9010 Tuning Tips

[Maeda]

Can everyone share their tips on tuning the 9010?
I notice many are having some trouble tuning, and I think a reference of everyone's "tune" to compare to would help!

Bottom plate properly attached
Configured for in-sump

I have mine open 2 full 360 degree rotations and the foam keeps collapsing back into the body after a few hours. :\

I tried 3 full rotations open but my skimmer then just floods for a few hours then the foam collapses into about the middle of the neck

Any adjust inbetween the ones described above just reuslts in a mixture of these results (half flooded cup with collapsed foam after a few hours).

I know i'm so close! I got 2 goooood days of skimmate out of this thing 2 weeks ago.

[Melbourne]

Look on page 2 of this thread on how I tuned my DOC skimmers.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1136100&perpage=25&pagenumber=2

[IPT]

Melbourne - where can you get a gate valve for the mod? I assume HD doesn't have them or you would have bought one?

[Melbourne]

Any plumbing store should have them, mail order places like Aquaticco also. Home Depot / Lowes might have it depends on the store. Ball valve works fine but they just require more force to turn than a typical gate valve. Ball valve is much cheaper I think I paid like $3 for the one I used.

[IPT]

Thanks

[rvitko]

I have one of mine open 3.5 turns and the other 4 turns. Mine have the older 5mm screw so they had to be opened more to take in enough air. They also are due for cleaning, I haven't cleaned them in about 6 months for one and 8 for the other.

[Maeda]

I noticed that on the newer skimmers(with the bigger screw) 2 to 2.5 turns is pretty good. 3 turns just floods the skimmer.

I also noticed if the foam looks lower then I set it for, and I yank the cup, it clears some of the saltcreep or something because when the cup goes back in the foam rises back to where I expected.





but last night I tried melbournes suggestion and added a gatevalve and WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I was able to dial the thing in perfect with no fussing about. No mesh mod though. The mesh doesn't really make sense to me, sice the skimmer pulls air from the output.

[Melbourne]

Actually the Tunze setup is a simple venturi. The venturi line intake just happens to be a little different than a typical venturi skimmer setup. The mesh mod allows the pump to pull in more air. Glad you like the valve mod. The mesh mod is even better - its like getting a new skimmer :)

[Maeda]

I hardly get any skimmate as it is! I'll mesh mod it when I get to a tank thats reasonable for this skimmer. :D

Right now I have the 9010..... on 30 gallons of water.

[Melbourne]

The 9010 in my pictures is in a 55g live rock storage tank. The 9005 is in a 30g propagation tank. I don't think a 9010 on 45g of water is unreasonable for SPS - you running bare bottom setup? My propagation system is close to your system. I'm running bare bottom, with a 7400/2 turbelle on a single controller with 1 small clown and one shrimp and I pull out a decent amount of skimmate on the 9005. I'm also running UV + a Phosban reactor on that system. The 9005 uses the same housing as the 9010 just a different pump and shorter collection cup. The 9005 in that tank has the mesh mod but no gate valve mod since its in tank.