Skimmer Q&A Thread

[Kannon50]

Kannon50: I dont think that depth will hurt it. as long as the pump is submerged and not sucking air should be fine. raising it up should help with the overflowing. skimmer break in could take up to a couple weeks. Also after cleaning it can go through a break in again. This is a common break in period and also after cleaning it really well with vinegar etc it can go through a break in period again, although usually shorter. just let it keep running, might have to dump the cup a couple times a day down the drain but it should slow down. remember to replace the water the skimmer takes out with saltwater.

Its odd the skimmate looks black on the edges there. Are you running carbon? Did you rinse it off? It could just be from the new rock. You might check the pump as well. make sure it hasnt sucked anything into it. check that nothing is stuck in the impeller.

Kurt- thanks for the reply. i was running carbon at the suggestion of the mfg'r. when i got home yesterday it wasnt skimming at all, while at the 5-1/2" mark(the mfg'r approved this height). the bubbles had settled back down. i was excited becuase i was thinking i could move it back down to the recommended height. WRONG!!

i moved it back down and nothing changed. even when submerged in the 9-1/2" of water it will not skim. here is a picture of what it looks like.

<a href="http://s1189.photobucket.com/user/roblee121/media/A5D2F1C3-92F0-478E-9D52-3FFEF65275C9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z426/roblee121/A5D2F1C3-92F0-478E-9D52-3FFEF65275C9.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo A5D2F1C3-92F0-478E-9D52-3FFEF65275C9.jpg"/></a>

i took the whole apart and there is nothing that is clogging anything up. The needle wheel is still intack. but something that seemed odd what the needle wheel seemed to follow a orbial rotation kind like a rotoary engine would. i would have thought it would just rotate/spin in a fixed position. .... or do you think the orbital rotation is a sign of something broken?

to make it worse. the carbon that was suggested that i use has, turned up a nasty batch of Cyano! so now im on a 3day lights out treatment. and i cant SKIM!!!!! im starting to regret this whole Seaside Aquatics/Bubble Mangus purchase.

 

[vitz]

it may have stopped skimming temporarily because of the oils on your skin.

slowly lower it (in the sump) every few days 1/2-1 inch at a time. each time it starts to overskim, raise it back up a tad. (this is a roundabout way of 'dialing in' the skimmer).

any manuf that doesn't allow the skimmer's internal water height to be manually adjusted is selling a piece of crap, imo. there are many occasions where being able to control the internal water level/input rate, as well as the air intake, is a valuable tool. (and allows a far greater 'range of tweak').

 

[sneeyatch]

The needle wheel is still intack. but something that seemed odd what the needle wheel seemed to follow a orbial rotation kind like a rotoary engine would. i would have thought it would just rotate/spin in a fixed position. .... or do you think the orbital rotation is a sign of something broken?

I don't understand the orbital rotation thing. The impeller should spin around a fixed shaft, keeping it centered. If there is no shaft, that is definitely your problem. If the shaft is there and intact, have you checked your airline and silencer? Could have something in them or a very slight kink causing an air blockage. You've taken apart and cleaned the impeller and the pump housing, I assume so there's no slime or gunky build-up going on...

Cyano huh - how often do you feed? The only reason I ask is food will kill the skimmer head too. I wouldn't think carbon would cause a cyano bloom, but I've seen strange things over the years.

 

[steiny805]

Just bought a 240 gallon and researching what skimmer to get. I'd like to spend no more than $500 and It looks like the AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3 may be the best choice. Do you guys think that it would work well for a 240?

 

[Drae]

Just bought a 240 gallon and researching what skimmer to get. I'd like to spend no more than $500 and It looks like the AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3 may be the best choice. Do you guys think that it would work well for a 240?

I think that it would work well if you consider water displacement. The tank may be a 240 but after rock, sand, and water level overall you might be looking at about 220 gallons +/-. 220 in the display and a large sump would make the aquamaxx cone 3 a good choice.

