Skimmer Question

[broskie]

So after setting up my tank my skimmer was pulling some serious gunk out of the water for a the first 2 days. Then after 3 days the water is crystal clear and the skimmer is just filling up with clear water maybe a little dirty but not like it was. Is there something wrong or is there just nothing to skim in the water?

I have 48 pounds of live rock along with 50+ pounds of live sand straight from another memebers tank. The tank has been up and going for 3 days and has a high turnover rate with my Mag 12. The tank is a 57g with a 20g tall sump and and octopus 110 or 150 I beleive. Any feed back would be appreciated.

 

[chris27]

Either the skimmer needs to be readjusted, the airline is clogged, or the impeller is clogged, should be pretty easy to fix. I wouldn't worry about there being nothing to skim, unless there isn't any livestock in there.

 

[Chichas01]

what kind of skimmer?

 

[Skimmy]

well, hopefully it's the octo 150, because the 110 is just about worthless IMO...
and yeah, I seriously doubt that your tank has nothing to skim.
but are you using the mag 12 as a return pump from your sump on a 57g??
if so, that is totally innapropriate and really needs to be changed out.
for 57g, you want a pump that will pump anywhere from 180gph to 250gph @ 4' of head,
and you probably have like 1000gph @ 4' with the mag 12.

a total waste, as you should be spending those watts producing flow in the main display, not throughput of the sump.

 

[mcoomer]

Reading your post and want to make sure I understand what you're saying. Are you saying that your collection cup fills up every day? If so I'd guess that you need to adjust the outlet so that you're pushing less water up the reaction chamber. My cup fills up about every 4-5 days and it's dark, nasty crap.

Mike

 

[broskie]

So yes I do have a mag 12 as my return. It's what I have and thought was working well with how much flow I get in the tank along with my mp20 as well. The skimmer is the 110 that has been modded and works great I've seen the stuff it pulls. The first 3 days it was pulling some nasty stuff "newly setup and dust in the water" I had the bubbles just breaking the top of the collection cup. But after a few days the bubbles no longer break the top nearly as much as they did originally. So I adjusted it to raise the water in the colum and now it breaks the bubbles but I really only skim out slightly brown water after a few days. It was everyday but I had the adjustment to high. So I'm going to keep it where it's at and see how it goes. Never the less I only payed $75 for it and it does good when it's dialed in

 

[broskie]

So should I get a Mag 7 for my return insted of my Mag 12? I thought it was working great and saved me from having to buy another mp20 with how much flow I was receiving from the returns.

 

[Skimmy]

well, I wouldnt suggest you buy any mag pumps, they heat the water, and cook themselves in a couple of years...
I would look at eheim pumps which will last you over 10 years if you do the maintenance on it. the eheim 1250 (320gph pump) would be perfect for you as a return pump.
and as far as adding additional flow to your system, I wolud say either look at adding another wide flow powerhead like the vortec, or for cheaper try a new koralia or a tunze, or you can pay the $150 upgrade to make your mp20 a mp40, but it's only a 1000gph increase.

the reason why it is a waste of power to use the mag 12??
because your skimmer/media filters are only proccessing about 1.5 x of the main display per hour, so to provide them with over 15x isnt doing anything for you. that pump consumes about 120watts, your vortec mp20 consumes 18 watts, so you could run 6 vortec mp20's off the same power usage as 1 mag 12.
the only thing that would benifit from that amount of flowe through the sump would be mechanical filtration(filter socks or polyester pads), which you should not be running except for temporarily while or immediately after water changes/cleanings.

 

[Skimmy]

as far as your skimmer is concerned...if the system has only been up for a few days and there is only a firefish in there with some pre-cured live rock then that is very little bioload for the present time. give the bacteria time to multiply, and for the effects of multiple feedings to take hold, then there will be more skimming going on.
also, what mods were done to that skimmer??
the venturi looks the same, and that is the singular mod that will give the largest power increase.

btw, the pics of your system look awesome , and it's an excellent job for your first reef tank.

 

[broskie]

the reason why it is a waste of power to use the mag 12??
because your skimmer/media filters are only proccessing about 1.5 x of the main display per hour, so to provide them with over 15x isnt doing anything for you. that pump consumes about 120watts, your vortec mp20 consumes 18 watts, so you could run 6 vortec mp20's off the same power usage as 1 mag 12.
the only thing that would benifit from that amount of flowe through the sump would be mechanical filtration(filter socks or polyester pads), which you should not be running except for temporarily while or immediately after water changes/cleanings.

This make alot of since I will look into an EHEIM pump asap. As for more movement in the tank I will probaly add another MP20. I really like how they work and look amazing with a small footprint. Good looking out on my power bill to haha.

As for the skimmer the only mod I now it has is the impellar is wrapped with fishing line. If that makes any since I don't know what the exact mod is called. But as for skimming that was what I was thinking. Thank you for your opinion and help.

This website has been worth more then what I have spent on the setup.

 

[Skimmy]

This make alot of since I will look into an EHEIM pump asap. As for more movement in the tank I will probaly add another MP20. I really like how they work and look amazing with a small footprint. Good looking out on my power bill to haha.

As for the skimmer the only mod I now it has is the impellar is wrapped with fishing line. If that makes any since I don't know what the exact mod is called. But as for skimming that was what I was thinking. Thank you for your opinion and help.

This website has been worth more then what I have spent on the setup.

you should do the venturi mod, the mesh mod, and remove the elbow from the pump outlet and connect the outlet of the pump directly to the skimmer body. you might need to dremel a standard size 1/2" bushing to make it fit the metric, or you might have to use plumbers tape to build up the size so it fits, but should be no big deal.
here's pics of the mesh and venturi mods, ask any questions you need help with.