How necessary is it to clean your skimmer neck/cup.

[MnFish1]

So - a recent thread reminded me of a question - how often do people clean their skimmer neck/cup. I do not do it regularly - and it tends to have a thick coating of 'gunk'. I always wondered if that was putting bad stuff 'back' into the tank - though I dont think it does.

Answer the poll - (please) and in the comments explain why you use whatever method you do:

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

I manually empty all of my skimmer cups, everytime I do so I give the neck a quick wipe.

I am not a physicist but I would think that having that gunk build up would great more friction going up the neck, causing the bubbles to pop before depositing the skimmate in the cup.

 

[BestMomEver]

I rinse the cup out when needed. I clean the neck part at the same time but I only spray it. I don’t scrub it.

 

[PEP12]

I clean mine once a week, I like it to look clean and to eliminate potential nasty smells, I also am sure it gets more gunk into the skimmer cup as it will cling to the dirty neck more if not cleaned off.

 

[cracker]

I clean the neck & cup when I empty the skimmate . I run my shimmers pretty dry so empty & clean isn't very often. I would think the gunk that builds won't let it back into the tank .The bacteria & corals would probably like it . I do think it hurts the efficiency of the skimmer though .

 

[User1]

Another method here. I clean the cup when required. Or empty I should say. Usually about once a week.

The neck, well, only when it is really bad. I can see the sludge in it but also use the collection cup to guide when. That and of course smell. I've noticed my skimmer performs the same if it is clean, light, or heavy sludge. I have a LifeReef skimmer and it works the same today as it did when I first bought it in 2000.

 

[ZoWhat]

I clean the layer of gunk out weekly.

I feel that the gunk buildup dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the skimmer


.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

So - a recent thread reminded me of a question - how often do people clean their skimmer neck/cup. I do not do it regularly - and it tends to have a thick coating of 'gunk'. I always wondered if that was putting bad stuff 'back' into the tank - though I dont think it does.

Answer the poll - (please) and in the comments explain why you use whatever method you do:

I’m not answering the poll and you can’t make me;Stop. Also you have too many choices. Am I ordering an appetizer at chili’s or answering a question. Nah, just kidding, I always like your threads and posts.;Joyful

I am pretty much answering like in the other thread. I have not come across any actual documentation showing reduced skimmate production on a dirty neck. I am sure it is out there somewhere but too tired to google. Best way to test. Let it build up for say a week or 2. Drain the cup and measure 1 day of skimmate then do a thorough cleaning and measure one day again. It will not be perfect since skimmers are finicky but gives an idea.

To answer the actual question, I agree with you. My thought is if it breaks down and goes back into the tank then it should never build up in the first place. Protein usually likes to bond to each other, hence the bubbles in the neck, like foam in the ocean. I see the build up in the neck as protein binding and should not break down without other factors. Hence the term protein skimmer.

Anyway just a few thoughts. Hope all is well tonight on your end.

 

[MnFish1]

I’m not answering the poll and you can’t make me;Stop. Also you have too many choices. Am I ordering an appetizer at chili’s or answering a question. Nah, just kidding, I always like your threads and posts.;Joyful

I am pretty much answering like in the other thread. I have not come across any actual documentation showing reduced skimmate production on a dirty neck. I am sure it is out there somewhere but too tired to google. Best way to test. Let it build up for say a week or 2. Drain the cup and measure 1 day of skimmate then do a thorough cleaning and measure one day again. It will not be perfect since skimmers are finicky but gives an idea.

To answer the actual question, I agree with you. My thought is if it breaks down and goes back into the tank then it should never build up in the first place. Protein usually likes to bond to each other, hence the bubbles in the neck, like foam in the ocean. I see the build up in the neck as protein binding and should not break down without other factors. Hence the term protein skimmer.

Anyway just a few thoughts. Hope all is well tonight on your end.

I could try to make you - but...mastiff.. The reason for the multiple choices is that it can be used to answer multiple questions rather than just one..

 

[Eagle_Steve]

As mentioned in the post that started this, I empty my cups once a week on most of my tanks and 2 weeks on a few others. That usually when they are full. I keep a toilet brush under the stand and just give the neck a quick once around, put cup back on, let it overflow into the cup for a few and then dump the cup again.

I do not think it hurts or helps. I have noticed no difference in the amount of skimmate collected either way. Heck I went 6 months on one tank and only emptied the cup when it was full. Did not even scrub the cup lol. Although it did appear that cup filled up faster each week. The gunk took up more and more space lol.

For me a quick once around with the toilet brush is just a habit now.

 

[KorD]

I try to clean the cut when it starts to smell really bad.. I'm talking roadkill bad.. about every 10 days or so.

 

[BadFish619]

I do it about once a month, in the interim I just dump the cup. I just like seeing how hard its working.

 

[Entz]

I clean the neck whenever I dump the cup. Using an tooth brush, doesn’t take too long and doesn’t have to be perfect but I prefer it cleaner than not.

 

[DangerDave]

Efficiency smefficiency, I use a neck cleaner and drain off the cup to a big container so I don’t have to touch it for three months.

I put an optical sensor in the container, which works well because I notice the skimmer off way more then the container getting full.

 

[ca1ore]

Avast Swabbie keeps the neck spackle-free which is what affects performance .... cup vents to a separate, switch controlled external collection vessel so it matters not that it is clean. External collection vessel has a pump to remove skimmate when full. Collection vessel never gets cleaned either. Avast swabbie does build spackle, so that needs removing every few months - but it doesn’t affect skimmer performance.

 

[smartwater101]

I clean the cup regularly. But I leave the neck for months before I clean it up

(cleaning the cup only, would be a good poll option)

 

[fishMAYOnnaise04]

I like a dirty neck and utilize reduced efficiency to my benifit as my skimmer has limited adjustability (AC/non-recirculating.)

I have an Octo Essence 130 with a Octo Waste Collector with auto shut off. Though the dial controls WHERE the skimmate is collected a dirty neck can create a drier skimmate.

As a side note, to dry collection furthur I have taped off all vent holes to create back pressure. When the dial is maxed out and the skimmate is STILL too wet I've found this is effective. The lid levitates and spins a bit but the results in waste management are there.

 

[MnFish1]

I clean it about once a month

 

[davidcalgary29]

I clean the layer of gunk out weekly.

I feel that the gunk buildup dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the skimmer


.

It really does have a detrimental effect on some skimmers -- my Red Sea MSK 900 (built-in with the RSM250) essentially stopped working until I cleaned the gunk out...and then it was back to peak efficiency. It needs a good clean about once a month.