Protein skimmer

colsoscar120 · Jul 16, 2015

Hi guys how often do I clean protein skimmer

saltyphish · Jul 16, 2015

I clean the neck every time I do my weekly water change.

colsoscar120 · Jul 16, 2015

Is that all u have to do I'm getting a hang on back reef octupus one r they any good

twilliard · Jul 16, 2015

The hob's are notorious for growing algae and coraline in the body. Just keep it clean

I ran the nac5e

Waters · Jul 16, 2015

I clean the cup once a week and the body/neck of the skimmer every few months.

alan.lee3 · Jul 16, 2015

I rinse the cup twice a week and clean the neck once a week.

Not really a fan of HOB Protein Skimmers. Had a "Lee's Protein Skimmer" and a "Sea Clone 100" both kept growing algae in the necks.

colsoscar120 · Jul 16, 2015

I haven't got the room for a sump so hob it has to be [emoji22]

luke33 · Jul 16, 2015

The aquamax hot's are pretty tough to beat imo. RO's are ok too. I clean my skimmer cup and neck weekly and the body as needed. I clean the venturi generally once every other week or so.

I don't care for hot's because eventually you'll have an overflow on the carpet or flooring. It's just going to happen.

twilliard · Jul 16, 2015

Yes those darn venturis build up salts!
if you notice your level getting higher there is your culprit

StevenBell · Jul 16, 2015

Eshopps PSK 100 HOB series is a pretty tight skimmer as far as HOB goes IMO.I empty my cup every day and clean twice a week though

Miketc17 · Jul 16, 2015

colsoscar120 said:
Is that all u have to do I'm getting a hang on back reef octupus one r they any good

I started off with the BH-1000 and WOW! I loved it. It was pulling out so much crap and didn't even take a week to break in. I have then upgraded to a 75g and upgraded to the BH-2000. I'm having some problems breaking this one in. I've been too lazy to play around with it.

colsoscar120 · Jul 16, 2015

How will I stop it overflowing

Miketc17 · Jul 16, 2015

colsoscar120 said:
How will I stop it overflowing

I've never had any overflowing issues. To prime it, all you have to do is put your finger over the air tube for 2-3 seconds when you first plug it. Once you see that bubbles are being produced, take your finger off the air tubbing. Simple as that.

Harold Green · Jul 16, 2015

I don't think anyone can actually tell you how often to clean your skimmer. It depends on a lot of things. Do you skim wet or dry? How long is it taking to fill the cup? I drain mine once or twice a week and clean the cup and throat as the skimmer always works better right after cleaning. The main thing is to not ignore it. Skimmers require cleaning to continue to do their job well. Mine is shoehorned into a sump below the stand and I'm fortunate it has a drain line from the cup. I pour a little extra water into the cup, run a narrow brush around the inside and drain. Then I run the brush around the inside of the skimmer and it's ready to go.