29 Gallon - BakPak 2R+ Stock - Disappointed - Mod or Replace?

TinyChocobo · May 23, 2016

Hey guys!

So I have a 29 Gallon tank - with about 20 or 25 snails in it. I installed this skimmer and they said it would take 24 to 48 hours to start skimming. It did take about that long. After a few days I pulled out about 1/4 of the collection cup worth of dirty nasty water. I turned the skimmer off, pulled the cup, dumped it, replaced it, and turned the skimmer back on. It didn't seem to be skimming anymore.

I waited a couple more days and it looked like some skimmate was building up unevenly inside the funnel of the skimmer/tube and was perhaps stopping the bubbles from climbing the tube. I cleaned the intake/neck where the bubbles ride up [no soap or anything, just warm water and a clean cloth] and now the bubbles seem to be going nowhere at all. It's been a few days and nothing.

I'm going to test the water this afternoon to see where I stand as I just did a water change a couple of days ago [after the skimmer wasn't skimming].

I know there is the limewood mod where you can disable the venturi on the Rio600 and use it to move water and use limewood to make the microbubbles but it seems like maintaining the limewood would be annoying - that said I'm open to suggestions.

I'm open to modding the current skimmer just from the standpoint that I already have it and modding it would be cheaper than buying a different one but I'm also open to buying something that will perform better and isn't a pain to maintain.

I do plan on eventually having a sump but for now I'm stuck with a hang-on skimmer of some kind.

AZDesertRat · May 23, 2016

Sounds like you don't have much for the skimmer to do yet. Until you have a good bioload and organics to remove it's not going to do anything for you. Give it time before giving up on it.

TinyChocobo · May 23, 2016

AZDesertRat said:
Sounds like you don't have much for the skimmer to do yet. Until you have a good bioload and organics to remove it's not going to do anything for you. Give it time before giving up on it.

My biggest concern was because it was working beautifully up until the very moment I dumped the cup and now it isn't working at all [even a minute later when I simply replaced the cup].

Are there any water tests you suggest that I can use to verify it is or isn't working as it should or anything else I can look at as a sign?

I'm planning on adding 3~5 fish over the next couple of months and don't want to overload the system/cause problems [in short - I want to make sure the skimmer is working and up to the task]. I know I can do more frequent water changes but that's one of the reasons I picked up the skimmer was to try and make sure I can go at least a week between changes.

reeferfoxx · May 23, 2016

20-25 snails for a 29 gallon seem like overkill? AZDesertRat is right, you need more bioload for the skimmer to skim anything. It's a filter for dissolved organics(poop, pee, toxins). Without fish, you wouldn't be skimming much of anything except for post cycle leftover like diatoms and such. If you wanted, you could wait till you get your first fish, then turn the skimmer on. Even then, it might be about a month too soon.

TinyChocobo · May 23, 2016

The tank has something like 15 dwarf ceriths, 6 nassarius, 5 florida ceriths, and 5 nerites.

There are also 3 blue legged hermit crabs.

I didn't feel bad about putting them in as I've been watching ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and am prepared to do water changes if I have to. There is plenty of algae/stuff in the tank for them to eat and they're doing a pretty good job of cleaning it up. I actually turned off my lights to cut back on the algae growth so hopefully the critters can catch up.

I got a good deal on all of them - $30 shipped for everything including some extra hermit shells. I'm not in a hurry or anything - I only dropped them in as the tank was starting to become dirty - perhaps I've moved too fast but I can feed the snails and do water changes if needed.

AZDesertRat · May 23, 2016

It skimmed what little there was and when you emptied the cup there wasn't anything left to skim.
You will also find over a period of weeks as the skimmer gets seasoned or develops a slime coat it will function better. Each time you clean the skimmer neck it will drop off for awhile until it gets seasoned again. Another thing is each time you stick you hand in the tank or change something you change the surface tension of the water and the skimmer will either quit or go crazy for awhile. Adding oily foods like frozen mysis makes my skimmer go crazy but when I reach in the tank to move or clean something it almost quits altogether. It's all normal.

TinyChocobo · May 23, 2016

Thanks - I try to stay out of the tank if I can. I do have a bit of what I would call 'biofilm' on my surface - pretty thick. I thought about taking a power head and pointing it at the surface to get it agitated up and hopefully work that into the water column so the skimmer could snag it but was also looking at maybe just building a simple pre-filter or skimmer box for the CPR out of some acrylic.

reeferfoxx · May 23, 2016

MikeDVB said:
Thanks - I try to stay out of the tank if I can. I do have a bit of what I would call 'biofilm' on my surface - pretty thick. I thought about taking a power head and pointing it at the surface to get it agitated up and hopefully work that into the water column so the skimmer could snag it but was also looking at maybe just building a simple pre-filter or skimmer box for the CPR out of some acrylic.

I am assuming this is a standard tall 29 gallon? Meaning not a bio cube or otherwise anything with an overflow? If that is the case, then yes you most definitely need surface agitation like pointing the powerhead at the surface. Otherwise that film will get nasty.

I wouldn't turn your lights off. If anything reduce the amount of exposure to 6 hours. Your snails will need algae and your tank is cycling normally. You are on the right path. Just let it run it's course. All will clear up eventually if you let it.

TinyChocobo · May 23, 2016

Ok - glad to hear it and thanks for the advice. I will turn the photo period down a bit.

I'm familiar with freshwater and planted tanks - where I had LED and would just turn the intensity down. In this case I have T5 HO Bulbs - so I guess I'll just make my 'night' longer and the 'day' shorter. This is the fixture I have currently with stock bulbs -> http://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-...1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

And yeah - standard 29 with no overflow. I'm wanting to add a LifeReef overflow to it and a larger sump in the basement but I'm still working out all of the details.

I'm wanting to get an EcoTech XR30w Pro but the current fixture should work fine for now. I'm mostly wanting the LED for A) not replacing bulbs and B) being able to dial things in down the road as well as the controllability with my AquaController.

reeferfoxx · May 23, 2016

MikeDVB said:
I'm wanting to get an EcoTech XR30w Pro but the current fixture should work fine for now. I'm mostly wanting the LED for A) not replacing bulbs and B) being able to dial things in down the road as well as the controllability with my AquaController.

I'm huge fan of LEDs and it's freedom to control. Ecotech anything is the rolls royce of aquarium products. You will be very happy with it's pre settings and the ability to change things.

In this time of wasting to get your elbows wet, do research. Plan your tank mates and corals. Learn about algae and other good or bad things. You'll need tons of knowledge. Good luck and happy reefing!