Skimmer Efficiency

[edwar050]

I am running an Aqua C EV 90 on my 120 gallon tank. I am also running about 30 mangroves, some cheato, filter floss, and carbon via reactor in a 3 chamber sump "Skimmer, Fuge, Return/Reactor".

My Question is this:
Are my mangroves taking precedent over my skimmer efficiently skimming? My skimmer has practically stopped skimming. Mangroves are a foot tall a piece/6 leaves. I have been weighing the option of running the skimmer via downdraft and mag 5 pump.

Any help or ideas are appreciated

Brad

:hmm2:

 

[outy]

i have a chaeto ball the size of a basketball and my skimmer works the same. also running carbon and rowa

new carbon, poly hands in the water ect ect all will cut your skimmer down shortly, [probably not the case]

not sure about the mangroves but if anything is new give it a bit. if anything the chaeto is helping your water quality over the mangroves

 

[andycook]

The mangroves don't take up nutrients quickly.

A mag5 won't drive a downdraft skimmer. You'll need a pressure rated pump to get it to work as a downdraft skimmer. For your tank size I'd try a ETSS 600 if you want to try a downdraft skimmer.

-Andy

 

[edwar050]

Andy,

Sorry if I was not more clear on the downdraft skimmer design. Disreguard that entirely. The skimmer was working great up until a month ago. Over the last week it has nearly stopped producing skimmate. I have also increased the bio-load with a medium size powder blue/yellow tang and have been feeding more often.

I believe it is the mangroves that are somehow indirectly causing the skimmer to malfuntion. I have heard of this happening before with other people. The mangroves do not suck up mad ammounts of nutrients by themselves, but I do have 30 of them that are a foot in size.

Any ideas?

 

[Jasen Hicks]

I think that mangroves actually pull certain things out like nitrates, phosphates and will leave most everything else behind. The nitrates and phosphates are like fertalizer for the plant (similar to what is in regular house plant fertilizer). It is my understanding that skimmate is dissolved organic material like fish waste, decaying foods, etc. I would be more likely to lean that the skimmer needs a cleaning or adjusting if the bioload has increased and feeding has increased but skimmate production has decreased.

Jasen

 

[andycook]

Jasen Hicks makes a good point, perhaps it is time to clean the skimmer AND pump.

You have the skimmer before the fuge?

-Andy

 

[edwar050]

I have had the skimmer as long as I have had the fuge. I have an extra impeller and am now considering testing out a mod I saw on here where you take gutter guard and intertwine it hence creating a needle wheel. I keep the skimmer fairly well cleaned, usually twice a week. I suppose I was just suprised when it nearly stopped skimming, I have heard others mention the same thing about there mangroves decreasing their skimmer production. I was just wandering if there was any evidence to suggest that.

Thanks for the help,

Brad

 

[daytonians]

Are you getting good bubbles? Could be a clogged air line?

 

[justinm0424]

I think the same thing is happening to me. I have an ev-120 and i just got cheato for my fuge and now the skimmer isn't producing any skim.

 

[edwar050]

I am getting plenty of good bubbles which normally indicates decent skimmate. I have also toyed around with the water height inside the chamber for the skimmer to no avail there is still little to no skim. This is why I posted this under advanced topics. I still believe the mangroves are running some sort of interference with the skimmer. My tank ironically is looking better without the skimmer skimming....

I suppose I should feel like

Except for the fact that I know whats floating around in the tank without the skimmer working. I have been considering upgrading to a ASM G3 for the 120 and also running the smaller aqua c ev as well but there would be little point if the mangroves are somehow keeping the skimmer from skimming.

 

[surfjeepzx]

This may sound strange, but I was wondering why my skimmer would froth well at times and then taper off when it was obviously making bubbles. I had cleaned it and all was well with the skimmer. I started doubling up on checking my parameters, mainly Alk and CA since they seem to drop fast with all the SPS corals I keep.

I found a direct correlation between the Alk lowering and skimmate drop-off. I use an auto-top-off with Kalk but what I was finding is the Kalk alone was not keeping up with the use of CA and my Alk was falling off faster than I expected. I have a squirt bottle filled with super buffer and when I would give the tank a shot of buffer, within an hour the skimmer would start producing.

Now I keep a closer eye on the levels of CA and Alk and my skimmer has been working fine.

 

[daytonians]

I think surfjeep may be right. I drip kalk directly about my skimmers intake. It always pulls more while it's dripping, that when not.

 

[edwar050]

I think there is a decent posibility you guys are right on the money. I have been dosing a little less Kalk lately. Guess its time to bust out the test kit

 

[brentp]

I know you said you clean the skimmer regulary, but do you take the injector off and clean it also? A snail shell in the injector is pretty common on that skimmer.

 

[rsteagall]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8123706#post8123706 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brentp
I know you said you clean the skimmer regulary, but do you take the injector off and clean it also? A snail shell in the injector is pretty common on that skimmer.

If he's getting good bubles, flow and has adjusted height.... how cuold a snail be blocking anything?

 

[brentp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8144604#post8144604 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rsteagall
If he's getting good bubles, flow and has adjusted height.... how cuold a snail be blocking anything?

Yes, I used to have an EV-180 and it would happen a couple times a year.

 

[edwar050]

There are no snails in my sump and it would have to be an extremely small snail to find its way into the sump. I imagine it would first block my mag 5 pump running the skimmer.

I am about to overhaul the skimmer or sell it. All its doing is oxygenating the water and putting more heat in the tank. Funny thing is I have had the skimmer for about a year and a half and it has skimmed solid for the entire time.

Thanks for the ideas-

Any way to add a manual air control valve, increase air/pressure buildup other than a gate valve "which it already has" or increase the efficanacy? All I can think of is ozone and I would rather spend 300$'s on a decent skimmer

Brad

 

[brentp]

You would be amazed at what can find it's way through a pump and into an injector. It is an extremely common occurance in beckett skimmers too. Anyone running a beckett type skimmer could tell you.

When I'm trouble shooting something I always try the easy things first. It only takes a second to look and should be something that is periodically checked anyways.