THE DIRTY SKIMMER "CUP" - lets all play along

[tigerdragon]

here is day 2 on tank with bm nac9.

 

[tigerdragon]

day 2 on tank with omega 150

 

[nicodim55]

Ok I have a question for you guys since we're on this topic of skimmate. I read this somewhere so please tell me what you guys think:
Choosing the right skimmer for your aquarium is all about understanding "Bio-Load". When a skimmer can handle the bio-load of the system, it will actually “idle†when the level of Dissolved Organic Compounds ( DOC’s) drops low enough to limit fractionation. i.e., there aren’t enough DOC’s to form a stable head of Foamate. When a skimmer cannot handle the bio-load, it will continuously be creating foamate and skimmate and never “idleâ€. This is a clear indication that the skimmer is undersized for the system and should be upgraded or modified to handle the existing bio-load
So the question is if the skimmer keeps collecting and producing foam and does not idle, does it mean it cannot handle the bioload therefore, it's too small for the tank? My understanding is that the more it produces foam and gunk that it's doing its job as opposed to not being able to handle the [FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]bio load So if this statement is accurate, that means all of our skimmers are all under rated for our bio load coz all I see is lots of foam and gunk [/FONT][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]What do you guys think?[/FONT]

 

[tigerdragon]

Depends on nutrient levels. How heavy you are feeding. I prefer to run a slightly more dirty tank i feel corals do better

 

[nicodim55]

Depends on nutrient levels. How heavy you are feeding. I prefer to run a slightly more dirty tank i feel corals do better

I agree me too I have lots of fish to feed

 

[kschweer]

Day 2

 

[afamousjohnson]

Only time ive seen my skimmer idle was when my airline was clogged or the pump quit running.lol i prefer seeing skimate i guess you could say

 

[zesty]

Day two, looks like a dry skim.

 

[tyler1503]

I knew mine wouldn't be as nasty as some peoples lol.
Day 2, I forgot to post yesterday.

I'll get a day three pic later this afternoon.

Aaaaaah this time zone thing is confusing me. We started this on Monday, it's now Wednesday here and it's still day two.
Turns out I didn't miss a day and that pic is still day two, but day three is tomorrow.
I need to remember my time zone is a day ahead and I actually started on Tuesday lol.

 

[maroun.c]

Ok I have a question for you guys since we're on this topic of skimmate. I read this somewhere so please tell me what you guys think:
Choosing the right skimmer for your aquarium is all about understanding "Bio-Load". When a skimmer can handle the bio-load of the system, it will actually “idle” when the level of Dissolved Organic Compounds ( DOC’s) drops low enough to limit fractionation. i.e., there aren’t enough DOC’s to form a stable head of Foamate. When a skimmer cannot handle the bio-load, it will continuously be creating foamate and skimmate and never “idle”. This is a clear indication that the skimmer is undersized for the system and should be upgraded or modified to handle the existing bio-load
So the question is if the skimmer keeps collecting and producing foam and does not idle, does it mean it cannot handle the bioload therefore, it's too small for the tank? My understanding is that the more it produces foam and gunk that it's doing its job as opposed to not being able to handle the bio load So if this statement is accurate, that means all of our skimmers are all under rated for our bio load coz all I see is lots of foam and gunk What do you guys think?

The idea is for the skimmer to deal with the gunk and go idle for some time before another feeding or fish poop sends it back to action. It has to do with the skimmer being large enough to deal with proteins before they start to decompose as then the skimmer cannot bind them to air and send them up to the cup.
I run an oversized skimmer as my setup is not yet at the planned final volume (even then the skimmer will still be rated for more than I'll have) and what I've noticed is the following:
-Skimmer is more sensitive to any changes (feeding or hands in the tank) and looses head more than the smaller skimmer I had and for more time.
-it is working better and has a better foam head after I exceeded a certain fish load.
few considerations on simzing skimmers:
-Believe it makes sense to oversize your skimmer now as current filtration techniques rely a lot more on carbon dosing and excellent skimmer performance to clean up.
-Skimmer rating is not an exact science.
-Fish load varies a not in tanks of the same size
-fish types and need to overfeed some fish other than you would feed other fish in same numbers (Anthias...)
-Reefers preferrence to overfeed their fish or to feed their corals or not...
-Skimmer tune up and keeping the neck clean.
-Wet skimming VS Dry skimming

 

[Reef Junky150]

Day3

 

[Nurse Payne]

Day three

 

[Wiz]

Day 3 still comin in to wet. But here It is. Gotta get a ato

 

[Wiz]

Day 3 still comin in to wet. But here It is. Gotta get a ato. Sry, here it is right side up. Lol

 

[zesty]

Taken last night

 

[nicodim55]

Day 3

 

[nicodim55]

The idea is for the skimmer to deal with the gunk and go idle for some time before another feeding or fish poop sends it back to action. It has to do with the skimmer being large enough to deal with proteins before they start to decompose as then the skimmer cannot bind them to air and send them up to the cup.
I run an oversized skimmer as my setup is not yet at the planned final volume (even then the skimmer will still be rated for more than I'll have) and what I've noticed is the following:
-Skimmer is more sensitive to any changes (feeding or hands in the tank) and looses head more than the smaller skimmer I had and for more time.
-it is working better and has a better foam head after I exceeded a certain fish load.
few considerations on simzing skimmers:
-Believe it makes sense to oversize your skimmer now as current filtration techniques rely a lot more on carbon dosing and excellent skimmer performance to clean up.
-Skimmer rating is not an exact science.
-Fish load varies a not in tanks of the same size
-fish types and need to overfeed some fish other than you would feed other fish in same numbers (Anthias...)
-Reefers preferrence to overfeed their fish or to feed their corals or not...
-Skimmer tune up and keeping the neck clean.
-Wet skimming VS Dry skimming

So, it's a good thing then when the skimmer looks like these photos we posts then? The way I understand idle is when I put my hands in the tank the skimmer slows down and it stops bubbling. Then once I'm done within a few minutes it starts up again. Is this idle?

 

[TJ's Reef]

Day 2.5 since I started rather late on Monday.... Just starting to kick in a bit, run mine on the dryer side and was busy yesterday so no lunch or dinner for the finned ones.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Siebo]

Yesterday:

Today:

 

[maroun.c]

So, it's a good thing then when the skimmer looks like these photos we posts then? The way I understand idle is when I put my hands in the tank the skimmer slows down and it stops bubbling. Then once I'm done within a few minutes it starts up again. Is this idle?

Idle is when the skimmer foam head goes down without feeding or putting your hand int he tank and it stays low with no skimmate production till feeding...