Chris! Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 The water level in the sump clearly isn't his issue, if it was it would be putting SOMETHING into the skimmer cup (when it overflows) When he gets it dialed in properly and feeds to where there is something to skim out then yes it may become an issue but until then it isn't the issue. I would still drop it into the suggested range that it will work optimally at by RO.... that is what it is DESIGNED to work in, if you can do it why not try to have it perform at its best. Link to comment
Grumblecakes Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 you could try putting a restriction in the neck to reduce the the diameter Link to comment
jservedio Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 The water level in the sump clearly isn't his issue, if it was it would be putting SOMETHING into the skimmer cup (when it overflows) When he gets it dialed in properly and feeds to where there is something to skim out then yes it may become an issue but until then it isn't the issue. I would still drop it into the suggested range that it will work optimally at by RO.... that is what it is DESIGNED to work in, if you can do it why not try to have it perform at its best. Yeah, it is set too low right now - that is clear. However, once it is dialed in the changing water level will become a big issue. I would call having to choose between shutting down your skimmer every day during feeding or having an overflow an issue - especially with a low bioload that may take a while to build up a decent foam head. Link to comment
GlassHouse Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 about 2.5 months in the tank, not once has it made actual skimmate. And I do know that oils affect the skimmate production and after some foods for example I notice the foam dies down but it comes back within a few hours but never enough to get skimmate into the cup. photo 31.jpg I don't understand. If it's not making skimmate, what's in the collection cup???? Link to comment
masterbuilder Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I didn't catch the photo of the cup. Looks great to me. Anyway...too confused by the whole discussion Link to comment
Chris! Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yeah, it is set too low right now - that is clear. However, once it is dialed in the changing water level will become a big issue. I would call having to choose between shutting down your skimmer every day during feeding or having an overflow an issue - especially with a low bioload that may take a while to build up a decent foam head. The water level in his sump isn't to low if he is running the thing in deeper water then RO suggests. The water inside the skimmer is low, raising the water the thing sits in isn't the way to properly adjust the water height inside the reaction chamber There is no need to shut down the skimmer because there is no need to shut down the return pump, although it really isn't a big deal to shut your skimmer down during feeding time, it certainly is not nearly the issue running an over sized skimmer and biopellets with a low bioload is lol Also the only reason it will take a while to build a decent foam head on his system is because he doesn't feed as much as his system could handle, feed more, get more fish problem solved.... or stop using biopellets, stop using such a big skimmer and get one more system appropriate and problem again solved. Link to comment
malawian Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 I don't understand. If it's not making skimmate, what's in the collection cup???? I said very clearly I got that skimmate by letting it skim for a while, then turning up the water level quickly and turning it back down. I didn't catch the photo of the cup. Looks great to me. Anyway...too confused by the whole discussion see above. The water level in his sump isn't to low if he is running the thing in deeper water then RO suggests. The water inside the skimmer is low, raising the water the thing sits in isn't the way to properly adjust the water height inside the reaction chamber There is no need to shut down the skimmer because there is no need to shut down the return pump, although it really isn't a big deal to shut your skimmer down during feeding time, it certainly is not nearly the issue running an over sized skimmer and biopellets with a low bioload is lol Also the only reason it will take a while to build a decent foam head on his system is because he doesn't feed as much as his system could handle, feed more, get more fish problem solved.... or stop using biopellets, stop using such a big skimmer and get one more system appropriate and problem again solved. I actually asked this question when I got the skimmer (whether or not the water level rising for a while when I feed was a problem). Consensus was no. I can keep the return on when I feed, not too big of a deal I suppose. My real reason was wanting to let the phytofeast float around without getting filtered out but w/e. So let me clarify about the bioload, I cant remember now if I wrote it out or not but it certainly isnt the case that Ive only got a couple fish or something. Ive got a Kole tang, bicolor angel, flame angel, ruby headed wrasse, lubbock's wrasse, black darwin clown pair, diamond sand sifting goby, and a molly miller blenny along with 7 shrimp. I feed the tank HEAVILY, phytofeast every day because of a young clam, plenty of food for the fish so the angels dont get hungry and get any bright ideas, sometimes even feeding multiple times in a day, also toss in some amino acids and carbs for good measure. Now maybe thats not as heavily stocked as some people but I think thats a pretty decent bioload... and I think the still present bryopsis in my tank is a testament to that. Seriously, let me know if you think that bioload is still low (taking into account feeding), being able to add more fish is never a bad thing but I figured I was getting pretty close to maxing it out. Link to comment
