Skimmer For 90g FOWLR

[Squishie89]

I currently have the Reef Octopus Super Reef 1000 Internal. But despite numerous attempts of tweaking things to make it work properly, it just wont. I am not sure if it is possible I do not have enough of a bio load, as I have ~50lbs of live rock and 6-8 hermit crabs and 5 snails. But I am just unhappy and possibly looking at other skimmers (this one was suggested by the LFS). So, I have been looking at other skimmers, I am partial to ones that have the pump underneath the skimmer as making the 1000 fit in the sump takes quite a bit of wiggling to get it to sit flat thanks to huge pump it has. So like the Reef octopus Space Savers and the Reef Octopus Diablo XS are ones I am looking at. I am wide open for suggestions and I am not married to getting another Reef Octopus, they just keep turning up. Thanks.

 

[JackoChang]

You just have rock, snails, and crabs? If so,I would say you have a very small bio load. I'd keep the skimmer and start stocking your fish, slowly of course.
How long had the system been up and running?

 

[Squishie89]

About a month. I am just so on the fence about this, and maybe I will continue trying to make it work. The problem is, if I leave the o-ring/plug in the cup so it cannot drain, it just fills with clear water in a matter of minutes. So, if it does start to pull out skinmate, it can't. The bubbles are not popping at the top of the cup, they are overflowing into the cup. But, as you said, the bio load is really low, and it is a brand new skimmer, so maybe it just needs more work to do and time to do it. Thankfully I have someone coming over this weekend to help show me some things I am confused and concerned about and I will have him look at it. Thank you so much for the reply, I really appreciate it.

 

[Pappy]

You have it set up wrong if its overflowing. What's the water depth it's in? Is the airline disconnected for some reason? Gate valve wide open? Should not be overflowing...also no bio load=no skimmate but from your description there is something else wrong. I have an xp2000sss and it works extremely well.

 

[Squishie89]

The unit has been looked at by 2 people, and I have been told the unit is fine, it was even tested and was told it works great (not at my house, nor where I could see). I contacted coralvue to get a better description of what the skimmer needed to work properly and they told me about the water depth and water conditions. I tried every water depth possible, even putting the skimmer on things to raise it up, and still overflowing. The only thing I have not done which coralvue said might help is to do some major water changes, but I am still in the process of getting a pump to get the water from the bin to the tank (this is on tomorrows to do list). Otherwise, I have done everything, I even started running carbon in the sump to try and help with the water conditions.