Skimmer Q&A Thread

[JNalley]

So i'm new to skimmers. This 65G system has been running since New Years but was kickstarted from my 15G that had been running since last July. I added a Bubble Magus Curve 3 Extreme last month really just because I wanted to add a CO2 scrubber and its been working great to raise my pH but the skimming side seems to be a bit inconsistent.

I'm currently getting my best skim with the skimmer raised 3" and on max but sometimes I get a really nice dark skim and a few days later the bubbles aren't even reaching halfway up the neck of the skimmer. If I adjust it so that the bubbles reach the top then it'll work alright but then i'll end up with a super wet skim and overflowing in a few days. Is it because there isn't much in the water to skim? Should I just keep it the way it is?

Skimmers will not constantly skim, they will only skim when there's enough solids in the water column to skim. So raising it and lowering it constantly or fiddling with the internal water level is not really necessary. Just leave it be.

On a side note, I am using the Curve Elite 5, it functions as advertised at the rated depth. I think with the Curve 3 Extreme, It's supposed to sit in 7-8" of water with the valve wide open. I hope that helps

 

[Danyole]

hardest thing to do with a skimmer is to resist fiddling with it. RESIST!!!

what is your bioload (fish, inverts, corals etc..)?? May not be much to skim!

if it's at 7-8 inches of water from base of skimmer to surface then just run it with the gate wide open and leave it alone. I'm not a fan of those rock pumps due to longevity but they still should generate good bubbles.

I've got a pretty a decent amount of fish and try to feed twice a day. My Nitrates were in the 20s and I already have a chaeto refugium so I just wanted to add another layer as well as raise my pH a bit. It's 7" and open all the way. Guess i'll just leave it alone, thanks!

 

[Danyole]

Skimmers will not constantly skim, they will only skim when there's enough solids in the water column to skim. So raising it and lowering it constantly or fiddling with the internal water level is not really necessary. Just leave it be.

On a side note, I am using the Curve Elite 5, it functions as advertised at the rated depth. I think with the Curve 3 Extreme, It's supposed to sit in 7-8" of water with the valve wide open. I hope that helps

That's perfect then. It's in 7" of water and all the way open. I'll just keep running it as it is

 

[flatlander93]

This seems to be a friendly place to ask advice. I have a 150 primarily SPS mixed system about 4 months old now. Fish load is light now but will keep growing over the next couple years. I am currently running a 12x12ish (guessing here) Refugium and have an octopus 110 skimmer that is starting to get overwhelmed. I almost bout an aqua max but concerned about reliability. I’m open to suggestions. I don’t want to go bigger than 8.5x11 footprint as I would have to switch my Refugium to the smaller part of the sump. Been looking at the octo elite 150sss but not sure it would be large enough for my heavy feedings of coral and fish. Any advice would be great! Thanks a lot.

 

[JNalley]

This seems to be a friendly place to ask advice. I have a 150 primarily SPS mixed system about 4 months old now. Fish load is light now but will keep growing over the next couple years. I am currently running a 12x12ish (guessing here) Refugium and have an octopus 110 skimmer that is starting to get overwhelmed. I almost bout an aqua max but concerned about reliability. I’m open to suggestions. I don’t want to go bigger than 8.5x11 footprint as I would have to switch my Refugium to the smaller part of the sump. Been looking at the octo elite 150sss but not sure it would be large enough for my heavy feedings of coral and fish. Any advice would be great! Thanks a lot.

I've heard good things about the Aeraqua Duo AD600 by Maxspect. If my tank were larger that's the route I would go. I had a ReefOctopus Classic 150-INT and while I think the build quality is excellent, it was too big for the tank I suspect, and doesn't skim worth a darn. So I switched to the Bubble Magus Curve Elite 5 and love it...

