My SWC 160 Protein Skimmer IS NOT WORKING
- Thread starter al&burke
- Start date
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Well, I hope you can get it back and running again soon. 
al&burke
Active Member
Interesting observation thought I would share - my skimmer has been back up and running for about a week - it is collecting some good skimate - not really think but I am working on the setting. My Algae scrubber has been running the whole time, some dark stuff on the bottom of the screen and some good fibrous stringy green stuff on the upper half. I cleaned it off today - I know you are only supposed to do one side but I did them both because of the darker stuff. I need new bulbs - place I bought them were out should have some by tomorrow or end of the week. When the skimmer was not running there seemed to always be a brown film on the glass had to clean it every day. Now with the skimmer running I don't notice the film anymore. My parameters have been really good as I stated above.
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413754
Interesting observation thought I would share - my skimmer has been back up and running for about a week - it is collecting some good skimate - not really think but I am working on the setting. My Algae scrubber has been running the whole time, some dark stuff on the bottom of the screen and some good fibrous stringy green stuff on the upper half. I cleaned it off today - I know you are only supposed to do one side but I did them both because of the darker stuff. I need new bulbs - place I bought them were out should have some by tomorrow or end of the week. When the skimmer was not running there seemed to always be a brown film on the glass had to clean it every day. Now with the skimmer running I don't notice the film anymore. My parameters have been really good as I stated above.
Hey Al. I think you're supposed to clean both sides at the same time when you're doing a double sided screen anyway. The one side a week is just for a single sided screen, you clean one side and flip it around and let the other side grow. And supposed to clean it once a week whether it looks like it needs it or not. Or at least that's what S.M. says.
IIRC your system is about 150g total or so. So going by the recommendations you should have approximately 150sq inches of screen area and about 75watts worth of compact florescent lighting per side. And right around 350gph flow across the screen. Is that about right?
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413754
Interesting observation thought I would share - my skimmer has been back up and running for about a week - it is collecting some good skimate - not really think but I am working on the setting. My Algae scrubber has been running the whole time, some dark stuff on the bottom of the screen and some good fibrous stringy green stuff on the upper half. I cleaned it off today - I know you are only supposed to do one side but I did them both because of the darker stuff. I need new bulbs - place I bought them were out should have some by tomorrow or end of the week. When the skimmer was not running there seemed to always be a brown film on the glass had to clean it every day. Now with the skimmer running I don't notice the film anymore. My parameters have been really good as I stated above.
Hey Al. I think you're supposed to clean both sides at the same time when you're doing a double sided screen anyway. The one side a week is just for a single sided screen, you clean one side and flip it around and let the other side grow. And supposed to clean it once a week whether it looks like it needs it or not. Or at least that's what S.M. says.
IIRC your system is about 150g total or so. So going by the recommendations you should have approximately 150sq inches of screen area and about 75watts worth of compact florescent lighting per side. And right around 350gph flow across the screen. Is that about right?
al&burke
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413795
Hey Al. I think you're supposed to clean both sides at the same time when you're doing a double sided screen anyway. The one side a week is just for a single sided screen, you clean one side and flip it around and let the other side grow. And supposed to clean it once a week whether it looks like it needs it or not. Or at least that's what S.M. says.
IIRC your system is about 150g total or so. So going by the recommendations you should have approximately 150sq inches of screen area and about 75watts worth of compact florescent lighting per side. And right around 350gph flow across the screen. Is that about right?
I have 105 gallons of display and about 35 to 40 in sump and fuge. I think my screen is 9 by 12 inches = 108 sq inches of screen - 9 inches across the flow bar with 35 gph per inch of screen - 315 gph - i require for this screen about 54 watts - I have 46. I think I read somewhere to base your calculations on just DT volume. Maybe I should look into a slightly larger bulb - I will have to see when I get to the hydroponics store tomorrow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413799
How long did you run the scrubber without the skimmer online?
About 5 to 6 weeks
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413795
Hey Al. I think you're supposed to clean both sides at the same time when you're doing a double sided screen anyway. The one side a week is just for a single sided screen, you clean one side and flip it around and let the other side grow. And supposed to clean it once a week whether it looks like it needs it or not. Or at least that's what S.M. says.
IIRC your system is about 150g total or so. So going by the recommendations you should have approximately 150sq inches of screen area and about 75watts worth of compact florescent lighting per side. And right around 350gph flow across the screen. Is that about right?
I have 105 gallons of display and about 35 to 40 in sump and fuge. I think my screen is 9 by 12 inches = 108 sq inches of screen - 9 inches across the flow bar with 35 gph per inch of screen - 315 gph - i require for this screen about 54 watts - I have 46. I think I read somewhere to base your calculations on just DT volume. Maybe I should look into a slightly larger bulb - I will have to see when I get to the hydroponics store tomorrow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413799
How long did you run the scrubber without the skimmer online?
