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FAQs about Skimmer Operation/Maintenance 19

Related FAQs: Best Skimmer Op./Maint. FAQs, Skimmer MaintenanceSkimmer Operation/Maintenance 2, Skimmer Op/Maint. 3, Skimmer Op/Maint. 4, Skimmer Op/Maint. 5, Skimmer Op/Maint. 6, Skimmer Op/Maint 7, Skimmer Op/Maint. 8, Skimmer Selection 9, Skimmer Op/Maint 10,Skimmer Op/Maint 11Skimmer Op/Maint 12, Skimmer Op/Maint 13, Skimmer Op/Maint 14, Skimmer Op/Maint 15, Skimmer Op/Maint 16, Skimmer Op/Maint 17, Skimmer Op/Maint 18, & Best Skimmer FAQs, Skimmers 2, To Skim or Not to Skim, Best Skimmer Selection FAQs, Skimmer Selection, Skimmer Selection 2, Skimmer Selection 3, Skimmer Selection 4, Skimmer Selection 5, Skimmer Selection 6, Skimmer Selection 7, DIY Skimmers, Hang-On Models, Algae Control, CPR Skimmers, Deltec Skimmers, ETSS Skimmers, Euro-Reef Skimmers, Prizm Skimmers, SeaClone SkimmersSkimmers for Eclipse Systems, Skimmers for Small SystemsSkilter Skimmers, Tunze Skimmers, Algae Control

Related Articles: Skimmers by Steven Pro, Protein Skimmer Impressions By Steven Pro, Marine Filtration, Mechanical, Physical & Chemical, and FAQs, Tiny Bubbles (not the Don Ho classic) and Larger Ones & Bubble Troubles 1, Bubble Troubles 2,


