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Gwitness
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Water level is still low on the skimmer after I fed like 3 hours ago????
Nutrient control question......
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Water level is still low on the skimmer after I fed like 3 hours ago????
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Gwitness
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It can take hours.
Oh okay.....for some reason my asm skimmer never did this so that's all new to me!! Thank you!
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Gwitness
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It can take hours.
Does the vinegar dosing bring down phosphates and nitrates?? Or just nitrates? Right now I'm dosing 30 ml a day and I'm still at 10 nitrates and 0.06 phosphates....should I increase?
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Gwitness
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What color do you usually go for on your skim in the collection cup? Dark dark color or what? Or does it not matter really
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Gwitness
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Ok and if it's lighter color that means I need to do what?? Wetter or more dry of skim?? I'll send you a pic tomorrow of mine and tell me what you think!
Damon
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Well the thing is, I typically let it settle in, and then try to play around with the gate at 1/4 to 1/8 turn at a time. I try (with the pellets) to get a lighter skim. I also look at how much i get a day, judging the two together..
With mine, I am typically getting(with the way i feed) about a half to 3/4" in skim with this monster in the collection cup. That typically, is about 1/8 to 1/4 gallon in my little collection jug.. So i shoot for those goals
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Gwitness
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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Both, but more nitrate than phosphate. How long have you been dosing that level?
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Gwitness
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Since the 21st.....i am now dosing 15 ml at lunch time when I come home and then 20 ml later at night and I'm gonna just stick at that for now.....nitrates still reading 10 though and phosphates read 0.06 two days ago when I checked with my Hannah, which is weird because of how low it read on my triton results but Oh well.....just did a 20 gallon water change today....this new skimmer is picking a lot more up than my last one was so I'm hoping that was the issue for my nitrates staying up constantly even when dosing the vinegar
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Gwitness
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Lol honestly whatever gets out the most bad stuff out of my tank...you tell me [emoji3]
Damon
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I think and was always advised that the light color like you have(and i shoot for that color also), along with the wet pulls the most and fastest out of the system.
Only thing is, you have to get a pretty clear time-line of how fast the cup fills of you don't have a jug. Or it will go right back in the tank..
Lol, but to me, it looks great! How much are you pulling a day? And is your system looking better? That is ultimately the main indicator..
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Gwitness
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So cyano is still there.....maybe a little better but not a big improvement.....been dosing vinegar still, but nitrates staying at 10 pretty much and I have been dosing the vinegar since the 21st....not see how long vinegar dosing takes to kick in or not.....my lps look great, Zoas are okay...some are open some are not....sps I only have 4 and they look a little better also......I literally empty my skimmer once a day....I emptied it at lunch time earlier and now it's already 1/4 filled....a million times better than my last skimmer!
I would run it less. I like my skimmate to be a real dark green and thick. That is what my three various skimmers take out. Very stinky too.
Damon
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The vinegar and any bacteria based carbon dosing can take a little while, as the system is building the necessary bacteria populations. I can't remember when i dosed vodka, but i want to say, it was just about like pellets and around 6 weeks.. I think..
I want to say, and maybe Randy can chime in, but I think that is pretty accurate.. I tell you what though, I know for sure, you will know when the vodka or any carbon based dosing becomes fully effective. The skim smells "extra" horrible, no matter the color or consistency (minus completely clear), and it will actually begin producing more.. But i go off that putrid smell.. It's very distinctive, at least with pellets..
But i think(from my memory) it's the same with vodka and vinegar, as they are just liquid versus a solid based carbon source..
But on the cyano, five it time, especially if it's not "spreading".. And by now, and it is difficult to think of it this way, but, if it were doing nothing, the cyano would be completely out of control..
And it's good that the coral is looking better! That's also a great sign..
Lol, isn't it amazing what a different skimmer can do! Lol! I'm so shocked almost once a week with mine also.. Just like you, I was, and still am astonished to how much these things pull consistently.. They're nice skimmers imho...
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Gwitness
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Yeah you are probably right and I just have to be patient and just keep everything stable.....I think you are right also about carbon dosing and the smell of the skimmer crap!!!
Thanks so much again for the help throughout this process and I'm loving the skimmer!!!!!
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Gwitness
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Do you carbon dose or anything?? I'm starting to think do I even need to carbon dose since I got the new skimmer?? my numbers aren't terrible, nitrates 10 and phosphates at 0.06....weekly water changes and skimmer should be good enough right?