 

[viggen]

It's actually more then likely quite a bit less even the 220g that you state. If the tank is a standard glass aqueon tank which I think is 72x24x30 or something like that.. Its about 230g measuring from external dimensions. Accounting for glass, water level etc just taking a inch or so off the length and width plus 3in for heigth (guessing actual water depth) its under 190g. That's not accounting for rocks and all that stuff...... However I do not feel that should be considered when skimmer shopping. My take is usually after calculating actual amount of water in the aquarium then adding the actual amount of water in the sump it often times works out to around what the tank volume is rated at. Skimmer rating are just rough guesses with some companies throwing out larger numbers simply to increase sales and not due to their skimmers being better.

Its been stated many times before but aquamaxx grossly over states their skimmer rating. If it was me I would never put a cone 3 on a 240g tank especially if its a 8ft tank which can hold quite a load of fish. To me no matter how good the pump is a 8in dia skimmer that's only 23in tall is to small for a 240g tank. Yes the cone 5 costs a bit more and is just out of your original budget.... I would look for something used or wait until you have the extra money to get a better skimmer.

 

[ksed]

Would you be able to stretch your price range to a Aqua Maxx EM 500

 

[ccristal]

ZEOvit system.

ZEOvit system.

Hi all,

I have my tank for almost a year now and recently I bought a Aquaripure nitrate filter and am using it for about 3 weeks now. I am not very happy with it since my corals are not to happy with it either. I have read about the ZEOvit system but I have a feeling it is used for tanks with sump. I do not have a sump to my aquarium. It is just a 30 gal tank with a CPR Bak-Pak II skimmer (which I hate and am thinking to change it for a better one).

My question is can I use the ZEOvit starter system without a sump? How do I use the activated carbon and if I can't use ZEOvit system without the sump what would you recommend to use instead to keep my bad things out of my tank and minimize the water change?

My main reason I wanted Aquaripure is to minimize the algae growth which in this case I have to say that I have seen a real improvement but my corals are not very happy with the new change in water.

Any thoughts, ideas? Please advice!

Thank you!
Cristina

 

[steiny805]

The dimensions of the tank are 72 x 24 x 31. I got it from Glass Cages. The tank won't be set up for a while yet as the wife and I are house shopping right now so that gives me some time to really figure out the best equipment for it. It came with a 65 gallon sump so the total system will be around 300 gallons. If I go over the budget I'm definitely going to have to justify it. Is the chamber diameter the main reason go with the EM500 over the ConeS CO3?

 

[BigDog]

The dimensions of the tank are 72 x 24 x 31. I got it from Glass Cages. The tank won't be set up for a while yet as the wife and I are house shopping right now so that gives me some time to really figure out the best equipment for it. It came with a 65 gallon sump so the total system will be around 300 gallons. If I go over the budget I'm definitely going to have to justify it. Is the chamber diameter the main reason go with the EM500 over the ConeS CO3?

Did you get the setup they had for sale at Aquatic Expo?!

If so you beat me too it by like 2 min

Mine arrives on Dec 7th

 

[steiny805]

I did! It was too good to pass up

The lady (I can't remember her name now) told me that there was another couple who was interested but couldn't get it until December anyways due to moving situations. Was that you?

 

[BigDog]

I did! It was too good to pass up

The lady (I can't remember her name now) told me that there was another couple who was interested but couldn't get it until December anyways due to moving situations. Was that you?

That was me

Beth did take care of me though so all is good! It's going to be rather interesting to get that thing up to the 49th floor of my building!

 

[steiny805]

Yea she told me she would give you the same deal so I didn't feel bad about buying it first

We had to rent some suction cup handles just to get it out of the van and into the garage. Have you gotten any other equipment for it yet?

 

[BigDog]

Yea she told me she would give you the same deal so I didn't feel bad about buying it first

We had to rent some suction cup handles just to get it out of the van and into the garage. Have you gotten any other equipment for it yet?

No not yet, how was it to move? Was it a pain?? How many ppl did you need?

 

[ksed]

Bigger pump also. Which would handle a larger bioload if needed.Don't forget that JNS ratings state 1000l/h air but it will only pull in about 700-800max.