Big, dirty fish? Big, efficient skimming

Microbubbles and no skimmate... Mmm, skimmer op. f'  10/1/08
Good Afternoon,
<Hi there>
First and foremost, I would like to thank you, Mr. Fenner, and the WWM Crew for taking the time to answer all of the questions and for building such an informative site. I will apologize for the length of this letter beforehand. I have a couple problems. First, my skimmer is producing nothing other than a green tea colored liquid;
<Mmm... either needs adjustment or is "just" not a very efficient make/model>
secondly, I have a large amount of microbubbles or microparticles that are making the tank cloudy.
<No fun>
I have a 125-gallon tank that I started in January of this year. I added 175 pounds of live rock and a ½-inch of fine aragonite sand. This is where I made the first of several mistakes. I knew the rock needed to cure and had planned to do so in the tank. I placed the rock in the tank with a CPR Bak-Pak 2 Skimmer, three powerheads and an Emperor 400 BIO-Wheel. I obviously did not understand the difference between curing and cycling.
<Yikes! What a mess>
I failed to do water changes and the ammonia level climbed off the charts. At the highest possible placement of the collection cup, the skimmer failed to produce anything other than the tea colored liquid. I am sure you can imagine what happened, no living creatures on the live rock from the ammonia. The live rock had a lot of coralline (which bleached), but I never experienced the foul odor during curing that I have read about here.
<You're fortunate t/here>
The tank completed its cycle in about three weeks. I had all the undesirable effects, such as the diatom bloom. I had initially used tap water to fill the tank, which I now realize was another mistake. I eventually developed the dreaded Cyanobacteria. I added an RO system, and it had little effect on the Cyanobacteria. I had my water tested by a water quality firm and found that the tap water contained 600 ppm of total dissolve solids.
<We actually have more here in most of San Diego... and call our source water "liquid rock">
The RO water contained 30 ppm
<Mmmm>
so I added a DI filter to the system and lowered the TDS to 0. The CPR skimmer has never made much skimmate and as earlier mentioned, it was nothing other than a tea color. I finally defeated the Cyanobacteria problem with a great deal of water changes.
<You must be getting the ahms of AhnoldS!>
I had also read that dripping Kalkwasser with an IV would precipitate the phosphates, which I believe that I have, but have always tested zero. I believed the skimmer was producing the microbubbles, so I upgraded to an AquaC Remora Pro with a bubble trap,
<Ah! Very good>
but I continue to have little skimmate production. I have even talked with Steve at AquaC; he suggested that maybe the bioload was too light.
<A possibility>
I have now had another outbreak with Cyanobacteria. I know there is a lot of organic matter in the water,
<But... "something" missing>
since the Emperor filter cartridges become extremely dirty in a short amount of time. I have also dripped Kalkwasser over several days to raise the pH to 8.6 to precipitate the phosphates. I have now added a poly filter along with Chemi-Pure.
<Worth trying>
The Cyanobacteria is still present and I siphon it out every few days. I will disappear within an hour of "lights-out" and come back vigorously within an hour of "lights on." I know this is not light dependant and is a result of high organics in the water. I also have a green algae that grows on the back glass (not sure if it is also related to the Cyanobacteria or not) but its texture appears to be more slime-like. The coralline grows well on the rocks but when it forms on the glass, it grows to the size of a dime, then develops a small hole in the middle, and completely disappears within a few days.
The microbubbles are not only very aesthetically displeasing but as you are quite aware can be dangerous to the livestock. I have tested the equipment that I have by have shutting everything off for 12 hours, but there continues to be microbubbles or microparticles in the water column, they never settle out or rise to the top. Sometimes it almost appears that they are coming from the substrate and appear to get worse the longer the lights are on.
<Yes... I know of the sort of thing you are experiencing... and a safe, easy "cure">
Again, I apologize for the length but I am out of things to try. I also placed a HOB magnum with a micro cartridge and ran this for a month to make sure it was not just particulate matter and it appeared that this made no difference either. Not sure if this matters or not but in the beginning I had to add massive amounts of calcium because it kept dropping into the 250 range, I was also adding Purple up.
<Mmmm>
After reading on your site, I stopped all the supplements other than Kent Super Buffer for my water. The calcium has remained steady in the 400 range with no additives for several months now. I am just wondering are these microbubbles the bi-product of the Cyanobacteria or some other type of bacterial infection. Up until about two weeks ago, my pH fluctuated to the extremes 8.1 to 8.6 it was as if the BGA was controlling this to its own satisfaction.
<Good guess>
Calcium and DKH remained at acceptable levels and pH would be 8.1 one day and 8.6 the next with no additives. I first thought it was the pH meter, which is a pinpoint, but after having it checked and calibrated there was no problem with the equipment.
125-gallon aquarium (not drilled)
pH 8.1 to 8.3
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
DKH 11
Calcium 400
Temperature 79 (very stable)
Phosphates 0 (tank and RO water)
Lights PC (4) 96 watt (on for 12 hrs)
(3) Powerheads
AquaC Skimmer (Rio 1400)
UV (used for 1 month with no results so I removed)
Emperor BIO-Wheel (change filters weekly)
I have added phosphate remover and ChemiPure in the last month
I use no additives other than Kent Superbuffer for make-up water
I have done 10-gallon water changes weekly. I also only feed Ocean Nutrition flakes and seaweed for the Tangs. I am positive I am not overfeeding.
Livestock
(1) Yellow Hawaiian Tang
(1) Flame Hawkfish
(2) True Percula Clowns
(3) Green Chromis
(1) Watchman Goby
(1) Sailfin Blenny
(1) Foxface
(1) Kole Tang
(2) Brittle Stars
(3) Firefish Gobies
(2) Cleaner Shrimp
(1) Flame Scallop (came with cleaner crew)
Pulsating Xenia (grown to three separate large colonies)
(1) Frogspawn (3 heads)
Several mushrooms
Several button polyps
(1) White Pom Pom Xenia
Cleaner crew mixed snails and hermits
Thanks for all your assistance,
Roger
<Now... I am going to try my best at an effort of sleight of hand here... suggesting actions w/o much (or any really) explanation of causative mechanisms. IF you will try adding a bit (abundance of a lacking essential nutrient) of carbon here... in the form of ethanol (Vodka will do) or "simple" sugar (pentoses, hexoses), you will very likely find a "miraculous" turning about of your system... Either a half ounce of the C2H5OH... OR a couple grams of the sugar (dissolved in some water), every other day for three, four treatments... And please do write me back in a week or so and we'll chat re... Not to be or appear disingenuous, I don't want/intend to encourage others carte blanche to try this. Your situation however... is apropos. Bob Fenner>

