skimmer help

[newly reefer]

ok so i have an asm g-3 skimmer with the sedra 5000, and need some help trying to control it. i have tired a few things and they either did not last or did not give me the skimmer cup results i was looking for, any help or info would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[braddo]

I'd like to offer advice but I need a little more information.

What exactly is the issue you are facing? Is the skimmer just not as productive as you'd like, is it not producing a foam head, do you have problems with stability, does it overflow frequently?

Can you describe your setup? How big is your tank, is it heavlily stocked, how deep is the is the water your skimmer is sitting in?

What are some of the things you have tried that didnt seem to work?

 

[Skimmy]

yes... maybe a little more info..
but... have u tried using a gate valve on the outlet?
you could also potentially mesh mod the impeller of the sedra 5000 for a little more power if thats what u want...

 

[newly reefer]

when i run the skimmer stock like it came o me the pump will blow the cup lid right off. theres just a couple cycle fish all the size of a half dollar. all together im running 110-120 gallons of water from display to sump. and the skimmers sitting in about four inches of water.

my goal is to try and get it to slow down and make some skimmer sludge.

i know theres not much in the tank but on tis project id like to get every thing goin great befor i add life to it.

o and theres at least 200lbs of live rock

 

[mfinn]

the skimmers sitting in about four inches of water.

That might be a problem. I had a asm skimmer once and I kept it in about 7" of water.
Plus it is very important that the water level remains the same. You need to have your sump setup so it maintans a constant water level.

 

[newly reefer]

it has a constant water level just i have it in a low spot ive got an are at about ten inches i will try it there

 

[newly reefer]

ok skimming a little bit better right now, i guess i just never read about water level for in sump skimmers befor.

 

[Scooterman]

You can adjust the height a little and let it stay a few days to see how well it works, from there you can try small 1" adjustments in water height can really tweak it out!

 

[mfinn]

it has a constant water level just i have it in a low spot ive got an are at about ten inches i will try it there

I am not the expert here, but I have noticed many skimmers work better in the 7" to 9" range for water level.

 

[newly reefer]

yea so far its skimming like a champ i knew it was going to end up bein somthing very simple thanks for the help finn

 

[Frankie]

I am not the expert here, but I have noticed many skimmers work better in the 7" to 9" range for water level.

Basically your trying to get the water level up in the skimmer so there is something to circulate the bubbles in. yes, normally 7-9" would be enough.
Every skimmer has a sweet spot. After searching the net right now yours does best with 8" of water.

 

[newly reefer]

Basically your trying to get the water level up in the skimmer so there is something to circulate the bubbles in. yes, normally 7-9" would be enough.
Every skimmer has a sweet spot. After searching the net right now yours does best with 8" of water.

ok cool i will set it 8" with a different collection bottle and see if the results go up for me.

 

[newly reefer]

OK raised the skimmer from 10"-8" last night and it seems to be doing the exact same with the 2" difference. no complaints working good, thanks for all the input!!

 

[mfinn]

OK raised the skimmer from 10"-8" last night and it seems to be doing the exact same with the 2" difference. no complaints working good, thanks for all the input!!

Great news that it's working better.
One thing I found when I was tweaking every last bit of performace out of the asm skimmer I had ( mesh mods, different mesh materials, gate valve mod, etc.) , sometimes the results took a week to see.

 

[newly reefer]

yea i guess the levels of waste would need a little more time to show results. and ive been reading some other mods to see how far i can push this thing! but more of a nudge..