Wet skimming
- Thread starter spamin76
- Start date
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
Yup, while you may need to replenish some SW when skimming wet [I replace about 1-2 gallons weekly] ... in my 6 months of experience running my skimmer like this it seems to get `more' out of the water.
Whether that's more particulate that my beckett seems to pump through when wet-skimming ... or just more bacteria/phyto being exported [holding nutrients in their biomass] - I've had good success with it.
Not all skimmers can be run this way [based on how you control water level] - and some may do it better than others [ask different folks, get different answers about this one].
I've been happy with my 6 [slightly more now] months running my skimmer wet + oversized [pm bullet 2 on 58g tank]. Maybe I'll change in the future - all I can say is that it appears to `work' so far.
Whether that's more particulate that my beckett seems to pump through when wet-skimming ... or just more bacteria/phyto being exported [holding nutrients in their biomass] - I've had good success with it.
Not all skimmers can be run this way [based on how you control water level] - and some may do it better than others [ask different folks, get different answers about this one].
I've been happy with my 6 [slightly more now] months running my skimmer wet + oversized [pm bullet 2 on 58g tank]. Maybe I'll change in the future - all I can say is that it appears to `work' so far.
Hef
Premium Member
My only complaint with Wet Skimming, is I tend to have an overflow event too often. I have an ES8-2+ with an overflow 1 gallon container off the side of the cup. Works great when it's running right. Tank looks cleaner and you see the stuff it's taking out is a nice green water with many solids in it. If I could set it to pull 1/2 gallon per day it would be perfect. But when I set it just right, feeding the tank or something else forces the skimmer to overflow, dumping a full gallon in about 1/2 hour, overflowing the overflow, and it spills out into my stand. Bad situation. I'm thinking of trying to plumb some sort of a Bottomless Container into the system, I could put a float valve that would shut off the skimmer if the sump level drops too far. Ultimately that's what happens, the skimmer overflows until the return pump in the sump runs dry. The noise of the pump warns me or the wife what has happened.
Anyway, wet skimming is a good thing.
Hef
Anyway, wet skimming is a good thing.
Hef
MrMongoose
New member
I recently started to wet skim my system, seems to be working much better than when I was pulling out just the think stuff....and its not nearly as bad dumbing out of the cup
The reasoning behind it is, you hope, through increasing skimmate volume, that more junk is removed from the water. With the water level higher in the chamber, and more wet foam being collected, there is a greater chance that particulate matter (that wouldn't normally be collected) would be skimmed out.
However, if your system isn't set up to facilitate this process, all the wet skimming in the world won't make a difference. If that little particle doesn't make it to the sump, and doesn't make it to the skimmer pump inlet, it doesn't get skimmed out.
Also, I wonder how much of the benefits of wet skimming are actually due to the necessary forced water changes to keep salinity at the proper level..
jb
However, if your system isn't set up to facilitate this process, all the wet skimming in the world won't make a difference. If that little particle doesn't make it to the sump, and doesn't make it to the skimmer pump inlet, it doesn't get skimmed out.
Also, I wonder how much of the benefits of wet skimming are actually due to the necessary forced water changes to keep salinity at the proper level..
jb
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
hef - That is one of the nicer parts of my PM skimmer - as the cup is `pressurized' ... so that the collection cup is too. When the ping-pong float seals the collector [when full] ... the skimmer quits producing.
When skimming wet, it's one heck of a benefit. Every month I end up with an overnight gallon of skimmate which filled the container in too short of order.
That said - I've grown found of a `wet skimming water change' as I guess I'll call it ... setting things to be really wet [gallon every couple hours] - put the output in a 5 gal bucket, my top-up in 100% SW ... and letting it skim the 5 gallon bucket full, replacing with new SW. Just check the bucket every few hours ... and in the course of watching the playoffs the tank looks better.
I'm not positive the above method is perfect, or doesn't impact other aspects of my water chemistry - but seems like it works well and the full bucket while not dark skimmate sure isn't clear water.
When skimming wet, it's one heck of a benefit. Every month I end up with an overnight gallon of skimmate which filled the container in too short of order.
That said - I've grown found of a `wet skimming water change' as I guess I'll call it ... setting things to be really wet [gallon every couple hours] - put the output in a 5 gal bucket, my top-up in 100% SW ... and letting it skim the 5 gallon bucket full, replacing with new SW. Just check the bucket every few hours ... and in the course of watching the playoffs the tank looks better.
I'm not positive the above method is perfect, or doesn't impact other aspects of my water chemistry - but seems like it works well and the full bucket while not dark skimmate sure isn't clear water.
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
joefish said:Isn't that the truth , Can you guess my answer ?
Probably different than mine
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
Correct.
I couldn't with my old Remora Pro - but can now
I couldn't with my old Remora Pro - but can now
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
Me too