Re: fighting conch, algal contr., and wet-dry conv. to live sump... Adjusting skimmer, macroalgae light f'   9/11/08
Mr. Fenner,
<Chris>
When you mentioned water quality mal-influencing skimmer function and needing adjustment to raise the water level in the contact chamber, does this mean: the water quality is poor, or that the skimmer itself needs adjustment?
<Perhaps a bit of both; definitely the latter>
I tested the water yesterday...salinity 1.024, ph 8.2, nitrate was high (20ppm), ammonia, nitrite, phosphate were all zero. The pump attached to the skimmer has a water flow dial on it...is this what you meant by adjusting to raise water level in contact chamber?
<Yes>
I read the skimmer manual section pertaining to the water flow dial, and I'm embarrassed to say I'm still confused whether it will push more froth into the cup by increasing the flow (turning knob counterclockwise), or vice versa.
<Just try going both directions... Usually opening the valve is turning left/counter-clockwise...>
The last question in my previous email pertained to my keeping macroalgae in the display tank...is the existing light (120W total) sufficient to keep the macroalgae happy in the display tank (72L X 18W X 22H) with 100 lbs or so live rock, and 1-2 inch deep live sand substrate?
<Mmm, likely so... there is a huge span of "useful" to optimal quality and quantity of light per species, Division of algae... with much photo-adaptation>
They're on a timer, approximately 8 hrs per day. This was my first large marine tank, so I contracted with a local aquarium maintenance company to plan and install the system (equipment, lighting, hard plumbing, etc.), hoping to watch the owner work and ask enough questions so that I'd be more comfortable on my own for future systems.
<Good practice>
At the time, I saw a Berlin skimmer online review that was consistent with your comment (that it wasn't the best choice), but I relied on this person's expertise, since he said he had personal experience with this brand skimmer. It was also his opinion that since this was not going to be a reef tank, 2 standard fluorescent fixtures (housing two 50/50 bulbs each) was all I needed.
<Mmm, short-sighted in my opinion... I urge folks to aim at likely upgrade scenarios... in the hope, knowledge that they may well "graduate" to other types of systems in time>
Thanks,
Chris S.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Protein Skimmer "upgrade", Modifying Aqua Euro HOB Skimmer 9/2/08
Hello Crew,
<Hello Jeremy.>
You may or may not find this information of use to your readers, but I thought I would pass in along for your review. When I set-up my first salt tank about a year ago, I knew absolutely nothing about protein skimming. My LFS convinced me to buy an Aqua-Euro HOT skimmer that was light on the pocket book and supposedly had decent performance. In the beginning it worked pretty well, and after reading and studying up a little it seemed to perform up to the general guidelines you guys have laid out for skimmer performance. Needless to say, after the initial break-in period I noticed that the over-all performance and quantity/quality of skimmate started to dwindle, as is often the case in some of the cheaper skimmers on the market.
The Aqua-Euro skimmer (for those that aren't familiar with it) utilizes both a needle wheel pump and a non-adjustable aspiration set-up to control the water level in the skimmer itself. I thought and thought and thought some more about how the skimmer actually functioned, and wondered if there was a way that I could modify it to boost it's performance.
<There usually is, as you found!>
As I tinkered around with it a little, I noticed that if I blocked off the aspiration inlet with my finger, I would actually get MUCH better bubble fractionation and over-all flow through the unit. The downfall though, was that the water level in the outlet chamber would get dangerously close to overflowing the unit.
As I thought about it some more, I asked myself if there was any way I could regulate the amount of aspiration to get a happy medium between water level and fractionation. I decided to add an inline gate valve that I had laying around to the air line and see if that would give me adequate control. It worked, and worked well!
<Many “high end” skimmers provide such a device, it does work in some instances.>
But I wasn't done yet. At the top of the inlet chamber, there is an angled baffle to help create some turbulence before reaching the collection cup. I wondered if changing the angle of the inlet down-tube would possibly increase or decrease the amount of turbulence in the chamber and increase contact time.
I swiveled the tube as far to the inside wall of the chamber containing the baffle as it would go and a really neat thing happened. It created a convection current in the chamber effectively creating and second pass of sorts for the fractionated mixture. I now get more than double the amount of nice dark skimmate from the same inexpensive skimmer for a five dollar upgrade that anyone can do.
<Wow, great!>
I know Aqua-Euro isn't really widespread in the marketplace, but for someone on a limited budget, this is an inexpensive skimmer that can be easily modified to produce as well as some of the more expensive units out there.
I've only had it for a little over a year so I cannot attest to pump longevity, but I can say that it is silent, rarely do I ever have to make any adjustments to it, it doesn't pass micro-bubbles into my tank, and it has never broken down on me in that amount of time. For those needing more visual aid, I've included a simple diagram of the modifications in case you decide to pass this along to your readers.
<It will be.>
If not, or if you guys are vehemently against Aqua Euro for some other reason feel free to send this straight to the dumpster.
<Heee, no!>
I have not tried it because I don't own one, but I would imagine a similar modification could be made to their in-sump models as well, though I imagine it would be a little more finicky since it appears that they only use one model of pump, and on their bigger units they simply employ multiple pumps rather than using a more efficient single pump.
Sincerely,
Jeremy
<Thank you for sharing your finds, this will be posted for the benefit of others. Happy reefing, Scott V.>

