Tips for Dialing In Your Skimmer

[Sroufe7]

How about running it in vinegar for a day or 2. I couldn't get mine adjusted out of the box and had to do this before I could come close to getting it set up. Otherwise it did nothing but overflow.

I wonder if I should try this on mine. I am getting a new 90 gallon tank with a 40 breeder custom sump up and going with a Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer and all it does is over flow. I didn't know if this part of the break-in or what, so i was going to let it run for a few days, but I can't really tell if it's getting better or not. I have the skimmer turned all the way down as for as water level, air, ext. It's in 8 1/2" water, which is the recommended height.

 

[john.m.cole3]

I wonder if I should try this on mine. I am getting a new 90 gallon tank with a 40 breeder custom sump up and going with a Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer and all it does is over flow. I didn't know if this part of the break-in or what, so i was going to let it run for a few days, but I can't really tell if it's getting better or not. I have the skimmer turned all the way down as for as water level, air, ext. It's in 8 1/2" water, which is the recommended height.

do the vinegar soak. let it run in there w/ the collection cup off. Then report back as to how it worked.

 

[Sroufe7]

do the vinegar soak. let it run in there w/ the collection cup off. Then report back as to how it worked.

Get her running in mostly vinegar now, fingers crossed!

 

[john.m.cole3]

Get her running in mostly vinegar now, fingers crossed!

no need to cross fingers. Once you set your skimmer to my directions, LEAVE IT ALONE. It will fluctuate in the amount of bubbles ans skimmate it produces. Pay no attention to that until after a week, then make more adjustments. Come here and we can help you fine tune it. Best of wishes!

 

[raultsu]

nice thread. I dont think I have my skimmer set up properly. definitely going to try this. 1 question though. Are the bubbles supposed to overflow with the collection cup off or should they stay in the skimmer body and rise up on their own once the collection cup is put back on?

 

[john.m.cole3]

with the collection cup off, the bubbles should come right up to the top without flowing over. Put your collection cup back on and wait. Keep waiting... They will flow up the neck and over into the collection cup. wait 2 days and see what your skimmate looks like.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Here is my skimz monzster sm 203. Rated for a 190 gal with heavy bioload. It's on my 80 gal total system volume with 9 small fish. Chromis, clowns, and goby.

 

[skim]

Good pointers! I'm getting really dark skimmate out of my Reef Octopus 202-S and it's pretty dry. I have been wondering about the bubble size in the reaction chamber, they seem a little on the big size. I also don't have any way to fine tune the air intake, it's either 100% or 50%.

Unit is made to run with one nipple covered, if you were to add ozone you would use the second nipple. When you bring your water height up to where the cup joins the body it should not overflow put cup on and it will rise. Fine tune by looking at the neck just below the cup, you want to see about Pea size bubbles that should rise and start to burst at the bottom of the cup level. YOU MUST DO YOUR SETTINGS BEFORE ANY FEEDINGS OR ADDITIVES AND WATER UNTOUCHED, you want to do them when skimmer is functioning at it's most stable time.
For Skimmers with Air Adjustable Silencer's. Turbulence is the killer for skimmers if it is too aggressive skimmer will not be as efficient. You want to adjust the airflow so you have more of a tumble or like a swirling river or as close to it as you can, not like a raging river. If you lower the air too much you will lose efficiency so great idea but it can drive you nuts fine tuning. That is the biggest down fall for skimmers that fit in cabinet, having a short body it is hard and at times impossible to get an area in body where there is stability/lack of turbulence.

 

[Orly20]

How can I find out if the skimz air adjustable silencers I would need for my Aquamaxx Cones CO3?
The skimmer has been a beast but I've always wondered if I can make it even more efficient.
Thx

 

[jsker]

How can I find out if the skimz air adjustable silencers I would need for my Aquamaxx Cones CO3?
The skimmer has been a beast but I've always wondered if I can make it even more efficient.
Thx

Here you go

 

[skim]

How can I find out if the skimz air adjustable silencers I would need for my Aquamaxx Cones CO3?
The skimmer has been a beast but I've always wondered if I can make it even more efficient.
Thx

I doubt you can, I believe that is why AquaMaxx put those funny looking tubes on the bubble plates.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Here you go

point for Jeffrey

 

[vanpire]

This is great. I always thought that the more air the better, but it seems like less air BUT with smaller bubbles are actual better.

 

[Sroufe7]

no need to cross fingers. Once you set your skimmer to my directions, LEAVE IT ALONE. It will fluctuate in the amount of bubbles ans skimmate it produces. Pay no attention to that until after a week, then make more adjustments. Come here and we can help you fine tune it. Best of wishes!

The bath helped it seems, but it still bubbles over with the skimmer adjustments all the way down. Could be from the additives from kick starting it I suppose? It's been over a week since I added it, so I figured by now it would of settled down.

 

[john.m.cole3]

By all the way down, I hope you mean the Gate is all the way open and the air adjustment is as open as it can be? Mine did that fir 3 days and I started with Dr tins, but left the skimmer if for a week

 

[Sroufe7]

By all the way down, I hope you mean the Gate is all the way open and the air adjustment is as open as it can be? Mine did that fir 3 days and I started with Dr tins, but left the skimmer if for a week

Yep, the both the water level adjustments are wide open and the air adjustment is wide open too. That's what I'm hoping for, has quite a bit of mirco bubbles too.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Yep, the both the water level adjustments are wide open and the air adjustment is wide open too. That's what I'm hoping for, has quite a bit of mirco bubbles too.

That's how mine was too. What additives did you use? And what's your salinity at?

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

I'm surprised that most skimmers don't come with assembly directions let alone directions on how to get it to perform at its peak potential. After having my SkimZ Monzster SM 203 for 6 months, I've come up with this.

Place the skimmer right next to your overflow drain pie
Put it in an average depth of water. If the manufacturer recommends 7"-9", put it in 8"
Open the gate and the airline intake all of the way at first
With the collection cup off, close the gate to bring the bubbles right to the top where the collection cup attaches
Now start to close the airline intake until the bubbles coming up are really small
This will raise the bubbles, so adjust the gate accordingly until the bubbles get back to where they are breaking right before where the collection cup attaches
Make small adjustments every 2-3 days until desired skimmate consistency is achieved

Please correct me and include other pointers so we all can have nice dark skimmate!

Good stuff John. Here are a couple of more thoughts:
1. I think I've concluded that "socks" or a sock material should come upstream of the skimmer - right after the overflow.
2. My Vertex Alpha is sensitive to carbon monoxide so I provide an outside air intake line.

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

I'd also like to add that the skimmer works better when it's been cleaned so I've learned that leaving it for a week is just a bit too long.

 

[john.m.cole3]

I'd also like to add that the skimmer works better when it's been cleaned so I've learned that leaving it for a week is just a bit too long.

I've heard of people doing a mid week neck cleaning. Do you remove the cup and clean?