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AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer: Anatomy for us Nano Cube Owners


steelhealr

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The AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, Anatomy Lesson for Us Newbs

 

I was able to get my hands on a used AquaC Remora protein skimmer, and,having never seen or handled one, thought that others might be curious to understand how it works. We all know that our Nano Cubes don't come supplied with a protein skimmer, nor is there one made specifically to fit in our back sumps (yet). So, after a previous poll, AquaC Remora and CPR BakPak came up as the most popular protein skimmers. Let's take a look at the AquaC Remora.

 

What is a Protein Skimmer, etc

 

Here is a link previously posted trying to summarize protein skimmers, thoughts on decision making on whether or not to use one and a poll on which types are popular here in this forum:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=57064

 

The Remora

 

skimmer1.jpg

 

In general,with the AquaC Remora, a powerhead head forces water thru a port that creates an air induction spray. Bubbles are formed and various proteins and waste 'adhere' to the bubble secondary to hydrophilic attachments.This column of bubbles works it way upwards to the surface of the skimmer where they are trapped in a cup. The cup is then emptied.

 

Basic Anatomy

 

On intial 'examination', the Remora was much larger than I expected and has a homemade type of appearance. It's pretty hefty. The skimmer has:

1) a removable cup/tank to empty skimmate

 

skimmer3.jpg

 

2) plastic screws to adjust the leveling against the tank and one to adjust the height of the cup for a 'wet' skim or 'dry' skim.

3) a Maxijet 1200 pump; some come with a Rio 800

 

skimmer2.jpg

 

4) an internal sufrace skimmer (I think this sells separately) which hides the pump but is too large, IMO, for our nano's

 

Positioning

 

The skimmer is large and fits best on the side of the tank.

skimmer4.jpg

 

Although the tubing that comes with the skimmer is tough and durable, I substituted some green Eheim filter tubing to shorten it or the pump would be hitting the LR. In fact, it could be shortened more.

skimmer5.jpg

 

The tank hood has to be left open, and, therefore, skimming is obviously going to be done overnight.

 

Throw the Switch Igor

 

When you turn on the skimmer, the pump fills the tank and skimming starts. The pump is not loud at all. The tank fills, aeration starts, and the water cascades out of the side of the Remora back out into the tank. With regards to our nano cubes:

 

1) it lowers the water level and I had to turn off the powerhead in chamber 1

2) you have to be careful about the depth of the pump when putting in the skimmer so it doesn't hit LR and coral

3) there is some strong water movement near the pump, so, again, needs to keep clear of corals

 

Within minutes after cranking this baby up, foam starts forming in the cup:

 

skimmer6.jpg

 

The height of the cup can be adjusted up, for a 'dry' skim or lower for a 'wet' skim. My first try with it I used the lowest level and after about 8 hours overnight, there was about 30-50ccs of greenish turbid fluid in there but nothing as horrible or foul smelling as some of the pix I've seen posted here. At present, it seems more of a PITA than it's worth, but, I have yet to see how this works over the long term. An experiment in progress. SH

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SH,

 

With your tank cracking, do you think it is wise to put that extra stress on the glass? I've had a remora, and am familiar with how it hooks on the top and the adjustment screws that push in to hold the unit's bottom out. Seems an awful lot of twisting force being applied to one side of the glass (especially when the Remora starts and fills with water).

 

Also the Maxi vibrating against the glass is not going to help either...

 

Sorry for the thread-crap, but to me, this is just like whacking your glass with a hammer and crying foul when it breaks.

 

On the constructive side...

*) Remoras work great.

*) Nice write-up as always.

*) Remoras are typically used against single pieces of flat glass. Unlike the NC's single piece of bent glass, which we know is already under alot of stress, potentially not thick enough to handle normal usage condiions, and in your case has already failed.

*) Pumps should always have the rubber feet if touching glass. The vibration of the solid powerhead would be equivalent to a couple tens-of-thousands little bangs against the glass every hour.

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stoney waters

I agree with artarmon. Sounds a bit to risky to hang that large of a skimmer on the side of your cube. Maybe design a stand that will hold the weight of the skimmer without any additional stress on the glass. I would hate to see lighting strike twice.

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Not using it...got it before the glass cracked and haven't had time to put the post up. Tested once. It is way too much weight and stress on a cracked cube...you guys are 100% right. Trust me....I'm nervous doing a water change...24lbs out, 24lbs in. Thanks for warning me tho' guys...I appreciate the support. Hey...I'm still in the 'new class' here and I'm glad you guys are keeping me honest. SH

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stoney waters

steel

I could be wrong, but I don't remember you mentioning in you cracked cube thread, that you were hanging a remora from the side of your cube. Seems like a vital piece of information to leave out when trying to determine the cause of your glass breakage.

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It wasn't hanging.....that's my point. I purchased it before the crack but haven't had time to do the post. Read my 24 G startup thread. I've debated whether or not to skim for months now. The skimmer arrived the other day. I wrote the thread last night....or should I say early this morning and took the pix.

 

C'mon Stoney....othwerwise now we have to start a thread on who has nano's and skims; who skims and has cracks; who skims and doesn't have cracks.....my cube cracked as reported....as described.....latently...tank is level (and was leveled at startup). This post for was my thread readers and I posted it here for those newcomers not following it. It was done in the last 24 hours and was done to get a break from the crack stuff and to help others caught up in deciding on skimmers (see link above posted weeks ago showing my OWN research on whether to skim). The ataramon post above was kind enough to identify a potential risk. Initislly I thought yours was too.