Skimmer, Omni Life... – 07/16/08
Hello
I am looking for any information on an Omni Life skimmer. I just recently purchased one, It came without a pump.
<Can fit most any on, and throttle up/down... does not work well in any case...>
I just need to know if anyone knows anything about this company
Thanks, Curt
<Mmm, is a puny, un-engineered very low use tool... I would put it back on the Net or the garage... whence it came. Bob Fenner>


Overskimming? Fact or Fiction? - 6/30/08
Dear Crew --
<Hallo! Benjamin with you today!>
A very quick skimmer question. We have a hang-on-the-side BakPak2 skimmer on a 55 gallon tank. We recently cleaned the skimmer (for the
first time in almost a year). We followed all the instructions and it seems to be working well. My question is ... is it possible to overskim a tank?
<For all practical purposes, no>
The skimmer was pulling out about a quarter of the skimming-cup once a week, now it is pulling out that much in every couple of days, maybe even every day. Is it possible to overskim the tank? Could that hurt sponges or other things that are doing in-tank filtration?
<No fears, this is by no means out of line- I would consider it a big improvement. The efficiency of a skimmer lowers in a directly proportional relationship to the amount of dissolved polar molecules. In essence, it is a negative feedback; for every 1% DOC the skimmer removes, the next 1% will be slightly harder to fractionate. I digress; all this to say that it would take much, much more than a Bak-Pak II to provide the needed power to overskim a 55 gallon tank- overskimming in hobbyist systems is virtually unheard of, and almost impossible.>
If it is overskimming, how can we tune it to skim less? I'd prefer not to cycle it on and off because it provides a nice flow in that corner of the tank.
<All is well, and I'd recommend cleaning it at least monthly to keep up good nutrient export.
Thanks for all your help
<Very welcome.>
thanks
Dave and Laura
<Benjamin>