About 5 to 6 weeks
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413847
I have 105 gallons of display and about 35 to 40 in sump and fuge. I think my screen is 9 by 12 inches = 108 sq inches of screen - 9 inches across the flow bar with 35 gph per inch of screen - 315 gph - i require for this screen about 54 watts - I have 46. I think I read somewhere to base your calculations on just DT volume. Maybe I should look into a slightly larger bulb - I will have to see when I get to the hydroponics store tomorrow.
About 5 to 6 weeks
Your gph sounds right for screen size. 54 watts I think though is what would be used for a one sided screen. S.M. says that if you're looking for it to be effective as stand alone filtration that you need at least 1 watt per gallon. I could be wrong but I'm fairly sure that's what I've been reading over on the scrubber site. The brown stuff is usually an indication of to much nutrient and not enough light for the flow rate. A slightly lighter/yellowish color is usually an indication of to much light for the flow rate. So would need either less light or more flow in that instance. Preferably more flow.
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413847
I have 105 gallons of display and about 35 to 40 in sump and fuge. I think my screen is 9 by 12 inches = 108 sq inches of screen - 9 inches across the flow bar with 35 gph per inch of screen - 315 gph - i require for this screen about 54 watts - I have 46. I think I read somewhere to base your calculations on just DT volume. Maybe I should look into a slightly larger bulb - I will have to see when I get to the hydroponics store tomorrow.
About 5 to 6 weeks
Your gph sounds right for screen size. 54 watts I think though is what would be used for a one sided screen. S.M. says that if you're looking for it to be effective as stand alone filtration that you need at least 1 watt per gallon. I could be wrong but I'm fairly sure that's what I've been reading over on the scrubber site. The brown stuff is usually an indication of to much nutrient and not enough light for the flow rate. A slightly lighter/yellowish color is usually an indication of to much light for the flow rate. So would need either less light or more flow in that instance. Preferably more flow.
al&burke
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413860
Your gph sounds right for screen size. 54 watts I think though is what would be used for a one sided screen. S.M. says that if you're looking for it to be effective as stand alone filtration that you need at least 1 watt per gallon. I could be wrong but I'm fairly sure that's what I've been reading over on the scrubber site. The brown stuff is usually an indication of to much nutrient and not enough light for the flow rate. A slightly lighter/yellowish color is usually an indication of to much light for the flow rate. So would need either less light or more flow in that instance. Preferably more flow.
I have lights on both sides - each are 23 watts, but they are CFL, I have to go back to the site to see what the light requirements are.
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413860
Your gph sounds right for screen size. 54 watts I think though is what would be used for a one sided screen. S.M. says that if you're looking for it to be effective as stand alone filtration that you need at least 1 watt per gallon. I could be wrong but I'm fairly sure that's what I've been reading over on the scrubber site. The brown stuff is usually an indication of to much nutrient and not enough light for the flow rate. A slightly lighter/yellowish color is usually an indication of to much light for the flow rate. So would need either less light or more flow in that instance. Preferably more flow.
I have lights on both sides - each are 23 watts, but they are CFL, I have to go back to the site to see what the light requirements are.
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413865
I have lights on both sides - each are 23 watts, but they are CFL, I have to go back to the site to see what the light requirements are.
Here they are. I think your lighting is on the minimum side my friend. I posed the question to S.M. on a thread over there before and asked if I should size the scrubber according to tank size or system size. He just told me that you really can't go to big. He recommends going as powerful as you can so you can basically feed the heck out of the tank because whatever doesn't get used by fish or corals etc will just get filtered out by more growth on the scrubber. Especially if you're using liquid coral food.
Scrubber Quick Guideline:
0.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM [0.13 watts per liter].
1.0 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering [0.26 watts per liter].
1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal)
[1.64 square cm per liter]
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]
4.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if HORIZONTAL [6.56 square cm per liter].
1.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon if HORIZONTAL [0.4 watts per liter].
18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.
Flow is 24 hours, and is at least 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided [60 lph per cm].
Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.
Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK.
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413865
I have lights on both sides - each are 23 watts, but they are CFL, I have to go back to the site to see what the light requirements are.
Here they are. I think your lighting is on the minimum side my friend. I posed the question to S.M. on a thread over there before and asked if I should size the scrubber according to tank size or system size. He just told me that you really can't go to big. He recommends going as powerful as you can so you can basically feed the heck out of the tank because whatever doesn't get used by fish or corals etc will just get filtered out by more growth on the scrubber. Especially if you're using liquid coral food.
Scrubber Quick Guideline:
0.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM [0.13 watts per liter].
1.0 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering [0.26 watts per liter].
1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal)
[1.64 square cm per liter]
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]
4.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if HORIZONTAL [6.56 square cm per liter].
1.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon if HORIZONTAL [0.4 watts per liter].
18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.
Flow is 24 hours, and is at least 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided [60 lph per cm].
Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.
Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK.
acrylic51
Active Member
Sorry to sidetrack the discussion, but what how effective or logical would this filtration approach be for anyone who goes on vacation for a week???? Looking at the guidelines of cleaning every 7 days. It's hard to find reliable; trustworthy help to feed or top off a tank if needed.
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413933
Thanks again Corey - hey when you build yours make sure you put a gate valve (NOT BALL VALVE) for flow control - I have the knife valves and they are a bit finiky I think a gate valve would give much better control.
Thanks Al. Actually I'm going to use either an ehiem compact or tunze recirc. pump. Both have built in flow adjustment. Which if I'm not mistaken works by simply dialing down the lower voltage/power of the pump as apposed to using a valve. The one valve that I have on my scrubber is simply there to let the water drain out of the one side when I need to take it apart so that it doesn't spill out of the vertical pipe when I unscrew the unions.
Have you had any problems with those knife valves rusting? I think the internal flap is metal on those isn't it, alluminum maybe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413936
Sorry to sidetrack the discussion, but what how effective or logical would this filtration approach be for anyone who goes on vacation for a week???? Looking at the guidelines of cleaning every 7 days. It's hard to find reliable; trustworthy help to feed or top off a tank if needed.
I don't think it's a huge deal Shawn. Clean it before you go and when you get back. A slight change in schedule won't make or break the system. The reason why you need to clean the screen weekly is because as the algea matt grows thicker it starts to block light from reaching the algae closest to the screen. And when that happens it begins to die off underneath and leach back into the tank. So even though the screen keeps growing, you get to a point where you're really only filtering what is being lost back to the system so to speak. Which is another reason for the intense lighting and coverage that a screen should have. Also, copepods will feed on the algae on the screen. And if they're not removed and killed off weekly then they'll chew the algae loose from the screen and it will fall into the system.
Hey Al. Have you tried harvesting and drying out the algae yet? When you get the good green growth you should be able to dry it out and feed it to your fish like algae sheets. People say the algae eaters love it.
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413933
Thanks again Corey - hey when you build yours make sure you put a gate valve (NOT BALL VALVE) for flow control - I have the knife valves and they are a bit finiky I think a gate valve would give much better control.
Thanks Al. Actually I'm going to use either an ehiem compact or tunze recirc. pump. Both have built in flow adjustment. Which if I'm not mistaken works by simply dialing down the lower voltage/power of the pump as apposed to using a valve. The one valve that I have on my scrubber is simply there to let the water drain out of the one side when I need to take it apart so that it doesn't spill out of the vertical pipe when I unscrew the unions.
Have you had any problems with those knife valves rusting? I think the internal flap is metal on those isn't it, alluminum maybe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3413936
Sorry to sidetrack the discussion, but what how effective or logical would this filtration approach be for anyone who goes on vacation for a week???? Looking at the guidelines of cleaning every 7 days. It's hard to find reliable; trustworthy help to feed or top off a tank if needed.
I don't think it's a huge deal Shawn. Clean it before you go and when you get back. A slight change in schedule won't make or break the system. The reason why you need to clean the screen weekly is because as the algea matt grows thicker it starts to block light from reaching the algae closest to the screen. And when that happens it begins to die off underneath and leach back into the tank. So even though the screen keeps growing, you get to a point where you're really only filtering what is being lost back to the system so to speak. Which is another reason for the intense lighting and coverage that a screen should have. Also, copepods will feed on the algae on the screen. And if they're not removed and killed off weekly then they'll chew the algae loose from the screen and it will fall into the system.
Hey Al. Have you tried harvesting and drying out the algae yet? When you get the good green growth you should be able to dry it out and feed it to your fish like algae sheets. People say the algae eaters love it.
al&burke
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3414008
Thanks Al. Actually I'm going to use either an ehiem compact or tunze recirc. pump. Both have built in flow adjustment. Which if I'm not mistaken works by simply dialing down the lower voltage/power of the pump as apposed to using a valve. The one valve that I have on my scrubber is simply there to let the water drain out of the one side when I need to take it apart so that it doesn't spill out of the vertical pipe when I unscrew the unions.
So the ehiem flow is changed with voltage?
Have you had any problems with those knife valves rusting? I think the internal flap is metal on those isn't it, alluminum maybe?
No they are plastic blades Corey
I don't think it's a huge deal Shawn. Clean it before you go and when you get back. A slight change in schedule won't make or break the system. The reason why you need to clean the screen weekly is because as the algea matt grows thicker it starts to block light from reaching the algae closest to the screen. And when that happens it begins to die off underneath and leach back into the tank. So even though the screen keeps growing, you get to a point where you're really only filtering what is being lost back to the system so to speak. Which is another reason for the intense lighting and coverage that a screen should have. Also, copepods will feed on the algae on the screen. And if they're not removed and killed off weekly then they'll chew the algae loose from the screen and it will fall into the system.
Hey Al. Have you tried harvesting and drying out the algae yet? When you get the good green growth you should be able to dry it out and feed it to your fish like algae sheets. People say the algae eaters love it.
No I haven't had enough off the SW scrubber yet - what is the final wattage then for the lights - I am going to the store tomorrow - I think 50 watts per side? Sorry for not responding earlier Corey this thread got away on me.
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/386748/my-swc-160-protein-skimmer-is-not-working/40#post_3414008
Thanks Al. Actually I'm going to use either an ehiem compact or tunze recirc. pump. Both have built in flow adjustment. Which if I'm not mistaken works by simply dialing down the lower voltage/power of the pump as apposed to using a valve. The one valve that I have on my scrubber is simply there to let the water drain out of the one side when I need to take it apart so that it doesn't spill out of the vertical pipe when I unscrew the unions.
So the ehiem flow is changed with voltage?
Have you had any problems with those knife valves rusting? I think the internal flap is metal on those isn't it, alluminum maybe?
No they are plastic blades Corey
I don't think it's a huge deal Shawn. Clean it before you go and when you get back. A slight change in schedule won't make or break the system. The reason why you need to clean the screen weekly is because as the algea matt grows thicker it starts to block light from reaching the algae closest to the screen. And when that happens it begins to die off underneath and leach back into the tank. So even though the screen keeps growing, you get to a point where you're really only filtering what is being lost back to the system so to speak. Which is another reason for the intense lighting and coverage that a screen should have. Also, copepods will feed on the algae on the screen. And if they're not removed and killed off weekly then they'll chew the algae loose from the screen and it will fall into the system.
Hey Al. Have you tried harvesting and drying out the algae yet? When you get the good green growth you should be able to dry it out and feed it to your fish like algae sheets. People say the algae eaters love it.
No I haven't had enough off the SW scrubber yet - what is the final wattage then for the lights - I am going to the store tomorrow - I think 50 watts per side? Sorry for not responding earlier Corey this thread got away on me.
2quills
Well-Known Member
Hey Al. Sorry I think I was confused. The Tunze pump that I had been looking at for a return has a voltage control for it, but not the Ehiems. They have the dial on the pump that just cuts off the flow mechanically I think.
Cool, I didn't know they made those valves with plastic blades as well. I had looked at some that had metal blades. Wasn't sure if they were stainless or aluminum.
If you want high filtering from your scrubber then yeah, I'd probably look into about 50 watts per side. Or even if you could just find the 42 watt spirals I think those would be ok. According to the basic guide lines you're just under the minimum with what you're running right now. I think if you kick it up a bit you'll see that growth really take off.
I've been going round and round about ideas for lighting for mine. I want to do leds but I've also been looking at just making my own fixtures and diy'ing some reflectors with polished aluminum. Then just running the 4 pin compact fluorescents.
Here's where I'll probably be purchasing my bulbs.
http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/150-watt-equal-compact-fluorescents-2700K/
I was looking at maybe running some of these...
http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/70-watt-4-pin-gx24q6-plug-in-compact-fluorescents/
Cool, I didn't know they made those valves with plastic blades as well. I had looked at some that had metal blades. Wasn't sure if they were stainless or aluminum.
If you want high filtering from your scrubber then yeah, I'd probably look into about 50 watts per side. Or even if you could just find the 42 watt spirals I think those would be ok. According to the basic guide lines you're just under the minimum with what you're running right now. I think if you kick it up a bit you'll see that growth really take off.
I've been going round and round about ideas for lighting for mine. I want to do leds but I've also been looking at just making my own fixtures and diy'ing some reflectors with polished aluminum. Then just running the 4 pin compact fluorescents.
Here's where I'll probably be purchasing my bulbs.
http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/150-watt-equal-compact-fluorescents-2700K/
I was looking at maybe running some of these...
http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/70-watt-4-pin-gx24q6-plug-in-compact-fluorescents/