Skimmer understanding

[Mark Bradley]

Can someone tell me why skimmers appear to have a mind of their own? As the equipment is mechanical I can’t get my head around why it needed bedding in and why it can have its moments? Logically it seems to me that the pump should be able to be set to an appropriate level (as should the air) and the bubbles work their magic. However, it doesn’t seem to work that simply.

 

[Jamesmost]

Because a lot of skimmers are not engineered well and are designed for marketing purposes..
I have had 7 skimmers in the past 5 years.
2 of them have stood out beyond the rest.
set it and forget it.
never freaked out from, feeding, levels, gluing corals etc.
Lifereef and Bubble King.

 

[Mark Bradley]

Are you able to share the names of the good ones?
I bought a top branded one - it seems to be inconsistent.

 

[Mark Bradley]

My ignorance - I now see you named the brands

 

[Mark Bradley]

Um - Bubble King are above what I paid so maybe that’s the issue - my one in TMC

 

[CuzzA]

Design certainly plays a role and some are not very good, despite their popularity, but just the physics of skimming alone is going to produce varied results depending on what's in the water. Running a tank fallow for example is going to produce little skimmate. Dosing Phyto all the time is going to produce a lot. Certain chemicals are going to increase or decrease bubble production.

 

[Tariq]

BRS TV has some of the best videos on reefing including skimmers.
Their conclusion - it’s not the skimmer, rather other factors that determine skimmate production.

 

[Paul B]

Skimmers, or more correctly "Foam Fractionators" are at the mercy of your water.

I never bought one except for the first Sanders model in the 70s. They are easy to build so I built mine more years ago that I can remember. It is a venturi model 5' tall.

But new skimmers don't work because foam hates new plexiglass and won't form.

After a while, when the thing starts working it is totally dependent on the DOCs or dissolved organic carbon in your water.

If you ever see the surf on a rough beach and the waves leave foam on the sand, that water has pollution in it.

When your skimmer isn't working, your water is to clean for it. A while after you feed or if your corals feel like spawning or exuding whatever it is they exude, the skimmer goes nuts.

Once I had 24 New York urchins all spawn in my tank at the same time. The skimmer filled and overflowed a five gallon bucket with another five gallons of smelly skimate on my floor.

 

[Jamesmost]

Not sure, just my experience