new to protein skimmer

hallzy

hallzy

Member
I've been into the saltwater hobby to awhile now, and I've even been in the coral game for bout a year and a half now, and so far have not lost any coral and they seem to he happy, but I have finally decided to pony up the dough for a protein skimmer, in hopes of making them even happier! I got it put in yesterday, and it is going thru its 24-48 hour "breaking in process". While reading through the directions, it talks about running a "wet skim" and a "dry skim". I wasn't even aware that I had control over that, I just assumed that I put it in and let it go to work! Lol anyways, my question is can someone explain to me the difference, and when I should be doing each process? Is there one that is used mainly and one during specific situations? Any input on the matter would be greatly appriciated! Thanks in advance! :)
 
cubnb79

cubnb79

Member
what brand of skimmer did you get? dry skim is where the micro bubbles build up with the nasty stuff and boils over per say once it builds up enough (which is what i've always have done) wet skim basically if i understand right is basically running high water through it which in return you'll lose water and unless you have a external bucket or something to catch the water you'll be emptying your collection cup over and over and over again...where in ohio you located?
 
hallzy

hallzy

Member
I got a coral life a believe it is. Im at work right now so I can't double check, but I believe that's what it is. Its for up to 65 gallon tanks, which is what I have. I got it because I had gotten a bunch of gift cards for xmas to the pet store, and that's the only one they had for that size tank, but it looks like a pretty good unit. Its not a high grade one, but it does what I need it to. Im located in tiffin Ohio.
So basically run it on a dry skim for the most part? I read something in the directions about switching when adding new fish and such, but it didn't say which to switch to! Lol So maybe its run on a dry and switch to wet for a day or so when adding anything new? Would that be a good habit to practice?
 
cubnb79

cubnb79

Member
im in lima...well first off im not a expert so other may have better answers but i know what its like waiting to get a answer...but i believe you prob. have a coral life 65g...i hope its not on now b/c when i got my first one just like yours it was missing a water regulator that attached to the water pump before it went into the skimmer and i couldnt get the water to stop overflowing into the collection cup till i got that...but i've never wet skimmed personally...but i've been told every once in awhile (not sure on time frame) to wet skim but i never have...once it breaks in it's agood unit imo but there are better ones out there but you should be good with it
 
cubnb79

cubnb79

Member
if that is the model when you get home there will be a red knob that will turn to raise or lower the water level...you want the bubble line to be around 1/2" to 1" into the bottom side of the tunnel that's inside of the collection cup if that makes any sense
 
hallzy

hallzy

Member
Yup that makes sense! And yes that is the model I got, I just looked at it online to make sure. And yes it is running now, and its not overflowin. This is the 2nd night that it has been running so it should he good to go. I was really worried the first night I had it going. Lol but anyways, thanks for your info! Im not really in a huge hurry for an answer because its not an emergency situation. Its gonna take some time to get the hang of, and the more experience the better I guess! But like I said, all my coral seemed happy even before I got it so im not in a hurry to get it working at top condition. My mushrooms have all been multiplying, my hammer seems to get bigger everyday, and my frogspawn has grown 3 more branches (arms, whatever u wanna call them, lol) since I got it, and I can see another one splitting off now. Im just excited to see the growth now that my water quality is going to he even better! :)
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
Wet skimming is a sham made up by skimmer companies that can't make a good skimmer. The skimmer should make a dark skimate that you can't see through or at least can't read through. It should produce every day once broken in.
 
cubnb79

cubnb79

Member
i just got into coral myself like maybe 2 weeks ago...so i know what you mean there...cant wait to start seeing those grow...
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
Wet skimming is caused by the foam not being made of micro bubbles that are maintained long enough to gain a protein coating. Basically the foam bubbles pop in a badly made skimmer so they try to fix that by pumping more water or air in that just blows water up in to the cup...
 
hallzy

hallzy

Member
Ok cool so I really don't need to worry about wet skimming then! For awhile I was getting worried that this was going to get more complicated then it needed to be, so im really glad to hear this! Lol thanks!
 
hallzy

hallzy

Member

i just got into coral myself like maybe 2 weeks ago...so i know what you mean there...cant wait to start seeing those grow...
Its a very fascinating, addicting, and expensive hobby. Lol good luck to u! :)
 
hallzy

hallzy

Member

thx you too...i've been in it for about a year but just now adding coral
Yeah, I did the fish thing for about 5 years before I got up the courage to jump into coral. Im so glad I did tho. I enjoy it so much more than I ever did with just fish!
 
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