 

Go read my other posts in the 'crack' threads posted on earlier dates ...you'll see my concerns about water changes and the possible effect on my tank. Besides..look at my last line,

At present, it seems more of a PITA than it's worth, but, I have yet to see how this works over the long term. An experiment in progress.
I've never skimmed before. Know your facts before making unfounded accusations please. SH
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Adding to anyone out there..in general...be careful when reading anyone's post's out there. Keep your facts straight. I take offense to anyone implying that I withheld information from the very thread followers that I have been trying to help here. I would never post a link with information like this, but, if anyone has any doubts about Stoney waters comments or my own, please click on the link below and check out how and where and WHEN I got my skimmer. SH

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

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good thread.

 

i doubt hanging an aqua c would have anything to do w/ a cube cracking even if you had used it. if that where true, everyone with a glass tank would be at risk somewhat.

 

i think this thread is supposed to be about aqua c skimmers though. not cracking cubes.

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stoney waters

Steel

 

Don't get me wrong. I must have misunderstood your reply. I thought you meant you had the skimmer on your tank before you had the crack. I did say "I could be wrong." I was not trying to offend you or accuse you of intentionally leaving out information. Just pointing out the skimmer could have been the cause of the crack.

 

Really no harm intended.

Stoney

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Hey SH,

 

GREAT JOB, with this thread!

 

I know you haven't used the Skimmer yet, except for the 1 time to test it out since you got it.

 

I think using it 1 x a week is plenty. Maybe mid week before your water change. This would keep the nutrients down and allow the export of the remaining nutrients with the water change.

 

Also using it 1x a week will help keep the "food" in the tank for the corals that need it, instead of pulling out everything all the time, if you were to use it daily/continuously.

 

With our Cubes and the frequency of our waterchanges and the minimal amount of food you give your tank, I would think your tank will be fine using that skimmer 1x a week. Also, you could maybe decrease the pump size by 1 model and go w/ the MJ900. I believe it puts out 235gph which w/ the tank volume you have should be ample power for the skimmer. Also you may want to try for a drier skimmate. Not so wet... :) Just My opinion here though..

 

Again, I LIKE IT! keep up the great threads!

 

TrekBear

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  • 1 month later...

Excellent thread steelhealr, When I got mine I thought the same thing, bigger than expected, and really didn't know how it worked. I also don't think that it will cause any stress hanging on the side of a cube.

The newer models have a large O-ring that is used to adjust the collection cup instead of the screw on the side.

 

burnah - the Remora needs 12" from the botton of the unit to the underside of the input tube which hangs over the tank. I have mine on a 15g - 24x12x12 and removed the bottom leveling screws to make it fit.

 

Bob

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  • 1 month later...

i would skim that tank 24-7 with the remora, but that's just me.

i'd rather have to spend more money on buffers and additives and then skim the hell out of the water to make sure it's clean.

i do have a euroreef on a 10g, so i am partial to heavy skimming:)

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  • 1 month later...

Awesome write up, although I'm kind of late on the boat.

 

I just bought a Remora Pro and Mag5 off of ebay, and I'll be getting it this week. I was just away for 5 days, so my tank is a gross mess, and we'll see how much it helps to clean up once I get it running on my tank.

 

Thanks for another great post/review/guide!

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great write up SH.

 

Any ideas on upgrading the pump? i have a remora on my new tank and although it's new it has a decent bioload but I'm not getting the skimmate I once thought I should with this skimmer being "better". I'm thinking either the injector needs cleaning or the pump needs upgrading. what are your thoughts?

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10" Red Devil

Wonder if you could knock out some of the seperators in the back of the nano-cube and then actually run the Remora in the back. Maybe it is too tall? Not sure if this would work or not, but its a thought. To get it to stand up straigh, you can actually take the screws on the bottom and reverse them and they act like feet for the back of the skimmer. Might need to lengthen the hose or maybe not. Anyway an idea.

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Agree with Manse. I'm not a big skimmer person. I do the 10-15% water change thing. I skim if I accidently overfeed or if something errant happens ( a death in the tank).

 

AquaC protein skimmers require very little maintenance. In order to achieve the maximum amount of efficiency from your skimmer, it is recommended that you clean the foam tower and collection cup at least twice a week. This is easily accomplished by wiping the foam tower with a wet rag and rinsing the cup thoroughly under the warm water. The collection cup can be quickly removed for hassle-free cleaning. Never use any cleaner, chemicals or soap to wash any part of the unit. The thick brown scum which rapidly accumulates along the sides of the foam tower greatly impedes the performance of the skimmer . Therefore, it is recommended that you clean the foam tower often. If possible, protein skimmer cleaning should be a daily priority.

 

The spray injector that powers your skimmer is designed to be maintenance free. In the unlikely event that a piece of algae or sand becomes lodged in the assembly, you can easily access the injector by removing the small white Injector Access Screw. Be sure and uplug the water pump before perfoming injector maintenance. Use a standard head screwdriver and remove the small screw by turnng it counterclockwise-try not to let the screw fall into the skimmer once it is loose. Once removed, use the speical injector brush to vigorously scrub the inside of the injector and spray aperture.

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  • 15 years later...
4 hours ago, John S said:

I was given a 75 gal tank that was used for salt water I'm setting up a fresh water tank so I was wondering if I even need to use this I thought it was a filter

Not for fresh water. It needs salinity to foam correctly. 

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