GPH trough sump and skimmer performance.

[ToXIc]

Can the GPH trough your sump affect skimmer performance?



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[wysiwyg]

not an expert but i would say it shouldnt affect it to much

 

[ToXIc]

That's what I'm thinking. But just wondering if anyone ever found evidence stating otherwise.


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[mainereefer]

not really, but the less flow the more time the skimmer has with the water so it will clean more

 

[143gadgets]

Yes. It can have an effect on skimmer performance. I think most people run WAY too much flow through their sumps. Making their skimmers less effective than they should be. Just my opinion though. :bigsmile:

 

[azjohnny]

Yes, it does!

I shoot for either 3-5x the DT volume or 10x the sump volume. It also helped when I got my MP40s. They get the detritus in the water column where it can be filtered out

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[mainereefer]

again it wont affect performance of the skimmer! less flow means more time the skimmer has to polish the water but it wont affect how it works at all

 

[143gadgets]

again it wont affect performance of the skimmer! less flow means more time the skimmer has to polish the water but it wont affect how it works at all

The skimmer will still work, but it will be less effective therefore lowering performance.

 

[mcarroll]

Of course it can, but exactly how depends on why you ask?

If it helps, it is sensible to match the flow through the sump to the flow through your skimmer - and 3-4 times your display volume in GPH is a good target for both of those numbers. (e.g. A 100 gallon tank should have 300-400 gph.) More than 3-4 times is generally excessive, but rarely if ever harmful. Less than 3 times and you might be starving your skimmer and allowing nutrients to build in the system faster than they would otherwise. Again, not harmful and Nitrate and PO4 testing will tell you if that's happening.

Can you share any insight to why you ask?

-Matt

 

[ToXIc]

I'm just tuning a skimmer to get the most of out it and the thought ran trough my mind.


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[-Logzor]

Yes it can, the lower the flow the higher retention time the water has with the skimmer.

 

[ToXIc]

buy can the flow rate be too low?

 

[-Logzor]

buy can the flow rate be too low?

That's a really good question, if it's too fast the skimmer doesn't have a chance to clean the water, if it's too slow then the skimmer may get to the point where there isn't much left to clean. Unless someone did some sort of study I think it would be difficult to say what is too high verses too low.

I guess my question is, if the flow is high through the sump, then the water is always going to be very dirty thus the skimmer is always cleaning the dirties water possible and should be the most efficient. Wouldn't the skimmer lose efficiency the cleaner the water gets?

 

[mainereefer]

again the skimmer will work the same no matter how much flow is going threw the sump, thats why it has a pump on it.

not exact but think of it like this
if the skimmer spends more time with the water from your display, it will clean the same water over and over.
meaning it will pull more out of the water.
now the less time with the water, it can only clean the water once so it will be cleaning 1/2 the water it could clean



you will have to adjust everything to your spacific system.

when you start skimming it will pull lots of gunk out, but depending on your bio load it may become usless after a wile because it dosnt have much to clean. no matter what the flow threw the sump. if the flow is to low your skimmer may pull out more good things in the water than bad

I only run a skimmer every other day for a few hrs. I have found in my tank if I run it longer my lps dosnt look as happy because it likes a little "dirtier" water