Euro-Reef Modified Eheim Pumps For Small ER Skimmers (Not Yet!) – 06/17/08
Hi,
<<Hello!>>
I have a question about the Euro-Reef RS100.
<<I am a huge fan of ER skimmers…I own a CS12=3 with ER-modded Eheim 1262 pumps, myself>>
I called them up and was hoping I could switch out the Sedra pump for an Eheim.
<<Hmmm…the RS100 uses a ER-modified Sedra 3500 pump…I believe the only ER-modified Eheim pump is the Eheim 1262…too much pump for RS100 skimmer>>
Since this pump performs much better and is quieter.
<<The Eheim pumps “are” a much better pump than many…agreed>>
I couldn’t get anyone over there.
<<Keep trying… I have chatted with these fine folks on several occasions…they were likely busy and just couldn’t get to the phone>>
Is this a possibility?
<<I’m skeptical (unless you can get a custom mod on a smaller Eheim model)…but you need to speak to the folks at Euro-Reef about it>>
Can you recommend an Eheim pump for this size skimmer?
<<Not with the required needle-wheel or pin-wheel mod currently offered by Euro-Reef and sized for their RS100 skimmer. You could try looking around the NET to see if anyone offers a smaller needle-wheel modified Eheim pump. H&S skimmers use such modified Eheim pumps…1260s I believe (and about $300 a pop)…but this is still probably too much pump for the ER RS100 skimmer. A needle-wheel modified Eheim 1250 is what you need to look for…good luck. Another option would be to replace the Sedra pump that comes with the skimmer with a needle-wheel modified Ocean Runner pump of comparable size. It will be a fraction of the cost of the Eheim (though I do like those Eheims!) and I find this brand of pump very quiet and reliable as well…though they are a bit bulky/large. Be aware, any pump you get that was not modified/designed/intended by Euro-Reef to be used with their skimmers will very probably require some modification/imagination to get it to “mate-up” with the ER skimmer (and will probably also void any warranties)>>
Thank you.
<<Good luck with your “hunt.” EricR>>

Re: Euro-Reef Modified Eheim Pumps For Small ER Skimmers (Not Yet!) – 06/18/08
Hi Eric,
<<Sal>>
Thanks for the quick reply.
<<Quite welcome>>
Do you know if the Sedra pump is very loud?
<<They’re not “too” bad…no more so than a Mag-Drive pump in my experience. The single Sedra-3500 that comes with the ER RS100 skimmer would not make much noise I would think…especially if you take steps to limit vibration by placing the pump and skimmer body on some sort of “resilient” material like computer mouse pads, a piece of sealed-foam insulation, etc.>>
One of the reasons I want an Eheim is because I've read they are very quiet.
<<They are indeed…there just isn’t one available with a needle-wheel sized for the RS100 skimmer>>
I don’t want to hear the skimmer going throughout my entire condo.
<<Understandable>>
Any help/ideas are greatly appreciated. <<Provide some vibration dampening under the skimmer/pump and I think you will be fine>>
Peace
Sent from my iPhone
<<Regards, EricR (sent from my work computer…shhh!)>>

R2: Euro-Reef Modified Eheim Pumps For Small ER Skimmers (Not Yet!) – 06/19/08
Thanks Eric,
<<Welcome Sal>>
Just want to get this straight.
<<Okay>>
You want me to put a mouse pad in my sump under my skimmer.... underwater?
<<Yep… It doesn’t have to be a mouse pad per se (though I have heard of folks using these), just some type of non-reactive and resilient material to absorb vibration from the pump and skimmer body. In my system, I have my in-sump skimmer w/pumps and my submersible return pumps all “cushioned” with bits of closed-cell foam insulation (1/4”) like that found at any home center (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.). This can go a long way towards reducing noise from a vibrating pump. Regards, EricR>>

