Skimmer neck cleaners

[Forsaken77]

I always thought this as well... that the squeegee would interfere with the bubble rise, especially a gacked up one. My crappy AquaMaxx skimmer actually skims better with a dirty cup neck. I have it connected to a waste collector (get one, best simple investment) so I rarely clean the cup.

I have a new Deltec skimmer waiting for my 180 to be finished, and the motorized neck cleaner for it is $750!!! The frigin cleaner is twice the cost of the skimmer, lol. I also have 2 different lids for it; one that has a manual neck cleaner attached and one that is a regular lid. So you just spin the handle on the lid and the squeegee wipes it.

I'm definitely going to test if the squeegee works better or not. My prediction is I'll end up using the regular lid.

 

[ca1ore]

I have been using the avast swabbie for a number of years. I go back long enough in this hobby to remember when skimmer tweaks were all the rage. None of them made much difference except this ..... the neck cleaner. It does NOT interfere with the formation of bubbles and helps enormously in keeping the skimmer in optimal condition by keeping the necks surfaces clear of sludge buildup. You could clean the neck daily, I suppose, in lieu of a neck cleaner; but this would be a pain and every time you remove the neck for cleaning it takes the skimmer a bit of time to 'recover' the foam head. No such recovery needed for the swabbie. OK, yes, sludge will build up on the neck cleaner itself, but that does not affect performance, it just requires cleaning periodically. BTW, some of the more sophisticated neck cleaners also have a wash-down feature which seems pretty cool. I'm now at the point with my big skimmer that a head/neck removal for cleaning is only necessary every other month.

 

[Makers Marc]

I have been using the avast swabbie for a number of years. I go back long enough in this hobby to remember when skimmer tweaks were all the rage. None of them made much difference except this ..... the neck cleaner. It does NOT interfere with the formation of bubbles and helps enormously in keeping the skimmer in optimal condition by keeping the necks surfaces clear of sludge buildup. You could clean the neck daily, I suppose, in lieu of a neck cleaner; but this would be a pain and every time you remove the neck for cleaning it takes the skimmer a bit of time to 'recover' the foam head. No such recovery needed for the swabbie. OK, yes, sludge will build up on the neck cleaner itself, but that does not affect performance, it just requires cleaning periodically. BTW, some of the more sophisticated neck cleaners also have a wash-down feature which seems pretty cool. I'm now at the point with my big skimmer that a head/neck removal for cleaning is only necessary every other month.

Ca1ore,

Always respect your opinion. I never was one to wipe my neck down daily, more like once a week. So having to wipe the thick sludge off the blade once a week is the same amount of work. Based on reefbuilders video on the Reef Octopus ANC, I was hoping for touching the skimmer monthly tbh.

But i do plan on giving it a month or two, since this its been going for only 30 days and I think the skimmate texture is temporary. right now it turns on for 30 secs, 3x a day. That should give me enough time to evaluate this specific ANC.

 

[melev]

I'll take a picture of mine next time I remove it for cleaning. It's about due.

 

[Makers Marc]

Just updating.

Neck cleaner worth it. Once initial silt from the dry rock got skimmed/ socked out, more consistent.

 

[TX_Punisher]

Bringing this up. Have a RO elite 200 internal in my 750xxl sump which is small and tight which makes it difficult to clean the skimmer lid every week. Does anyone have the reef octo neck cleaner? Impressions?

 

[Makers Marc]

I have a reef octopus 3000int skimmer cleaner bought used from here.

16 months in, I am unsure if its worth it. While it keeps the neck clean, that sludge jist ends up building on the neck cleaner and cover, causing the bubbles to break before flowing into the cup. Makes for an inconsistent skimming bc I have to always make it wetter, to push the bubbles high enough.

Forgot your question?haha.

 

[TX_Punisher]

Sounds like a a spray down mechanism like deltec used to have would work better.

 

[scriptmonkey]

Sounds like a a spray down mechanism like deltec used to have would work better.

Or a combo of both. I am DIY'ing one for my Nyos and am trying to do water and wipe down. We will see.

