Running two different skimmers??

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Ok I'm running a aqua USA 250 with dual pumps in sump and a Berlin xl super skimmer externally!??? The aqua USA is rated for a 250g and the Berlin is rated for a 400g!!to tune the Berlin down I'm using a iwaki 30rlt American,, and i have over 35 corals and 13 fish in my 130g display with a 90g sump (water volume in sump is only 75g) so my question is this too much skimmage??? These skimmers pull some nasty gunk!!! But the way I have the berlin set is that it pulls more of the solid darker stuff and the aqua only pulls the lighter stuff both cups I clean weekly!!! Help me out!!! My perams are cherry all is on point exept my nitrate which is at 10ppm which I would like to be at 0ppm!! so should I take one skimmer off and use one?? And which one??? Because to me they both are freakin bad@$$!!!

 

[mojoreef]

Running two skimmers is not the most economical approach but if they are both doing the job then why screw with it?? On the nitrates your going to need to find out what the source is and then work to correct the problem. Let us know

Mojo

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Lol I dig that avatar u got there and I have searched and tested all things to look for the sourse and the only thing I can think of is the two skimmers are not picking up some of the waste!!!! as I do have a pretty big bioload the dirtyest fish i have are the two mating pair clarkii clowns everytime i look at the tank I see them sh!+!ng and I only feed my fish every two days it can't be the water because I have I 6 stage ro/di and one 3 stage ro spectepure filters all filters are good!!!! my reading are saying that my filter is at .001 I usually replace at 3 so what cab it be!!!!!????

 

[mojoreef]

Ok Salty then lets dig in a bit. One thing we know is that you have a large bioload and that is going to be a major contributer for sure so lets look at fish crap! You know you got it and you know its a constant, So what are you currently doing to get rid of it??

Mojo

 

[Skimmy]

im guessing detritus is building up in your system because of waste and uneaten food...
i bet if u pulled some of your live rock up off the sand that detritus would start going everywhere...
so... maybe not enough flow in the display??
while i dont care for the skimmers ur running, i see no issues with u running both of them, especially if they are both productive...
i would clean the cups/necks twice a week to maintain skimmate production though...
i will say you could prolly modify the aqua euro 250 to be as powerful as both skimmers together...
lmk if u ever want to mod ur skimmers, i'll walk u thru it..

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Skimmy hellja bro I would apreciate that modifying my aqua euro to skimm better then it is even though it is pullin dark crap!!! But I have 2- k3 koralias and one k4 koralia plus the returns I got pushin the water back to the display and a cheep petco 250 pump for the overflow box!!! is this not enough I can order another k4 if this is nessesary!! I thought that this would be enough flow for my 130gD my corals are litterally going to fly around if I put another k3 or k4 and I don't have them aiming to the corals I have them aiming hitting each other!!! And what I do to see how the flow is workin in my display is I put a woodair stone and turn on the actinics so that I can see if I have any dead spots!!! The tiny bubbles will show and tell me where the dead spot are!!! I'm goin to experinment by putting a PVC pipe all the way across the back of my tank with small holes in the PVC behind my rock so that no ditritus or food won't settle behind the rock work!!! I have never seen that on any tank for the time I've been reefing!!!! What do u guys think??? I will be running a iwaki 40rlt through the PVC across the back basically it will rake care of the settled stuff behind my rock!!!

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

and the answer for the mojo is I do water changes every week 20g a week, I take a turkey baster and clean all the pores of my show rock so no crap has settled in the crevises, I stir my sand I sue a ro/di unit filters still cherry, i do feed once every two days, what the heck do I do I don't dose any liquid products I use no.28 by sea-lab and I've searched read and asked a guy named Doug "the rock guy" and he told me to not worry it will go away just let my system take care of it self!!! And he even told me that he doesn't do water changes only top offs???? Man that's scary I would have to experinment in my 10 gallon just to see what happens so far it's been 20 days with no water changes??? But I've looked,read and searched all my coral from sps,lps, and sorties are doin hella good that's why Doug "the rock guy" said let it go it will go away!!! And honestly I trust him he is an oldschool reef keeper and those types kno wats best for reefs as for them back in the day they did not have all this highteck chemical,lighting stuff!!! I think that's what I will donis leave it alone and watch my corals carefully and hope for the best!!!!! Oh ya I even run carbon in my fluval 405 canister!!!!

 

[Lbrewer34]

I am by no means an expert, but when a skimmer pulls out bad doesn't it also pull out some good? Maybe you are pulling some of the good biofiltration that is needed out, kind of like how antibiotics kill both good and bad bacterias. I am still really new to this so this is kind of me just thinking out loud.

Lee

 

[thatguy559]

test your source water for nitrates

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

Lb rewer u are correct it does but I have a very heavy bio load I'm talkin 25+corals two different shrimp,cowry snail,spiny sea urchant,sifting star, and 13 fish that is a heavy bio-load so that's why I skimm soo much and the berlin xl I'm only running with a 30rlt American about 600g an hour and that I set it to where it pulls more of the solids and the aqua euro I have set to where it pulls the lighter stuff i can use just the aqua euro but IMO I like having that extra so that watever the Berlin is missing the euro will get as I have the return hoses emtying from the Berlin straight to the euro so that the euro doesn't have to work so much to get that light skimmate!!!!

 

[Saltyreefkeeper]

And for that guy I live in a newer house and I did test the water source and got 20 ppm with the salifert and the API test kits!!!! I'm just gonna see what happens to my system as none of my corals are getting affected by the high nitrates IMO 10ppm is high I hate to put denitrate by seachem because last time it messed with my system to where my corals were losing their color and some of my zoo pollyps didn't open during my mid day lights coming on!!! I think it's because of it's a new system and it's part of it getting alot more mature as I still get those tiny bubbles in my sand!!! But nitrate is a headace and I'm goin to let my system ride it out an become of equalibrium!!! That is my only problem my nitrates 10ppm maybe I'm testing something wrong??? I use API and salifert and follow the exact directions!!!! But the new buddy Doug "the rock guy" said if it isn't affecting my corals it will take care of it's self!!! Having my tank take care of it self is my main goal in reef keeping!!!! I feel my tank is just young and is still workin on itself to become of equalibrium!!! So Ima let it go and I will keep evrybody posted on my nitrate prob. And my "no water change experinment I learned from my new buddy Doug "The rock guy"!!! Thanks for the help and info evrybody!!!!!