Protein Skimmer Performance Question 6/18/08
WWM Crew,
<Hello.>
I have a Turboflotor 1000 Multi currently installed as a hang-on in my sump. Tank overflow feeds directly into the side of the sump that the skimmer is installed on so the water level remains constant with the skimmer pump sitting approximately 4-5” under the water. The problem I’m experiencing is, after I empty and clean the skimmer cup (1-2 X’s per week), the skimmer will produce about 1” of nice dark skimmate in the cup but it seems to stop after that (The level of skimmate never rises). It does go from a weak tea color to dark (literally almost black) color but the level of production never seems to increase.
<OK>
From a clean, dry cup I will have that 1” of weak colored tea within 24 hours; after that, the only “production” I see is the color of the skimmate getting darker and darker. I think foam is no longer entering the cup because when I remove the cup to clean it, there is very thick, dry foam all the way up the center of the cup and attached to the lid of the cup as well. Could this dry foam be preventing new foam from entering the cup or is this normal production?
<Your skimmate production will decrease, in this case go toward the drier end, as the neck of the cup get dirty.>
I clean the needle-wheel pump, venturi, & air lines once a month .
<All good practice.>
I’ve had other skimmers before this one, most recently a Coralife Super Needle-Wheel 125 and while it didn’t produce this dark colored skimmate, the level of production in the cup did slowly rise each day as more foam entered the cup.
<The darker the skimmate, the lower in volume it will be, not necessarily a bad thing.>
I’ve read several pages of your skimmer FAQ’s and have been unable to find any other symptom similar to this.
<Sounds like normal skimmer operation. If you would like a wet foam, raise the water level in the skimmer. Another option is to clean the collection cup daily to get the wet skimmate. Best of luck, Scott V.>

Protein Skimmer Acting Up 6/18/08
Hey,
<Hello.>
I recently did a water change, 15 gallons on a 55 gallon tank, using a new salt, Tropic Marin, and cleaned the filters (in fresh salt water) and changed out the carbon and Kent Marine Nitrate Sponge from my Fluval 405. I unplugged the whole system for the cleaning, for about 15 minutes at most. I plugged everything back in and when the skimmer (sea clone 100) turned on, it began to spit out more bubbles than typical. Now the collection cup fills up with clean water within 3-5 minutes.
<This can happen with water changes, vitamins, some supplements, filter cleaning, all of the above.>
Also, if I turn the skimmer onto low it spits out a lot of bubbles and a thin scum starts to build on the top of the water. I have tested the water, and nothing major was out of line. My nitrates were 15ppm (pinpoint monitor just calibrated), and salinity was 1.025. any help would be great, as I have looked all over the internet, and you are the only ones that I know could have a solution for me.
<Give it time, a few hours and it should be back to normal. If it is not you will want to clean the pump and airline. Obstructions here can do this also.>
I know adding a sump would be ideal, but I have a glass tank and don’t know exactly how to do this.
<A hang on the back overflow or drilling the tank are the two options. Visit: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ovrflowboxfaq4.htm for more information on overflows; getting water to a sump.>
Thank you,
Brady
<Welcome, good luck, Scott V.>

Re: Protein Skimmer Acting Up 6/19/08
It’s been over 5 hours and 2 and a half gallons of water I’ve removed because of the protein skimmer. It’s still not working. I replaced the water I removed with standard RO water.
<Do check and watch your salinity, this will be saltwater you are removing in this case. Replacing it with fresh will lower your SPG.>
Any other suggestions to help this issue?
< If your pump and air intake are clean, give it time, shut the skimmer off for a bit if it is accumulating this much water. Cleaning and water changes in the tank can make a skimmer go nuts for a while, sometimes a day or more. Sit tight, Scott V.>

