Skimmer questions

[fishman1218]

I recently swapped over to a reef devil(downdraft) skimmer. My questions are should the outlet from the skimmer be above the water line in the sump or does it matter ? Should there always be foam at the collection cup ? Should I adjust the Water level in the skimmer to where I can open the air valve the most ?

Thanks

 

[mrx66699]

If you want optimal performance the water coming out should not be restricted after the gate valve. If it is it could cause the water level inside the skimmer to sit at a level that is not optimal for the type of skimming you are wanting. Now if your wanting a wetter skim depending on the setup you could be just fine. Its all going to depend on the individual setup... But in theory dont restrict the output with anything other than the valves used to achieve your desired inside water level.

 

[Rogger Castells]

My questions are should the outlet from the skimmer be above the water line in the sump or does it matter ?
No, in this particular model your outlet could be at or slightly below water level.

Should there always be foam at the collection cup ?
No, This type of skimmers are very depending on water surface tension and may stop foaming when disturbed, this is normal and should not affect the skimmer performance,

Should I adjust the Water level in the skimmer to where I can open the air valve the most ?
Didn't know they came with an air valve, IME the air should be completely open.

 

[fishman1218]

Thanks for the info

 

[mitchwelt]

watch out with those downdraft skimmers leave the water level low for a few days and let it breakin, i didint and had a major flood and fire!

 

[fishman1218]

I've had it running for about a week now, I think, hopefully, I finally have it set right. I went back and forth between no skimmate or a gallon of wet wet skimmate overnight for this first week. This morning when I got home, had about half a cup of the dark stank stuff.

 

[TheLivingReefFL]

your outlet will control the level of the water and bubbles in your skimmer. If the outlet is below the water level in the sump then the water level in the sump will dictate how well your skimmer works. You should try to keep it about if at all possible so you can adjust it and don't haft to deal with it wet skimming when you add water and not skimming when the water in your sump is low.

 

[fishman1218]

Another question.... How often should I clean the collecting cup ? The drain from the cup runs to a gallon container so I don't have to remove the cup to empty it

 

[TheLivingReefFL]

Whenever it starts to smell bad

 

[ReefWreak]

Another question.... How often should I clean the collecting cup ? The drain from the cup runs to a gallon container so I don't have to remove the cup to empty it

As crap builds up in the neck of the skimmer, performance is reduced, so it's best to clean the neck out when you see it gunked up with skimmate. I've had my skimmer set where I had to clean it out every 2-3 days, and when I was away from home and had it set to skim dry, it was only cleaned every week or two. It's best to skim wet as you'll remove more protein from the water, however then you'll have to watch your salinity as well.

If you've got the gallon container, then I'd run it wetter to take advantage of the gallon container, and the neck will not clog as quickly when you're skimming wet.