PDA

View Full Version : So should I expect my skimmer to consistently produce the same amount of stuff or doe


BrettDS
08/21/2015, 07:33 PM
So I'm still struggling a bit trying to optimally adjust my skimmer. I can get it set so that it is slowly dripping skimmate into my collection bucket, but then I'll walk away and come back I'm a few hours and find that it's either dripping much faster or much slower.

I was starting to get a bit frustrated with this, but it just occurred to me that maybe that's normal. Should I expect the skimmer to consistently produce the same amount of skimmate all the time or will it go up and down throughout the day?

shifty51008
08/21/2015, 08:52 PM
Mine goes up and down all the time all depends on how much stuff is in the water to pull out

mikeatjac
08/22/2015, 03:15 AM
What skimmer, tank and bio load. Might raise your skimmer a little. Yes skimmer production goes up and down but you should see a firm foam head.

BrettDS
08/22/2015, 05:12 AM
It's a 75G display tank with a 20G frag tank, 20G refugium, and 55G sump... Probably about 120 or 130G of water total. It's a bubble magus curve 5 skimmer and a pretty light bio load... 2 percula clowns, 3 green chromis, 1 kole tang, and one Christmas wrasse and a few small coral frags.

reefwiser
08/22/2015, 07:41 AM
Skimmers need to be adjusted slowly. As it can take several hours to see if the adjustment is where it is pulling the right concentration of nasty. Just adjust a little and see what it looks like the next day.

BrettDS
08/22/2015, 07:47 AM
Skimmers need to be adjusted slowly. As it can take several hours to see if the adjustment is where it is pulling the right concentration of nasty. Just adjust a little and see what it looks like the next day.


Thanks, I definitely have been adjusting it slowly although after re-reading my message it sounds like that's not the case. I'll make a small adjustment on the skimmer, then check back hours later or the next day and I'll see that things are looking good.. I'm getting a nice slow drip, which seems like a good thing. Then I won't touch it and look at it again hours later and it will be dripping much faster or much slower. So I'd try to make another small adjustment and give it more time, but now I'm thinking that I just need to let it go and sometimes produce more and sometimes less.

slief
08/22/2015, 07:53 AM
Thanks, I definitely have been adjusting it slowly although after re-reading my message it sounds like that's not the case. I'll make a small adjustment on the skimmer, then check back hours later or the next day and I'll see that things are looking good.. I'm getting a nice slow drip, which seems like a good thing. Then I won't touch it and look at it again hours later and it will be dripping much faster or much slower. So I'd try to make another small adjustment and give it more time, but now I'm thinking that I just need to let it go and sometimes produce more and sometimes less.

Skimmers need dissolved orgranics to produce a good foam head. When the organics are low, the skimmer won't produce much and when they are higher, they produce more. As the levels of waste and organics in your tank change, so will your skimmate production. This is especially true with skimmers that are oversized for the bio load or display. They drive the waste out fast and will idle along with little to no production until the DOC's build back up enough for proper foam fractioning to occur in the skimmer.

As such, you should probably quit adjusting your skimmer and let it do it's thing. I suspect what you are seeing is the result of your waste levels going up from feeding and down from skimming.

moondoggy4
08/23/2015, 08:56 AM
The only time a skimmer produces the same every-time is when the skimmer is undersized and trying to keep up. When it is oversized it is idle waiting for the bio load to build up.