Reeflo/Sequence Skimmer Club

tank is a 375 have 2 closed loops that alternate around 700-800 gallons each with my returns (700-800gph) on sea swirls and 2 tunze 6125's, think if i added more flow my corals would blow over....seem to be doing well on the flow end. Dont think i have pro kit just what came with skimmer for around 1200 bux
 
How do you feed your skimmer? What type of flow? What is your return flow rating at? The addition of the Pro kit will take the Reeflo 250 to an all new level of skimming.
 
its fed thru a reeflo orca on a ball valve, pump also feeds a small refugium and phosban reactor. my return pump im estimating returns around 1400 gph total to the system. sump is a 150 gallon rubbermaid horse trough in the basement
 
seems like the neck of my skimmer if i set it to dry cakes up around the neck to the point of where it just builds there and stops it from skimming. If i skim wet in a couple days i could have a brown/green 5 gallon bucket full of skimmate
 
The center island is my old live rock which I bleached (with bleach) 50/50 with water to kill everything from my old tank. Spent months reconditioning it before this set up, which is the reverse of you center island. It's U-shaped facing forward and totally open in the back with some support.

The side islands is rock that you used from the same website, but not the spaghetti type. Can't recall the website at this time. All the equipment other than the tank and stand I got from reef specialty.
 
Guys... I have just received an upgraded pinwheel from Reeflo for these pumps. Once I get some numbers on them tomorrow I will post back here.
 
OK, so I am getting the skimmer dialed in...the tank ios 2 months old, and the skimmer has been on since. I loaded my 450 with about 500lbs of dry pukani rock, another 350lbs LR in the sump..and am now feeding the Reeflo 250 with a Quiet One 3000. My issue is that I am seeing my nitrates creep higher every day! I am at about 80 for nitrates now, with only 5 tangs and a bunch of smaller fish. My thought was that spending more on a nice skimmer would mean no nitrate issues.....but here I am again seeing nitrates on the rise.
My question is: does the skimming performance differ when using a feed pump from the sump vs. fresh "dirty"
water from the overflows? Or are the nitrates a result of the dry base rock curing and becoming live? If so, wouldn't I have seen this earlier on? Any info will help!
 
pike614, im having same issue only my tank is a 375, 7 years old with 7 year old live rock. 40-50 gallon waterchanges per week and nitrates are still climbing....prolly around same level as u are seeing.
 
pike614, im having same issue only my tank is a 375, 7 years old with 7 year old live rock. 40-50 gallon waterchanges per week and nitrates are still climbing....prolly around same level as u are seeing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13924999#post13924999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pike614
OK, so I am getting the skimmer dialed in...the tank ios 2 months old, and the skimmer has been on since. I loaded my 450 with about 500lbs of dry pukani rock, another 350lbs LR in the sump..and am now feeding the Reeflo 250 with a Quiet One 3000. My issue is that I am seeing my nitrates creep higher every day! I am at about 80 for nitrates now, with only 5 tangs and a bunch of smaller fish. My thought was that spending more on a nice skimmer would mean no nitrate issues.....but here I am again seeing nitrates on the rise.
My question is: does the skimming performance differ when using a feed pump from the sump vs. fresh "dirty"
water from the overflows? Or are the nitrates a result of the dry base rock curing and becoming live? If so, wouldn't I have seen this earlier on? Any info will help!
Click to expand...

You have plenty of skimmer, I doubt that is the issue. I feed mine with a pump, as does a guy I know well with a 500 gallon tank that is LOADED with tangs the size of small dogs. No nitrates.

If you are getting good sludge from your skimmer, I think that part is fine.

Not to be insulting or too basic... but... did your rock cycle completely before the nitrates climbed up?

Do you have a detritus trap somewhere? How is your rock arranged? Stacked... or supported on PVC etc? Did you try vacuuming your gravel? Did you blow off the stuff that falls off the dry rock as it cures off a bare bottom... or did it maybe settle into substrate?

Missing fish?

Do you have a nitrate export mechanism besides water changes? Mature deep sand bed? Macroalgae? (The skimmer can't remove nitrates, only organic material that can feed nitrate production).

Five tangs and a bunch of smaller fish in a two month old tank - from dry rock - sounds like pretty aggressive stocking. Even in a big tank like yours.

Sorry if this is too A,B,C.. but sometimes I need to be reminded to go back to the simple stuff before worrying too much about equipment.

Hope you get it figured out soon.
 
The numbers on the new impeller are around 67 - 68 scfh, or about 150lph more than the old impeller. I am still doing some tweaking / research, as it's my opinion that the 250 will perform best around 2100lph. I will keep this thread updated.
 
Jeremy
Thats not much better than stock. Reef Specialty NW pulls well over 100 on the 250. My Reeflo 200 pulls more than 75scfh with the RS prototype 200 NW.
 
Please keep in mind that the more the air is not always the best way to go. You are looking for the best possible mixture for the chamber that it is being injected into.

I am doing some more stuff on my end, that if it all works out we can get current owners some updated equipment for better performance.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13924999#post13924999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pike614
OK, so I am getting the skimmer dialed in...the tank ios 2 months old, and the skimmer has been on since. I loaded my 450 with about 500lbs of dry pukani rock, another 350lbs LR in the sump..and am now feeding the Reeflo 250 with a Quiet One 3000. My issue is that I am seeing my nitrates creep higher every day! I am at about 80 for nitrates now, with only 5 tangs and a bunch of smaller fish. My thought was that spending more on a nice skimmer would mean no nitrate issues.....but here I am again seeing nitrates on the rise.
My question is: does the skimming performance differ when using a feed pump from the sump vs. fresh "dirty"
water from the overflows? Or are the nitrates a result of the dry base rock curing and becoming live? If so, wouldn't I have seen this earlier on? Any info will help!
Click to expand...

Your tank is only 2 months old, and you loaded it with 500 pounds of dirty rock full of dead stuff, I am not surprised that your nirtates are high.

I put in about 250 pounds of dry pukani in my 340, and my nitrates jumped to about 30 around 1.5 month mark after cycling, and now down to less than 5 at 3.5 month mark, and that is with a lot of detritus blowing and sucking up every weekend. These rocks have incredible amount of dead matter in them, and if you leave your lights on, you will also get a nice algea bloom from all the nutriens being released. Your skimmer can only help so much.

I believe the best way to use these dry rock is to cook them in darkness for couple of months before throwing in a reef.

Just be patient, your tank is still very young, with regular detritus clean up, and proper maintenance, you will be able to reduce those nitrates like I did.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13955687#post13955687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jeremy B.
Please keep in mind that the more the air is not always the best way to go. You are looking for the best possible mixture for the chamber that it is being injected into.

I am doing some more stuff on my end, that if it all works out we can get current owners some updated equipment for better performance.
Click to expand...

My Reeflo 250 works great with 115scfh. The chamber can handle it, but the stock neck and cup can't.

Are people going to get the new pinwheel for free?
 
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