 

[Breadman03]

Sounds like a a spray down mechanism like deltec used to have would work better.

I'm not doing it right now, but I plan on eventually using a solenoid to bleed off of my return line to spray down the inside of my skimmer neck. Before I make a move, I will need to find out how many GPH I will need to push to effectively wash down the skimmer neck. It may turn out that using a dedicated pump will be more cost-effective.

 

[Makers Marc]

Forgot to add, its more of a pain in the butt to clean. Have to unscrew and pull the sludgey blade out and wipe the cover in btw the screws. rather than just a wipedown with a brush or papertowel.

Interested in looking at your spray mods when done.

 

[Gablami]

I have a reef octopus 3000int skimmer cleaner bought used from here.

16 months in, I am unsure if its worth it. While it keeps the neck clean, that sludge jist ends up building on the neck cleaner and cover, causing the bubbles to break before flowing into the cup. Makes for an inconsistent skimming bc I have to always make it wetter, to push the bubbles high enough.

Forgot your question?haha.

I agree. I have the aquadriver. I pull mounds of gunk off the cleaner every few months. It might keep the neck clean, but i don’t think helps get it into the skimmer cup as much as we would like. Would not spend the money again.

 

[JohannesFFM]

i have a Bubble Magus neck cleaner and stoppt using it. the neck cleaner works but the sludge buildup on the lid is bad. sometimes it falls of inside the skimmer. also the cleaning of the neck cleaner/collection cup is much more work the just the collection cup. maybe a aquadriver is better because of there lid design and water cleaning.

 

[Gablami]

i have a Bubble Magus neck cleaner and stoppt using it. the neck cleaner works but the sludge buildup on the lid is bad. sometimes it falls of inside the skimmer. also the cleaning of the neck cleaner/collection cup is much more work the just the collection cup. maybe a aquadriver is better because of there lid design and water cleaning.

I honestly don’t think it’s any better. Basically same design/concept. The aquadriver is low profile and looks great. I’m not sure how much the water spray mechanism helps with the overall goal of getting gunk into the cup. You’ll hear rave reviews about neck cleaners (I was very happy with my neck cleaner I’m the beginning too), but I think the return on investment is minimal, and many people think it’s better because they want to think it’s better.

 

[Makers Marc]

I honestly don’t think it’s any better. Basically same design/concept. The aquadriver is low profile and looks great. I’m not sure how much the water spray mechanism helps with the overall goal of getting gunk into the cup. You’ll hear rave reviews about neck cleaners (I was very happy with my neck cleaner I’m the beginning too), but I think the return on investment is minimal, and many people think it’s better because they want to think it’s better.

Or they give rave reviews, only so they can sell you their used one.

Thats how I got mine SMH.

 

[User1]

Personally I don't think it matters but maybe it also dependent on what skimmer you are using. I've seen similar performance on my skimmer freshly cleaned or caked with a months worth of crap. Bubbles are going to do their thing regardless of how much buildup there is. In some cases I have said to myself that it actually performs better with a coat of gunk on the neck.

If someone is a neat freak or handles the routine maintenance on a more regimented cadence then I do think they can help because you are working smarter, not harder. So just depends. Me though, being lazy, my Lifereef skimmers neck probably gets a clean once a month with a few times more than that in between.

 

[Makers Marc]

Personally I don't think it matters but maybe it also dependent on what skimmer you are using. I've seen similar performance on my skimmer freshly cleaned or caked with a months worth of crap. Bubbles are going to do their thing regardless of how much buildup there is. In some cases I have said to myself that it actually performs better with a coat of gunk on the neck.

If someone is a neat freak or handles the routine maintenance on a more regimented cadence then I do think they can help because you are working smarter, not harder. So just depends. Me though, being lazy, my Lifereef skimmers neck probably gets a clean once a month with a few times more than that in between.

Thats the thing. Its not smarter. And its actually more labor intensive (for my Reef Octopus) to remove and clean the neck cleaner vs. skimmer neck.