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RE: Protein Skimmers

Nep2Ns PlumR — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:06:53 GMT

I'm all out of bright ideas. Hope the mod is of use.

RE: Protein Skimmers

deluxerider — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:32:54 GMT

Yes air intake is clear and I cleaned the needle wheel about 2 weeks ago. It looked very well when I took it apart. The needle wheel was clear of debris & all needles were intact. I will research the screen mod. Thanks again for the info.

RE: Protein Skimmers

Nep2Ns PlumR — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:31:41 GMT

A couple of things that you might check. Be sure that the air intake tubing is open and air is flowing freely. Also check to insure that the needle wheel is clean. Be very careful checking/cleaning the needle wheel. Broken prongs will cause the skimmer to function poorly.

There's a mod for needle wheel skimmers that replaces the needles with mesh that I've heard is very effective. A google search should give you more info. Good luck.;)

RE: Protein Skimmers

deluxerider — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:22:20 GMT

Thanks for the info Nep2n. I am well past the point of the break-in period. It's been up & running for several months now & the tank has been established for over 5 years. I have the skimmer in the sump and it seems to do fine for a couple days & then I need to start adjusting it constantly in order to keep it working properly and actively filling the chamber. The water level fluctuation I know contributes to its inconsistency, but even when the levels are fine, it still requires too much supervision. I have come to the conclusion, thats it's possessed by the spirit of a fallen fish!

RE: Protein Skimmers

Nep2Ns PlumR — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:01:21 GMT

How long has the skimmer been set up and low old is the system that it's skimming? Skimmers have a break-in period in which they are almost impossible to get to stabilize. Sometimes its a matter of a few days sometimes a few weeks. After break-in it becomes much more consistent and you should be able to tune it like you want it. Skimate can be a light green water or a thick pasty gunk. I like to set mine in between, kinda dark green just a little heavier than water. As for the age of the system, that can play a role too. If you have new uncured live rock, the die-off will cause the skimmer to produce like crazy! Once the rock becomes cured and the system settles in, the skimmer will slow down production requiring some final minor adjustments. After that you shouldn't have to do much more than clean it every couple of days.

As far as Coralife skimmers go, I haven't owned one but my neighbor has one on a 75g FOWLR (the largest model I think) and it seems to work well for him. I think that you'll find most skimmers in that price range do about the same job. It seems kinda backwards, but the more expensive/advanced skimmers are easier to set up and tune in. You would think that an entry level skimmer would take less experience to set up, not more.

Hope that helps some.

RE: Protein Skimmers

deluxerider — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:47:16 GMT

I know this forum topic is quite old, but I am new to the sight and want to comment anyway. I purchased a Coralife Needle Wheel Skimmer and placed it in my wet/dry system. I am not very happy w/ it, in my opinoin it does not do a very good job @ all. If I don't figit w/ it daily it either stops forcing material into the chamber or floods it. Several times I have found where it has overflowed:angry: I may have to invest in a different unit. Thanks for the tips euro-reef products.

RE: Protein Skimmers

Nep2Ns PlumR — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:07:18 GMT

I would have to agree with reefman13 to an extent. The Bubble King is supposed to be a great skimmer, but cost in the thousands of dollars. Can't speak for anyone else but that puts it out of my realm of consideration. Deltec is also supposed to be a very good skimmer, but again, way out of my price range. As for EuroReef, a more than sufficient skimmer at a much more reasonable price. They have recently added a line (RS Series) that is virtually the same as their CS series (constructed with less expensive materials) but is even more affordable. I have run a EuroReef and was happy with it's performance. Virtually a plug and play skimmer, very easy to set up.

What I run now is an Aqua-C EV-400 on a 300 gallon system. To date the most productive skimmer I personally have run (and I have run many different skimmers in 18 years of reef keeping). Where as I believe all of the above to be venturi type skimmers, the Aqua-C skimmers are spray injection. I would also recomend (though I don't have first hand experience with them) looking at the beckett skimmers on the market. My Reef Creations and Barr Aquatics have models that are supposed to be extremely effective.

RE: Protein Skimmers

reefman13 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:25:38 GMT

The top quality, most purchased, and the ones that stores sold are quite varing things.

The top three in consumer reported quality would be EuroReef, Deltec, and Bubble King.

What size tank are you looking at putting a skimmer on?

RE: Protein Skimmers

blubfish — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:08:13 GMT

And if you can afford it get one rated for bigger tank then the tank your putting it on.:D

RE: Protein Skimmers

aquamankb — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:04:04 GMT

I've tried the Red Sea skimmers, both venturi and needle wheel, plus a combo of both. The skim rate of those is VERY low. I also have a Euroreef that I would reccommend to anyone. The Euroreefs work very well and are easy to set up. They can get a bit pricey, but for the money, the peace of mind is well worth it.

I belive the rule of thumb for tank size , goes also for skimmers get the best one you can afford.

RE: Protein Skimmers

ILuvMyGoldBarb — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:48:30 GMT

The problem with the Sea Clones is not so much that they back up but that they give a poor quality Skimmate. They are rather inefficient skimmers. I ran one on my 75gal Reef for a while and I hated almost every day of it. When I first set it up it worked fine but produced very very little skimmate. I still have it but it sits where it should, in the attic. :) Just my opinion though.

RE: Protein Skimmers

MistressAlphaFemale — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:14:42 GMT

what size tank r you running ? I have 2 older sea clones by coral life and they haven't given me any trouble. but i have heard people say they back up if not watched. the air stone can clog or over bubble. The new Backpacks systems are really nice and nt hard on the pocket. the ocpis are awsome but the pirce is a bit high. also depends on what you have budgeted for the tank.

RE: Protein Skimmers

ILuvMyGoldBarb — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:57:51 GMT

My/ LFS speaks very highly of the Octopus. They currently are running one on their 240gal display Reef and they also have a larger version on their main SW system. Great skimmers.

RE: Protein Skimmers

Hailey — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:27:39 GMT

I'm sure this thread will get moved there by the mods soon, so I wouldn't worry about reposting it.

The names I always hear for skimmer recommendations are Aqua C remora (hang on tank type) or urchin (in sump), CPR BakPak (hang on), and Coralife Superskimmer (not quite as good as the others, but still high quality). Avoid like the plague Prism and Sea Clone, which have a reputation for overflowing and producing low quality skimmate. Other brands are rarely talked about, so I have no idea on those.

RE: Protein Skimmers

princessotfu — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:35:25 GMT

ermmm. you might want to post this in the saltwater section under "everything but livestock" You won't get the response you want here.:D

Protein Skimmers

lakec — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:10:55 GMT

I am going to set up a salt water tank hopefully after the new year and i have not had any luck deciding which protein skimmer to buy. I know I have to get one of adequate size for the tank but which make is better? The dealers around my area sell the corallife skimmer with the pin wheel, is this a good skimmer theres alot more out there! Any advice appreciated thanks.