Protein skimmer question ???

[Gwitness]

I have had my skimz monsterz 201 skimmer about 3 months now and it just seems to not collect much skim for me at all for some reason.....the other thing is that i carbon dose white vinegar and everyone normally talks about how bad the skim smells from carbon dosing and the stuff barely smells compared to when I had my asm skimmer?? I'm thinking maybe I don't have it tuned correctly or maybe another reason on why I'm not getting a lot of stuff in the cup....

 

[ATB USA]

Are you getting lots of wet lighter colored skim

 

[ATB USA]

Does the skimmer get a good foam head?

 

[Gwitness]

I am getting a very light skim color and wet but when I twist the tube to make it more of a dry skim it will only collect skim crap in the neck and barely any in the cup at all......what do you mean by good foam head? I mean I guess I get good foam but I can take a video clip and post it later so you can tell me what you think!

 

[Damon]

Hey dude.. You have a few things going on with your system.. As always, a picture is worth a thousand words.. Basically, take a picture of the skim and the collection cup and where the bubbles are at.

Also, with those skimmers(the DC versions), where is the control as far as speed at? And then, the air adjustment on the silencer, how many threads are showing? If you can get pics of those, I had a 201 for a little before getting my 251. I know I, and others can help you..

But, the smell of the skim, in your case, could be related to the amount your dosing of vinegar.. And I know you have still had your Nitrates stay around the same level all along, until you recently increased the dose..

The skim and resulting stink is correspondent to what the dosing is doing on your system.. So, more info to get a clear picture.. And also, how much skim in maybe inches do you get a day? The color of it will tell a ton also, so pictures will help..

 

[ATB USA]

This is a good wet skim with good foam. Light green, but not too light: 1 day collection

This is a drier skim with a good frothy foam: 3 day collection

 

[Reefpro]

So ATB, which of the two would you prefer? The wetter or the drier

 

[ATB USA]

So ATB, which of the two would you prefer? The wetter or the drier

I normally use the drier, but I do not think ether is wrong.

 

[Gwitness]

Hey dude.. You have a few things going on with your system.. As always, a picture is worth a thousand words.. Basically, take a picture of the skim and the collection cup and where the bubbles are at.

Also, with those skimmers(the DC versions), where is the control as far as speed at? And then, the air adjustment on the silencer, how many threads are showing? If you can get pics of those, I had a 201 for a little before getting my 251. I know I, and others can help you..

But, the smell of the skim, in your case, could be related to the amount your dosing of vinegar.. And I know you have still had your Nitrates stay around the same level all along, until you recently increased the dose..

The skim and resulting stink is correspondent to what the dosing is doing on your system.. So, more info to get a clear picture.. And also, how much skim in maybe inches do you get a day? The color of it will tell a ton also, so pictures will help..

Man you have been helping through everything from day 1!! Lol......I didn't know that the vinegar could affect the smell of the skim.....I am dosing 100ml a day of vinegar and nitrates are finally coming down to below 5!! Finally!! I'll send pictures of the foam, and threads later when I get home......as for skim per day....id probably say about an 1inch a day if it's wet but if it's dry barely any at all except in the neck .

 

[Damon]

Man you have been helping through everything from day 1!! Lol......I didn't know that the vinegar could affect the smell of the skim.....I am dosing 100ml a day of vinegar and nitrates are finally coming down to below 5!! Finally!! I'll send pictures of the foam, and threads later when I get home......as for skim per day....id probably say about an 1inch a day if it's wet but if it's dry barely any at all except in the neck .

Mnn.. Lol, it's not the vinegar itself in that it affects the smell, it's the food source(I hope I'm not mixing it up) that the vinegar is.. The carbon source and the bacteria byproduct if I remember and am speaking correctly.. Lol.. But basically, as it gets into your system and starts working, multiplying and increasing the bacteria, both the bacteria themselves and then their eating, that is what does all the work.. And as a comparison , on the simplest level, with my pellets, that are just a solid form of the carbon food source, if I close my reactor flow, my skim goes back to smelling normal. But once I open it up, and let those little bugs do their thing, stink city.. Lol, that's as long as they are in sufficient quantity..

Yours and all the liquid carbon dosing is different, simply because your valve, it's how much you dose a day.. Same thing with other pellet reactors, except their "per day" is the amount of pellets, flow and contact those pellets/bacteria have with the water..

And ok, I lion forward to the pictures.. Can go from there at that point.. And don't forget, the threads on the adjustment screw.. That is pretty important tool..

 

[Gwitness]

Mnn.. Lol, it's not the vinegar itself in that it affects the smell, it's the food source(I hope I'm not mixing it up) that the vinegar is.. The carbon source and the bacteria byproduct if I remember and am speaking correctly.. Lol.. But basically, as it gets into your system and starts working, multiplying and increasing the bacteria, both the bacteria themselves and then their eating, that is what does all the work.. And as a comparison , on the simplest level, with my pellets, that are just a solid form of the carbon food source, if I close my reactor flow, my skim goes back to smelling normal. But once I open it up, and let those little bugs do their thing, stink city.. Lol, that's as long as they are in sufficient quantity..

Yours and all the liquid carbon dosing is different, simply because your valve, it's how much you dose a day.. Same thing with other pellet reactors, except their "per day" is the amount of pellets, flow and contact those pellets/bacteria have with the water..

And ok, I lion forward to the pictures.. Can go from there at that point.. And don't forget, the threads on the adjustment screw.. That is pretty important tool..

