newb skimmer question

[RussR19146]

I recently bought a 90 gallon reef ready tank and am super confised over the plumbing.

My first question is does the protein skimmer require its own pump? I have rwead various articles about how they work but not sire of the plumbing of them. I dont have the brand i have handy but can post that info later, it is an in sump variety.

Thaks in advance

Russ

[sedor]

They do require their own pump and almost every one comes with its own pump. You don't have to plumb them unless it will be outside your sump in which case you'll need an external skimmer. If your going to go with an in-sump skimmer (the easiest) then its just a matter of sticking it in the sump and dialing it all in.

I'm sure your going to have a load of other questions once you get the skimmer, they are kind of confusing at first, and then dialing them in to work correctly can be a pain, but once you figure it out, its like nothing. Just the other day I figured out that my skimmer pump had 3 other venturi ports I wasn't taking advantage of, after almost a year i've got my skimmer working 100X better than it was lol.

[RussR19146]

I have the skimmer but there is no pump with it that I can tell (id it an internal pump?) there are no cords coming from the skimmer

I bought the setup used so i dont know

I do have an extra pump from a smaller tank - can I use this? Does it have to have a certain gph rating?

Thanks!

[Fizz71]

Actually a lot of high end skimmers DON'T come with a pump (although they tell you which ones to buy) but I'm guessing the used one you bought used to have a pump but they decided not to sell it or it was dead.

The only way a skimmer can work without a pump is if it feeds off the overflow which is not common.

You need to find out the make and model so we can find out what flow rate it recommends and how to hook it up. The flow rate is VERY important...you can't just use any pump.

Photos would help too.

[RussR19146]

Hi,

I think the skimmer is an AE tech reef devil only an older model as mine is 20" tall and 7" in diameter

http://www.superskimmer.com/RD.htm

They list it with the following pumps:
Catalina 1800, Catalina 2200, Magdrive #7, Iwaki 20 RLT, Blue Line 20HD

The extra pump I have is a magdrive #7 so will this work?

Here is a pic of the skimmer

Thanks for the help

Russellhttp://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z152/rjr11211/skimmer.jpg

[Fizz71]

It does look pretty close. Did they give you any flex tubing to connect them? If not, head off to Home Depot or Lowes and take the skimmer and pump with, unless you can find somebody here who knows the exact hose size.

Follow the photo..run from the pump discharge to the top of the downdraft tube.

..and yes...start out with the Mag 7 since that's what it was probably for..and not "extra".

[RussR19146]

The "extra" pump i have is a magdrive #5 so I am wondering how mch of an impact this will make on the skimming when it calls for a 7

another question is the skimmer is able to be in sump or external. My sump has the bulkhead for external mounting so should i mount it outside and save the room in the sump to create a better refugium?

Thanks

Russell

[sedor]

1)ATB Deluxe - Comes with ATB Airstar 3500 Pump
2)RDII Bubble King 400 - Comes with 2 Red Dragon 2 pumps with digital controller

Those are 2 skimmers over $4500 that both come with pumps. In fact I couldn't find a single skimmer that did not come with its own pump.

[Fizz71]

Didn't mean to offend you Ryan. I'm only speaking from my own experience at That Fish Place (and other places) when I went skimmer shopping all the more expensive models did NOT have pumps including the Bullets and higher end of the AquaCs. I have seen a bunch that do, but it's not a requirement. Also note that skimmers like bubble king are PACKAGED with 2 red dragons, but the pumps aren't actually made for the skimmer. Most skimmers are just designed to work with pumps x, y or z at a certain flow rate which is what I meant by skimmers not having pumps as part of the actual skimmer. When you get it used there is a good chance that you won't get the pump because people use the pump for something else. :) The pumps aren't really a physical permanent fixture of a skimmer, and for obvious good reasons. I have a skimmer that has a special propeller in the pump for the skimmer so it had to be packaged with the skimmer...it was a lower end model. I know if the pump dies I can't just get any pump, but more expensive skimmers don't care as long as the flow is there. That's all I meant.

Anyway...back to Russell. The mag 5 may or may not be enough for you. If you put the pump in the sump with a high enough water level around it to reduce the amount of work the pump needs to do it MIGHT be enough, but there is no way to tell without trying. With that skimmer design if the pump is under powered for the skimmer you may wind up having to really restrict the output to keep the column up high enough and it will reduce the skimmers efficiency A LOT.

What is the skimmer rated for an how big is your system? If they are even close to the same I would get the right pump for the skimmer. If the skimmer is really overpowered for you system you could probably get by with the Mag 5 for a while then look for a used Mag 7. The good news is the output size of the Mag 5 & 7 are the same so it would be a simple swap later.

As for external mounting it does look do-able but I prefer to have my skimmers in sump to avoid flood accidents, but that could just be me. :)

[RussR19146]

My tank is 90 gal with maybe a 30 gal sump. The skimmer is rated for up to 175 gal system.

I will run it with the 5 and then look for a magdrive 7

i am staring out very light sotck so this should be ok for awhile

thanks for all the help!

[sedor]

No offense taken Fizz, your right about buying used. Even if the pump still works its a good idea to get another, because who knows how long that thing is going to last. Hope you didn't take my little comment as me being a jerk :)

Anyways, good luck with the 5. If and when you get a 7 on that skimmer it won't even be a total loss because there are soooo many things you can do with mags. Not to mention its great to have one in storage in case something breaks down, they can save your tank in a pinch.