Skimmer Cleaning

[bla403]

How often does everyone clean their skimmer?

I slacked on mine and just cleaned it for the first time in like 2 months and it is working like a fiend now.

The riser tube had like 1/8" of green sludge all the way up.

 

[samdaman]

Every 2-4 days gunk builds up on the little nipple where the bubbles go up and makes the skimmer less efficient.

 

[allsps40]

About 1-2 times a week I clean the cup and neck out. I clean the body and pump when needed.

 

[bla403]

I have a drain on the cup so I dont need to touch that but cleaning the riser tube more often sounds like a good idea.

 

[scubasteve06]

I clean my riser tube and transition to the neck every 3-4 days since that's about how long it takes my collection cup to fill up. It's also a great idea to take a cup of hot RO water and get the air intake tube for the skimmer and stick it in the cup of water to allow the intake to suck the hot water down the tube and into the venturi nipple to clear out any salt creep/calcium deposits that have built up. I find if I do this every time I empty the cup I keep my skimmer running like the day I set it up. It really does make a big difference. I also clean the body of my skimmer once every 1-2 weeks since my fuge light really allows the body to accumulate a lot of algae growth and it doesn't allow the bubbles to glide or diffuse as cleanly as it would if it was clean.

 

[wilsonreefs]

Mine is pretty large, I think the neck is about 8" in diameter, and the collection cup dumps into a one gallon jug. I clean the neck and collection cup about once a month. More if I think I need to. I do a complete break down of the skimmer about once a year.

Carl

 

[tkeracer619]

You really should not go longer then a week.

A good general rule of thumb is to try and fill your cup/container once each week.

A dirty skimmer won't skim as good as a clean one in most cases.

 

[aleonn]

Every 2-3 days or else the neck gets very dirty, and becomes less efficient.

 

[phenom5]

I usually clean the neck/ cup every 5-7 days. Once a month I pull the pump and clean it.

 

[serpentman]

Once a week while I'm doing water changes.