 

[Gwitness]

Let me know if you need any other pictures or information!! I run my water level steady at 8inches....I tried lower at 7 inches and higher at 9 in but pretty much same results

 

[twilliard]

More air
Looks to be wet to me
Open the effluent a little more.
Need to drop the head height

 

[Gwitness]

More air
Looks to be wet to me
Open the effluent a little more.
Need to drop the head height

Okay got it!!! So just tune the air intake only....not the water height right?

 

[Damon]

Let me know if you need any other pictures or information!! I run my water level steady at 8inches....I tried lower at 7 inches and higher at 9 in but pretty much same results

Hmmnn and your at what speed on the controller?

It looks extremely wet, and it looks like you had a spill over..

From the picture, you look like your bubbles in the neck are small, which is what I run also..

With it at the way and color, your probably not going to see a lot of foam.. It is basically spitting water when it tries to create a foam.. If that's how you want it at, then that's fine. But if your looking for foam, it's not going to be there. At least mine never is when at like that..

You can try a couple things to experiment.. Try lowering the water level via turning the gate valve to the right.. By like half a turn at a time, until you get foam. Or, you can play around with the settings on the speed control.. I know brs told me that they normally only ran theirs on their systems on line 3 or 4 at the max..

But, it's also going to depend on what you feed, fish/load and put into your system.. If you don't get a ton of food in there or other things, that will push organics, not a ton to skim to be honest.. And those things do like to skim.. And right now, your dosing, but your system, isn't too heavy with it..

But I mix up my own food with Selcon, medicine, krill, mysis(straight out the bag.. Lol.. I don't care!), nori, lrs, blackworms, and NLS pellets.. I feed that once(about a 2"cube )in the morning. Then, the auto feeder goes off twice a day. And then, I give the nuts some freeze dried krill maybe once in the evening, just to watch them eat.. And that's on days that I don't give nori sheets.. And I'm currently feeding baby bangai brine.. And then, the nasty pellets.. And I have 19 fish in my 180,So I feed heavily and still end up with low nutrient levels(but then ,I have so much crap and equipment hooked up, it's kind of not surprising)..

My point was that, you may have a low load system.. That is a decent possibility also and not a bad thing..

 

[twilliard]

Okay got it!!! So just tune the air intake only....not the water height right?

Allow as much air as it will draw. That alone will lower the height.
Use the effluent control to adjust water height

 

[Gwitness]

Hmmnn and your at what speed on the controller?

It looks extremely wet, and it looks like you had a spill over..

From the picture, you look like your bubbles in the neck are small, which is what I run also..

With it at the way and color, your probably not going to see a lot of foam.. It is basically spitting water when it tries to create a foam.. If that's how you want it at, then that's fine. But if your looking for foam, it's not going to be there. At least mine never is when at like that..

You can try a couple things to experiment.. Try lowering the water level via turning the gate valve to the right.. By like half a turn at a time, until you get foam. Or, you can play around with the settings on the speed control.. I know brs told me that they normally only ran theirs on their systems on line 3 or 4 at the max..

But, it's also going to depend on what you feed, fish/load and put into your system.. If you don't get a ton of food in there or other things, that will push organics, not a ton to skim to be honest.. And those things do like to skim.. And right now, your dosing, but your system, isn't too heavy with it..

But I mix up my own food with Selcon, medicine, krill, mysis(straight out the bag.. Lol.. I don't care!), nori, lrs, blackworms, and NLS pellets.. I feed that once(about a 2"cube )in the morning. Then, the auto feeder goes off twice a day. And then, I give the nuts some freeze dried krill maybe once in the evening, just to watch them eat.. And that's on days that I don't give nori sheets.. And I'm currently feeding baby bangai brine.. And then, the nasty pellets.. And I have 19 fish in my 180,So I feed heavily and still end up with low nutrient levels(but then ,I have so much crap and equipment hooked up, it's kind of not surprising)..

My point was that, you may have a low load system.. That is a decent possibility also and not a bad thing..

So I have about 13 fish in my 165 but yellow tang is biggest fish, the rest are Anthias and wrasses....I only feed once or twice a day, normally pe mysis or larrys reef frenzy....that's it though! And I definitely don't really want it that wet! .....as for the pump, mine is not a dc pump so I can't control it at all

 

[Gwitness]

Allow as much air as it will draw. That alone will lower the height.
Use the effluent control to adjust water height

I twisted the air know to let in as much as possible, but I have read that these skimmers pumps bring in a ton of oxygen already......I don't know anything about this so maybe you can answer....can you pull in too much oxygen into my skimmer and have a negative affect?? I'm assuming not but just curious!! Thanks for the help so far!! Appreciate it!

 

[abinder]

I twisted the air know to let in as much as possible, but I have read that these skimmers pumps bring in a ton of oxygen already......I don't know anything about this so maybe you can answer....can you pull in too much oxygen into my skimmer and have a negative affect?? I'm assuming not but just curious!! Thanks for the help so far!! Appreciate it!

If your PH is around 8.2, then the oxygen content should be fine.

Generally, the more oxygen in the water, the higher the PH number will be.
(Kinda hard to have too much oxygen in our tanks since they're basically a closed loop system.)


Allen

 

[Damon]

So I have about 13 fish in my 165 but yellow tang is biggest fish, the rest are Anthias and wrasses....I only feed once or twice a day, normally pe mysis or larrys reef frenzy....that's it though! And I definitely don't really want it that wet! .....as for the pump, mine is not a dc pump so I can't control it at all

Oh.. Lol, I confused the 203 with the 201..hmmnnn .. Yeah, then lower the level a little at a time.. It will foam up