Protein Skimmer Question 06/02/2008
Good afternoon guys,
<<And Gals i hope... Andrew with you today>>
First let me say your site is amazing, this is my first question to you b/c I have always been able to find the answers I needed by searching.
<<Thanks for the kind words>>
However for this one I seem to be having a little trouble (although I'm sure it's here somewhere.) First my set up which has been running for 7 months now and has consistently had the numbers to follow: 45 Gal. (high), custom show tank (reef), 55 lbs of live rock making pinnacles and caves modeled on a site/reef I dived and photographed in the Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi (avid underwater phtog here), 3 - 5 inches of live sand sloping back. My numbers Ammonia, Trite & Trates all 0, Ph 8.3, Calcium 423, Mag 1270, DKH 10.5, Phosphates 0 and strontium 15. Aqua C Remora Pro skimmer and 1 - 150 watt Metal Halide with 14 K bulb and 1 PC dual compact 80 w (1 pure daylight & 1 pure actinic) all in all ~ 6 watts per gallon. Inhabitants are 1 true percula, 2 cardinal fish, a mated pair of Coral Banded Shrimp (she's constantly carrying and laying eggs which are a nice supplemental feedings for the tank and both are gentle with the tank mates - coral not so much), btwn 5 - 10 (of each) blue legged hermits, Nassarius, cone head and margarita snails. Corals are 6 different types of mushroom (orange, blue, red and green, 1 Palythoa polyp, 1 open brain coral (red) and after much reading prior to buying I now have a gorgeous Goniopora sp. (green) the size of a child's basketball (the ones pizza hut used to give away at the final four) and that's just when he does not feel like coming all the way out - he usually does and he's bigger at times and is always out when the lights are on from day 1 (even in the acclimating container.. =).
<<Sounds like a wonderful setup you have there>>
Well needless to say I love him and have taken it upon myself to read everything I can get my hands on on their care and difficulty of care. Spot feedings of Cyclops-eeze mixed with zoo, brine shrimp shavings and DT's oyster eggs several times per week. OK enough about my tank and on to the real question:
<<Ok>>
I have always been running the protein skimmer constantly 24 hrs. per day except while feeding when it is off and timed for 1 1/2 hrs. when I first started in reefing I didn't even think about how long may be good or not good to run the skimmer. So I started to do a little research and found out others only run theirs for several hours per day. What would you (the pro's) advise for my situation and tank?
<<To be honest, personal preference. I would have to say its about a split 50 / 50 of people i know who run all the time, a nd some on timers. Personally, i don't run one at all. If you can run 24/7, then i don't see any harm in it, this is usually the common advise to give. Some of the people i know who run their skimmer for only part of the day, actually only do this to cut down their electric consumption>>
I'm thinking a timer kicking it on during the night-time & off ___________? would be nice so I don't have to see all the micro-bubbles = ), but you...?
<<If you have a micro bubble issue with the skimmer, then i would attempt all avenues possible to rectify this. I do know that sometimes, no matter what is done, it cannot be stopped. So, if you do only want to run it for part of the day, then yes, run it through the night while tank viewing is not being done>>
Can you advise a time estimate for my skimmer? Or anything I could read upon for the Goni, I have all the common books, but maybe I'm missing one or two. Thanks so much for your time and all you do to help us little guys out. Alex - Manhattan, NYC where I can't SCUBA dive without a shot...
<<Please do read more on the Goniopora here including linked articles and FAQ's http://wetwebmedia.com/poritidae.htm >>
<<Thanks for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>>

Re: Protein Skimmer Question 06/03/2008
Thanks for the great advise and feedback Andrew.
<<No problem at all, glad to be of assistance>>
Definitely gal's as well. I'm fortunate enough to live in an apartment building where I don't pay for electricity so that is never a problem. I will take your advise since it has been working since start-up and keep running the skimmer 24-7. Thanks again for the link to more readings on the Goni - heading there right now. Look forward to the next time we get a chance to chat.
<<Me too Alex, enjoy reading, learning, enjoying. Good day. A Nixon>>

 


 

 

 

 

 

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