basically run it for a day and then move the skimmer to the tank after that. This shortens the break in time and the skimmer will start to pull skimmate faster than it would have just putting it directly on the tank.

Saying that there is no problem with putting it directly on the tank right away. Break in time is extended but there is no harm in it and the oils will not hurt the tank.

Try to adjust the water level in the skimmer so that the water line in the neck sits right were the neck connects to skimmer body. This allows the skimmer to build up a foam head resulting in better skimmate. If you have the water line too high you will get really wet skim and it will not pull as well as if you let the foam head build up.
 
Thanks, if I go the.vinegar route what is the water to vinegar ratio, should I tune it in while in vinegar, and is there anyway to rinse it out before putting it in the display/do I have to. Will vinegar harm anything if I don't rinse?
 
Vinegar wont harm a thing a lot of people dose vinegar. I would use a couple cups of vinegar in whatever container you are using and no there is no need to tune it until you put it on your tank.... unless the bubbles are not going into the neck then you might want to close off the water outlet until the neck has bubbles in it.

Oh make sure you use white vinegar.
 
A skimmer wont function properly in freshwater. It doesn't get the bubbles churning properly.

If you want to use freshwater you will need to use a 50/50 mix of vinegar to water.
 
that's for an external skimmer and the plumbing required to connect it to the plumbing system for the tank. Yeah, I'd certainly glue my PIPES but I wouldn't glue anything on the skimmer itself. Make sense?

Freshwater and sea water have very different properties. The bubbles will be very large in fresh water so it isn't anything like the foam the skimmer would produce in sea water.

Be patient and take your time on getting the skimmer adjusted. After you adjust the water height you may wish to give the skimmer a bit to settle in (30 min or so) before you make another adjustment.

If this is an in sump skimmer you could just let it overflow for a day or two to let it get settled in.

People generally want to see dark skimmate collect in the cup and cleaning the cup (and neck) once a week is pretty common.

If the skimmate is light colored that's "wet" skimmate and folks generally will lower the water height to get less water and more gunk.

This is something where you'll just have to experiment and see what works well for you.
 
I put mine into the sump straight out of the box. Break-in time was minimal and it started to skim right away. As a precaution I opened the output valve all the way for a few days before I started to dial it in. Also, I did not glue any of the PVC and I suggest against it.

So far I am very pleased with the skimmer and the only complaint I have is it is the noisiest component of my tank.
 
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