malawian Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 update: Just got home a minute ago. Now I am trying not to get too hopeful, at least SOME of this was directly as a result of the filter sock that made the skimmer go totally wild (where the pink sticky is was definitely because of that). However, this is looking better than it ever has AND I will say when I left this morning, it was still where the pink sticky was and the foam wasnt close to the top of the neck. So I am hoping that at least some of what I have there is real, honest to goodness, skimmate. You can also clearly see the water line in this pic as well. In case it helps, I also put the gallon jug in front of it so you have a sense of scale (since I think this thing is much taller than most skimmers). Lastly, water level has evened out at about 9.3" anyway after removing that sponge. I moved it to clean it off and that dropped the level a bit last night, i just happened to leave it sitting there and all the microbubbles happen to flow past it and get caught (I only used it in order to catch microbubbles anyway). ATO is set to keep water level exactly where it is (and it is VERY accurate). thoughts? Trying not to get my hopes too high because of the filter-sock-causing-overflow issue... p.s. if this does work...jservedio Ill give you a frag of every coral in my tank big enough to frag (once bryopsis is gone, I dont want to hand you the plague). Ill even deliver it (most of the way) because ill be going to NC a few times in the not so far future. Link to comment
Chris! Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I said very clearly I got that skimmate by letting it skim for a while, then turning up the water level quickly and turning it back down. see above. I actually asked this question when I got the skimmer (whether or not the water level rising for a while when I feed was a problem). Consensus was no. I can keep the return on when I feed, not too big of a deal I suppose. My real reason was wanting to let the phytofeast float around without getting filtered out but w/e. Its not going to get immediately sucked out, no worries. So let me clarify about the bioload, I cant remember now if I wrote it out or not but it certainly isnt the case that Ive only got a couple fish or something. Ive got a Kole tang, bicolor angel, flame angel, ruby headed wrasse, lubbock's wrasse, black darwin clown pair, diamond sand sifting goby, and a molly miller blenny along with 7 shrimp. I feed the tank HEAVILY, phytofeast every day because of a young clam, plenty of food for the fish so the angels dont get hungry and get any bright ideas, sometimes even feeding multiple times in a day, also toss in some amino acids and carbs for good measure. Now maybe thats not as heavily stocked as some people but I think thats a pretty decent bioload... and I think the still present bryopsis in my tank is a testament to that. Seriously, let me know if you think that bioload is still low (taking into account feeding), being able to add more fish is never a bad thing but I figured I was getting pretty close to maxing it out. If you are feeding that much and producing absolutely no skimmate at all your numbers aren't that good or your fish and corals are fat and constipated... or u are using some bad test kits that aren't accurate at all. Like I said, keep it in the water level RO suggests for optimum performance, raise the water inside the skimmer itself and be patient. You won't likely get it dialed in perfectly overnight. Link to comment
jservedio Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 The water level in his sump isn't to low if he is running the thing in deeper water then RO suggests. The water inside the skimmer is low, raising the water the thing sits in isn't the way to properly adjust the water height inside the reaction chamber Never said that - I said the water IN the skimmer was too low. But whatever. p.s. if this does work...jservedio Ill give you a frag of every coral in my tank big enough to frag (once bryopsis is gone, I dont want to hand you the plague). Ill even deliver it (most of the way) because ill be going to NC a few times in the not so far future. No frags, but you can gladly stop by - I love meetign fellow reefers! I really hope it works out for you. It seems like you've got a handle on it and it looks pretty good. From the looks of the pictures, it'll be skimming fairly wet and you can slowly tune it down from there most likely. Link to comment
Chris! Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Never said that - I said the water IN the skimmer was too low. But whatever. Actually you didn't say what you were talking about. You quoted me and I clearly was talking about how the sump level isn't his problem, and NEVER mentioned adjusting the water level inside the skimmer the proper way (as the post I was quoting was you being worried about his sump level changing and possibly overflowing his skimmer which it clearly isn't doing.)..... Maybe learn how to quote people or be specific about what it is you are talking about Link to comment
jservedio Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 How did it work out for you? Is it at least on the right track or still all messed up? Link to comment
malawian Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 How did it work out for you? Is it at least on the right track or still all messed up? Its working! Ive had to bring the water level back down to where the baffle is but its still inside the range they recommend and I can still get the water level plenty high. Cant thank you enough man. Link to comment
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