Question about protein skimming

[dustbust_1]

when protein skimming over time the volume of "crud" adds up especially when you run a little wet. My question is do you add salt water or reg water to make up the difference? I can pull out about 1/8 gallon weekly.

[trevor650]

Just watch your levels sometimes if you are have a ton of wet skimming. you will need to add salt.

[kfisc]

It won't have an impact on your tank if you're already topping-off evaporation with RO/DI water, either automatically or manually. The key is to keep the salinity and water level constant.

[mfinn]

when protein skimming over time the volume of "crud" adds up especially when you run a little wet. My question is do you add salt water or reg water to make up the difference? I can pull out about 1/8 gallon weekly.

That's why you need to check the salinity with a good refractometer.
Guessing will only get your tank in trouble.

[mutateddogbone]

i skim pretty wet and i add 2 part to my system and never have to adjust my salinity. a quality refractometer is the only way to be sure your salinity stays constant

[creep42031]

ok i just bought a protein skimmer that goes inside the tank... wats the main purpose or the protien skimmer n wat do i have to do on the daily bases??? when the top gets filled with my tank water do i toss it when its dirty or clean??? plzzzzzzz help

[stevek480]

Protein skimmers are meant to remove waste organics from our tanks before they end up turning into nitrates, which are bad for corals and cause nuisance algae. You need to adjust the skimmer to skim more wet or dry. It sounds like if your collection cup is filling up with "clean water" then you have it set to skim way too wet. It should look anywhere from light brown to dark black in the cup, depending on many factors. Perhaps if you post your skimmer model, someone can help you get it adjusted correctly. I empty my collection cup every few days.

[dustbust_1]

Thanks for the posts - conclusion...keep a better eye on SG and adjust as needed.

[mfinn]

Thanks for the posts - conclusion...keep a better eye on SG and adjust as needed.




:beer:

[returnofsid]

It won't have an impact on your tank if you're already topping-off evaporation with RO/DI water, either automatically or manually. The key is to keep the salinity and water level constant.


Not always true. If you're skimming wet, saltwater is being removed. Water removed from a skimmer is different than water removed through evaporation.
If you're losing a gallon of saltwater per week, due to skimming, and replacing that gallon with RO/DI top off water, eventually, your salinity will start to drop.

Keeping an eye on your salinity levels will help you figure out if you're skimming so wet that your levels are dropping.

[VtheMaestro]

I asked the same question last week. The conclusion was to skim dry so that you're only pulling out solids, and keep a close eye on salinity. Check out some of the responses i got (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1841470)

[kfisc]

Not always true. If you're skimming wet, saltwater is being removed. Water removed from a skimmer is different than water removed through evaporation.
If you're losing a gallon of saltwater per week, due to skimming, and replacing that gallon with RO/DI top off water, eventually, your salinity will start to drop.

Keeping an eye on your salinity levels will help you figure out if you're skimming so wet that your levels are dropping.

Not to put too fine a point to it, but I think we're saying essentially the same thing, which is why I said: "The key is to keep the salinity and water level constant." :thumbsup: