Life w/o my skimmer but there has been a change!

[druluv]

Based on the feed back I got from the room, I resurrected my Kent te skimmer. I added another sump to hold this skimmer. The skimmer is using a mag 9.5 to pump water into the chamber.
Basicly the jury is still out on this one. After adjusting it for 10 min., got a semi-dry foam. After about a couple hours the foam stop and the water line droped again causing me to readjust the skimmer. This has been the struggle I been doing since adding the skimmer three days ago.
The output of the skimmer is light to dark green. This output kind of scares me because I hope it is not precious phtyo. Luckily, I put the skimmed water back into the fuge to remineralize the water again.
So far I'm not impress with the skimmer, and I feel that the fuge was doing a good job of cleaning the water. I will run the skimmer for a couple of days to see how the corals react to the skimmed water.

 

[skirrby]

are you haveing trouble with the water level inside the skimmer chamber droping.. i had this problem with my skimmer. although i dont have the same skimmer i easily solved mine by adding a ball valve to the exit of my skimmer and i can adjust the level in the skimmer with the turn of a vavle now

 

[druluv]

Skimmer I have works like the euroreef, it has a foam valve on the side of the skimmer chamber. I just have to adjust the valve chamber up or down to raise the water level. I knew this would of been a problem. Because, constantly have watch over the skimmer that it doesn't over flow into the water.
In addition, I have to moniter my salinity levels now because if to much wet foam gets taken up, my auto-topoff is going to add fresh water to the tank.
Not cool at all:nope:

 

[druluv]

All of the following is true:
1. pump in constant water
2.instructions say 24 hour till broken in
3. around the clock tuning

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by druluv
So far I'm not impress with the skimmer

Originally posted by druluv
Skimmer I have works like the euroreef
You need to go back to the newbie forum. I don't now many times people have to tell you that your going way too fast.
How can you be impressed with any skimmer in just 3 days. It just shows how little you know.
Your skimmer does use the same concept as a Euro Reef but no matter how you skin it, its still a low end skimmer that doesn't come close to what it says it can do. I have seen 4 foot Kent nautilus skimmers, their just as bad as the 2 foot models.
For a guy who "claims" to have good equipment you sure picked a hec of a skimmer
You have NO experience keeping reef tanks.
Its not about your skimmer and your fuge. Its about you not having a clue what your doing.

 

[lutz493]

Running a Euro-reef as opposed to a Berlin is like Night and Day.

 

[nm reef]

....ok....I can't avoid this any longer.
Our attitude probably needs to change a bit. I agree that there is a lack of experience and I'd also agree it seems druluv has rapidly stocked his/her system....my impression is that druluv is running experiments on the fly and trying to develop his/her own ideas based on first hand experience. True...it does seem that the experiments have been discussed extensively and true there may definitely be better ways to figure things out....but...lets avoid flames. They seldom can be productive and there really is no need.
Druluv...I'm not sure where you are going with your system....and I certainly wish you the best...but based on my experience and on the experience of numerous other reefers there are better ways to establish and maintain a reef.
I doubt very seriously that your skimmer is removing "phyto" and I don't believe the skimmer will remove skimmate to the point that it will seriously affect your SG levels. I also don't think a refugium can be as effective at removing disolved organics as a decent skimmer. Its been my experience that a skimmer and a refugium can be positive contributors to the overall filtration process and that each has positive effects. I run both and I have run skimmerless in the past.....but I've also come to the conclussion that a skimmer can be a very valuable addition to the filtration of a mature/stable reef.....and a refugium can in no way be as effective on its own.:thinking:

 

[fishking]

sometimes u got to wait about a week or more before it starts to work, thats how long it took for my berlin and now its working like a charm

 

[fishking]

you should always leave it at its lowest when u first turn it on, and leave it like that for about 3-4 days before u start to make adjustment, when i first got mine i spent over 20 min adjusting my protein skimmer and all it did was give my wet foam, the key is patience

 

[footbag]

Druluv I think that you are making a good choice by adding the skimmer.
I do think that your skimmerless experiment was a good idea, but there is a need for more control then the typical hobbyist is willing to offer.
Also, as far as ajusting skimmers goes, you have to do it often.

 

[footbag]

Are the euroreefs maintainance free as far as adjustments?
Don't laugh...I have a seaclone.
I walked into the LFS one day and asked about a "very good" skimmer. I explained to the owner, who tends to undersell his customers, that I want the best but have space constraints. I knew I would need a HOB, so he sent me out with the seaclone. The worst $100 I've spent. Its better then no skimmer, but not by much. I plan to upgrade but those euroreefs take up so much space.

 

[footbag]

That will be my next purchase. I think that I will have to gut my sump to get it to fit though.
Are the lower water volume models much smaller?
My sump has a built in skimmer that uses a wood airstone. It also has the bioballs which I am removing. I may try to break the baffles out so I can fit the euroreef.

 

[reefnut]

I guess the old saying is true... there's always one.
As far as the Nautilus TE skimmer I like mine. On a 110g I think it's doing a fine job... they claim they're good for 300g which I think is BS, 150g max IMO.

 

[footbag]

Yeah that 9X9 kills me. I probably have that space IF I could get rid of the return pump, top-off, fuge overflow and fuge pump. I've been thinking about it for over four months now. Theres just no easy solution.