 

[Devaji]

what's everyone's thoughts on over skimming? is the general thoughts that's it not good.

my situation . I got an way over sized skimmer for a RS 300XL as it was going to be a seahorse tank and they are very messy eaters and a high bio load. I decided not to do the SH as i travel a fare amount and did not want to deal with the fry.

so now I have a skimmer rated for 200 gal. tanl on a 80gal. also have a reefmat but not running fleece.

my plan was to replace the coral box D700 ( move that over to the 275) with a R.O 150 but it's 1/2" to big to fit in the skimmer section...

so my options are :

1.leave the over sized skimmer maybe set it up to only skim 4-6hrs a day.
2. remove a center baffle on the RS sump. it;s pulls out but would have to rearrange my UV ( also not sure if it will effect the level in the skimmer section.
3. get a new skimmer that fits the skimmer section...looking at the RO 150SSS as the pump is in the skimmer but i guess there is less dwell time in the body??
4. remove skimmer and go ATS

 

[JNalley]

what's everyone's thoughts on over skimming? is the general thoughts that's it not good.

my situation . I got an way over sized skimmer for a RS 300XL as it was going to be a seahorse tank and they are very messy eaters and a high bio load. I decided not to do the SH as i travel a fare amount and did not want to deal with the fry.

so now I have a skimmer rated for 200 gal. tanl on a 80gal. also have a reefmat but not running fleece.

my plan was to replace the coral box D700 ( move that over to the 275) with a R.O 150 but it's 1/2" to big to fit in the skimmer section...

so my options are :

1.leave the over sized skimmer maybe set it up to only skim 4-6hrs a day.
2. remove a center baffle on the RS sump. it;s pulls out but would have to rearrange my UV ( also not sure if it will effect the level in the skimmer section.
3. get a new skimmer that fits the skimmer section...looking at the RO 150SSS as the pump is in the skimmer but i guess there is less dwell time in the body??
4. remove skimmer and go ATS

If the RO 150SSS is slightly too large, check out the Curve Elite 5 by Bubble Magus, it's rated for approximately the same size tank, but the footprint is slightly smaller. I have one on my current tank, and it skims like a dream, and outperforms my Classic 150-INT in every way...

 

[Raptor72]

I recently picked up a Reef Octopus Regal 250 Int skimmer. It is missing the nylon bolt that holds the motor to the base from underneath. I was going to go to Ace hardware in the morning and pick up a replacement one but I’m not sure on the size. Any ideas?

Their website doesn’t tell me much

 

[Devaji]

I recently picked up a Reef Octopus Regal 250 Int skimmer. It is missing the nylon bolt that holds the motor to the base from underneath. I was going to go to Ace hardware in the morning and pick up a replacement one but I’m not sure on the size. Any ideas?

Their website doesn’t tell me much

have you checked the coralvue parts site? might give you an idea.
chances are its metric... just eye ball it and get about 5 sizes in each direction. return what you dont use.
or bring the skimmer with you. I have been know to walk around Ace with a fish part or two.

 

[Devaji]

If the RO 150SSS is slightly too large, check out the Curve Elite 5 by Bubble Magus, it's rated for approximately the same size tank, but the footprint is slightly smaller. I have one on my current tank, and it skims like a dream, and outperforms my Classic 150-INT in every way...

its not the 150SSS that's to large but my old RO 150 the pump on it is huge. like a wart hang off the side. ha
I am going to try to remove the sump center baffle and see how that effects sump level. gotta get that extra 1/2-1"

 

[JNalley]

its not the 150SSS that's to large but my old RO 150 the pump on it is huge. like a wart hang off the side. ha
I am going to try to remove the sump center baffle and see how that effects sump level. gotta get that extra 1/2-1"

I'm confused, you said you were looking at the 150SSS in point 3, so I naturally assumed that the first 150 was just you abbreviating it, my bad. I have a Classic 150-INT over here, I don't like it... It got traded out for the Bubble Magus. It either just flat out wouldn't skim, or it would skim super wet, there was no middle ground.

 

[Devaji]

I'm confused, you said you were looking at the 150SSS in point 3, so I naturally assumed that the first 150 was just you abbreviating it, my bad. I have a Classic 150-INT over here, I don't like it... It got traded out for the Bubble Magus. It either just flat out wouldn't skim, or it would skim super wet, there was no middle ground.

that's wired I have ran the old RO150 on a few tanks over 10 years or so. worked great. been in the reef storage for a few years. who knows it might or might not work. but I am guessing it will.

 

[JNalley]

that's wired I have ran the old RO150 on a few tanks over 10 years or so. worked great. been in the reef storage for a few years. who knows it might or might not work. but I am guessing it will.

Yeh, I dunno. I tried running it for close to 15 months on the tank it came with (Reef Octopus LUX T90). I started off thinking it was probably just because it was a newer tank, and that turned into a challenge to get it working, and then I just eventually gave up. I put the Elite 5 in and had perfect, dark skimmate in the cup within an hour, lol. I've taken apart the RO and meticulously cleaned it, and still nothing...