Surface Protein.

[NanaReefer]

Have you ver tried using paper to absorb the protein from the surface of your water? How did it work for you?

 

[Derbird]

I haven't tried the paper towel trick. I just pointed a power head up a bit to increase surface aggitation. It got all the stuff down the overflow and to the skimmer

 

[NanaReefer]

I'm not talking about paper toweling. That definitely doesn't work. Tonight I tried some regular printer paper and it actually worked!!
I don't have an overflow so pointing any flow towards the surface does nothing but move it around. I'm not running a skimmer ATM. Still looking for a decent HOB one

 

[Derbird]

That's a good idea, I would have never thought to use printer paper. Its always good to have a few extra ways of doing things

 

[07FocusST]

Doesn't normal paper have a small amount of acid(s) in it?

 

[ak_reefer]

It does but I believe majority of paper made today is acid free. Hey Nana I have a Eshopps PSK 75 HOB and i love it.

 

[NanaReefer]

Some (very few) papers do have acid. However I made sure the stuff I'm using doesn't

I'm needing a totally external HOB skimmer. Thanks for the tip though

 

[TJL]

Yeah, printer paper or even paper towels done quickly will absorb the protiens from the surface fairly well. Did it often way back (80's) when I was breeding Discus and feeding live tubifex worms. Also have done this recently with my QT since I never bought or made a surface skimming attachment to my HOB skimmer. Definitely agree with ak-reefer above in using an Eshopps HOB skimmer, great lil skimmer for the $'s. I have the PSK 75 as well but would suggest the PSK 100 to get a bigger collection cup.

Cheers, Todd

 

[NanaReefer]

Aside from my tank lacking the room for an internal HOB skimmer, my lights site on the rim.

 

[jezzeaepi]

I have a psk 75h and my opinion is that it is a POS. The idea that it is good for a 75g tank is laughable. I might trust it on a 30g. It also puts out a ton of microbubbles, and the pump gets above 110 degrees, which heats up the tank. It pulls out a pathetically small amount of skimmate, and what it does pull out is barely is a light tea color. They also have some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. If I didn't get the thing for free I would have been pissed.

 

[TJL]

I have a psk 75h and my opinion is that it is a POS. The idea that it is good for a 75g tank is laughable. I might trust it on a 30g. It also puts out a ton of microbubbles, and the pump gets above 110 degrees, which heats up the tank. It pulls out a pathetically small amount of skimmate, and what it does pull out is barely is a light tea color. They also have some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. If I didn't get the thing for free I would have been pissed.

Sorry you have/had so much problems with your Eshopps bud, I had mine running flawlessly for 1.5 years on a 75g with very high bio-load and it pulled out just as much dark nasty sludge as my previous much more expensive ASM G3 ever did and my only real complaint was the small collection cup that needed to be emptied every 3-4 days. I also used it on my 50g QT for about 3 months while acclimating my Hawaiian fish and in the proccess of setting it up again for additional Island livestock. There are always many variables to equipment that we use and unfortunate that you may have gotten a Lemon or one that was altered incorrectly.

Cheers, Todd

 

[TJL]

Aside from my tank lacking the room for an internal HOB skimmer, my lights site on the rim.

Nana, is your light sitting on/covering the whole backside of the aquarium ??? The Eshopps has a very small footprint since its pump is external to aquarium and hangs below unit, just an intake and outlet piping. Even if yoou added an after market surface skimming attachment to the intake. Here is a pic of mine hanging off back of 75g

and a pic of bio-load it help to support

Cheers, Todd

 

[NanaReefer]

Nana, is your light sitting on/covering the whole backside of the aquarium ??? The Eshopps has a very small footprint since its pump is external to aquarium and hangs below unit, just an intake and outlet piping. Even if yoou added an after market surface skimming attachment to the intake. Here is a pic of mine hanging off back of 75g

and a pic of bio-load it help to support

Cheers, Todd

See that may work!! However it shall be hanging from the side and not the back. I'm also running a HOB fuge Thanks for the great pics! Really helps a lot!!
Beautiful tank by the way

 

[jezzeaepi]

Holy smokes, yah mine has never produced anything like that. Not even when I was curing 120 pounds of LR in a 32g. I always thought mine was dysfunctional, but eshopps wouldn't do anything to fix it. Said my pump was "fine" and that they couldn't(wouldn't) replace it anyways because they had changed their design.