AquaC Remora Pro

[kms]

:happy:

I just received my Remora Pro with mag 3 and preskimmer in the mail. I must say...IT IS HUGE. I had no idea. I have a couple questions for you wise-men/women.
First, is it possible to overskim? I purchased the Pro with the intentions of upgrading to a larger system and making my current 45-55 the sump/fuge. I have the preskimmer and skimmer on my tank now (probably why it looks so big). I will probably take the preskimmer off until the upgrade depending on the way the next question is answered.
Next question: Is there any benefit to continue running my Emperor 400 with Carbon packs if I have the Preskimmer with a media chamber that I can put activated Carbon in as needed?
Third question: The instructions state that the foam catcher can be adjusted for wet foam or dry foam. Is there a benefit of either one? I did not have a skimmer on my tank previously. It is right now FOWLR, with intentions of adding a few corals. I have constant green algae film on the glass that I scrape with an algae magnet everyday. I am most concerned right now with getting rid of the algae and improving my water quality.
I believe that is all for now...possible more to come.

 

[flatzboy]

You can't over skim I run the aquac ev 120 on my 46g. bow. I wouldn't use the prefilter I just read a huge article about skimming and the guy stated that you don't want to prefilter your water you just want raw tank water going into it. I would leave the emporer filter on there with nothing in it and just put carbon in it a few weeks.

 

[kms]

Thanks bud, any second opinions?

 

[tizzo]

It's not a prefilter. It's more like a surface skimmer. It replicates an overflow box. I love it. It will also let you know when you need to top off, you will hear it gurgling to get water. As stated, no such thing as over skimming (IMO). The collection cup is adjustable. If I were you, I would set the band as high as it will go then gradually move it down until you get a lot less liquid. I have yet to see pure dry skimmage. And as far as the carbon chamber, it's easy and accessible. I love it and use it and recommend it.
If your top off water is RO from the garage, I would sugggest you fill a container and leave it in because if you have no cover on your tank the noise will wake you up, besides you don't want your pump running dry anyway.
HTH

 

[kms]

Thanks Tizzo, I got the skimmer box because I too like the idea of the overflow and skimming the surface for the impurities.
What would you recommend I do with the emperor 400? It is useless to run it with carbon next to the Remora Pro, if I can just add activated carbon to the media chamber in the skimmer box as needed?
yeah, wet foam...that reminds me...I was supposed to go home at lunch and check the collection cup. I was told once the Pro starts kickin on a previously unskimmed 1.5 yr old tank, that I will need to keep a close eye on the collection cup. I set it up mid day yesterday. Yikes. I guess my roomates will love me if its all over the carpet, right?
Tanks for your help!

 

[tizzo]

As far as your Emperer, I don't even know what it is. Is it a protien skimmer or like a cannister filer or what. It will take a lot for that thing to overskim. I did it once, but it was because I added one of the Kent suspension foods. Kent's microvert. My collection cup filled up 3 consecutive times!!!
Now that lunch is over did you get anything?? Don't be alarmed if you didn't, sometimes it takes a few days to start making foam.

 

[kms]

The Emperor is just a bio filter with carbon packs. I just check the skimmer, nothing yet. Anticipation is driving me crazy.

 

[tizzo]

Does your Emperer have ONLY carbon packs?? If not, do you have live rock?? How much?? Any goo yet??

 

[kms]

The emperor is only a regular bio filter with two carbon filter packs and bio wheels. My tank is 45G with @45 lbs LR and @35 lbs LS. The picture below is from today. You can see the blur from the film of algae that grows on my glass everyday.

 

[kms]

Here is a better picture of the algae film on my glass that I am trying to eliminate and the primary reason for getting a skimmer, besides increasing my water quality and hoping to add some corals soon. It seems that the algae has stopped growing on the glass directly in front of the skimmer water return but has continued growing in front of the Emp400. Could there be something about the Emp400 that is providing the algae nutrients. I feel like the skimmer should override this even if that was the case. Let me know what you think!

 

[tizzo]

A skimmer will not prevent that algae. It feeds off of the light mostly. Someboby told me, and I am not sure if it's true, but they told me that the algae that grows on the glass is actually phytoplankton, which is beneficial to both your corals and pods/ filter feeders. So, you don't wanna eliminate it altogether.
Scraping it with your mag-float is the only thing I know to do to make the glass clear.

 

[kms]

That would explain why the film is not GOING AWAY!!! I guess I just need organisms to eat it, huh? You can see though that the glass in front of the skimmer is clear with no algae. Oh well, I guess I will find out sooner or later. I guess i shouldn't mind the growth of live phytoplankton though. Would that be considered a healthy tank. I think I need more livestock. I want to add some corals and I really want some schooling fish. I know about chromis, but swf.com sells big eye squirrelfish that are definately appealling to me also. Do you know anything about them? I have a 45g with 45lbs LR and @35lbs LS. Inhabitants are 1 gold strip maroon clown, and 1 yellow tang (that I know I will have to donate to a good home soon), about 15 Astrea snails, 4-5 Mexican Turbos, 1 blue legged hermit, and @10 scarletts.
BTW, "tea colored water" in the collection cup for the past few days!

 

[tizzo]

Squirrelfishes aren't reef safe enough for me, so I have never had one. But they can get pretty big, 7.5 inches.
Glad to see your skimmer is working, if you want darker fluid, just lower that black band a little. I have noticed in my tank that that algae grows on the glass in the higher flow areas, so if that spot that looks clear has less water flow, that would explain the absence of algae there.

 

[reefraff]

You might be able to convert the filter to a refugium. You would need a place you could put some macro algae and a small light to keep it growing.