Skimmer question (kind of)

[Azazael13]

I have a coralife skimmer. Currently it is in HOB mode, however come this Sunday it will be sitting in my sump. My question is I have seen skimmers with a outlet on the collection cup. I assume this is for skimmate removal. Here come the questions.

1) How does it work.
2) How often will I have to clean the collection cup if I use this.
3) How can I put one on my existing skimmer cup and where on the collection cup would I put it?

That is a good start I think

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Home depot sells hard plastic tubing that you can cut to 1". Drill a hole in the bottom of the cup and silicone it in place. Use a plastic hose from that to a larger container. You will never need to empty the cup. You just need to clean it of buildup.

 

[craig813]

you will probably need to wipe off the opening coming up to the cup about once a week

the drain line to a larger container basically prevents your collection cup from overflowing all of that nasty skimate back into your sump

as far as where to locate your drain on the collection cup, depending on what type of skimmer you have probably about an inch or so from the bottom of the cup. you are just trying to prevent the stuff from overflowing back into your tank, so whatever height is about 1/2 or 3/4 of the way down from where the liquid comes out.

craig