Scratches at the bottom of my Supermarin 250 cup

[jsousa]

I have a Supermarin 250 running on my tank for about 2 months now. It is working spectacularly. I clean it about once a week with water and paper towels. Just had a question about the cup and cleaning. Seems like the bottom of the cup is roughed up but like I said, all I ever used was water and papertowels. Never even used any kind of abrasive cleaner or soap. Take a look at the images I have attached. Should this happen?

 

[slief]

It's really hard to tell from those pictures. They appear to be thumbnails and I can't enlarge them. Can you post better pictures? The bottom of the cup is PVC which is soften than the acrylic. It's also not perfectly smooth to begin with or at least I don't think it is. It's been a long time since I pulled mine off and looked at it though. I never really remove mine since I have a neck cleaner. I just drain my cup into a 1 gallon container via the drain tube. When I do clean mine, I spray it down with water and use a soft sponge which is easier on the acrylic.

 

[jsousa]

I can take some better pics but honestly it's not big deal. I just thought at the price you pay for a skimmer like this, paper towels wouldn't hurt its appearance.


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[vhuang168]

I don't think it's the paper towels but what is caught between the paper towels and the bottom of the cup that is scratching it.

I pour the gunk out, rinse with water then use a brush to clean out the caked on goop. Final rinse then back on the skimmer.


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[slief]

I don't think it's the paper towels but what is caught between the paper towels and the bottom of the cup that is scratching it.

I pour the gunk out, rinse with water then use a brush to clean out the caked on goop. Final rinse then back on the skimmer.


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Good point. This prompted me to remove my collection cup and clean it for the first time in several months. Mine is still nice and smooth. I rinse mine real well like I said to remove any skimmate and gunk from it. Once it's nice and clean, I then wiped it out with a sponge which is my normal process. I never use paper towels or any cleaning solutions such as vinegar. Just water and a sponge.

Are you dosing anything that could be being driven out via the skimmer and collecting on the bottom of the cup?

Please post better pictures.

 

[ReefClownMIA]

Wonder if it could be carbon dust, or GFO particles, that could've been smeared by the wiping. I've seen similar, which usually will rub off with a cleaning.

 

[slief]

I just checked the images out using the Chrome browser on my iPad and was able to open the up. Not sure why I couldn't open up the attachments using Safari. Almost looks like scum is just smeared on the bottom of the cup. Are there actually gouges in the bottom of the cup or could it just be suff that wasn't cleaned off well? Like I said, I use a sponge and really get in there on the rare occasion that I clean my cup.

 

[jsousa]

Ok. I'll try a sponge. The only things I dose are Mag, Cal and Alk.

Good point about the carbon dust. It does look like that but I have never used carbon in this tank. First time in my life I have not. I use Ozone to clear my water. Its working great.