The dimensions of the tank are 72 x 24 x 31. I got it from Glass Cages. The tank won't be set up for a while yet as the wife and I are house shopping right now so that gives me some time to really figure out the best equipment for it. It came with a 65 gallon sump so the total system will be around 300 gallons. If I go over the budget I'm definitely going to have to justify it. Is the chamber diameter the main reason go with the EM500 over the ConeS CO3?

 

[steiny805]

Bigger pump also. Which would handle a larger bioload if needed.Don't forget that JNS ratings state 1000l/h air but it will only pull in about 700-800max.

What does the 1000/h air mean? I'm still pretty new on all this stuff :headwally:

 

[steiny805]

No not yet, how was it to move? Was it a pain?? How many ppl did you need?

The tank is definitely heavy so I would recommend having 4 guys total. We only had to move it off the van and into the garage and between me, my father in law, wife and sister in law, it was tough. I got the suction cups from Rental Max, $12.75 for a pair for the overnight price, or you can spend $17 for the whole day. You're going to need 2 pairs for sure and a dolly or something similar that you can roll it on.

 

[Kurt03]

I don't understand the orbital rotation thing. The impeller should spin around a fixed shaft, keeping it centered. If there is no shaft, that is definitely your problem. If the shaft is there and intact, have you checked your airline and silencer? Could have something in them or a very slight kink causing an air blockage. You've taken apart and cleaned the impeller and the pump housing, I assume so there's no slime or gunky build-up going on...

Cyano huh - how often do you feed? The only reason I ask is food will kill the skimmer head too. I wouldn't think carbon would cause a cyano bloom, but I've seen strange things over the years.

How old is the tank? IDK that carbon would cause that but you just added rock right? you will go through an algae cycle, dont worry about it. You can reduce your lighting but it will pass. Just try and figure the skimmer out.
+1 on the question about the impeller shaft.

 

[Drae]

What does the 1000/h air mean? I'm still pretty new on all this stuff :headwally:

It means 1000 liters per hour of air draw/pull. It's how much air the pump pulls in.

 

[Mike S]

I'm in the process of moving from a 120 gallon tank to a 315 gallon tank. The plan is for it to be mainly sps with a heavy bioload. In the coming months I'm going to replace my current skimmer (warner mf201) and am trying to come up with a short list of skimmers to evaluate. I could go external but would prefer to go internal to save some space in my equipment room. Right now my list in no particular order includes a SRO 5000int, and Skimz SM251 Monster, Aquamaxx EM500, Aquamaxx Cone 5, and Rlss DB10. Is there anything else out there that I should be considering in the sub 1k range or should I stay away from any of the ones that I listed? Thanks

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a new skimmer but somehow my list of candidates continues to grow lol.

Skimz Leopard 253 "“ 10 inch body with a DC10000 pump rated for 1,200 to 2,400 L/H

Skimz Monster 252 external "“ 10 inch body, 2 ES5000 pumps (eden?) rated for 1,920 L/H

RLSS R10U "“ 10 inch body, DC5000 pump rated for 900 to1,800 L/H

RLSS DB12i "“ 12 inch body, DC10000 rated for 2100 L/H

AquaMaxx Cone 6 "“ 12 inch body, sicce 3.0 and sicce 5.0 pumps rated for 2,520 L/H

Of these the AquaMaxx is the most expensive given some of the Black Friday sales that are going on. I would also be a tight fit in my sump. I'd need to measure a few times to make sure it would work.

The RLSS R10U seems to have the smallest pump, but is it too small? The RLSS DB12i is a 12 inch skimmer but the pump is inside the body, so I'm guessing that the volume isn't that much different than the 10 inch skimmers with the external pumps. Replacing the pumps on the Skimz Leopard and RLSS10U would seem to be easier if there ended up being issues with the pumps.

Another wildcard is a dual mazzei MTC external skimmer. This would be a few hundred more that these options once you factor in the need for a feed pump. It seems like a beast, but I'm not sure that it is really worth the extra cash.

Any thoughts? Is a 12 inch body what I should be looking for or will a well designed 10 inch skimmer be plenty for my size system? Thanks.