reef devil problem?

peckhead

peckhead

Active Member
i havent had any skimmate in my skimmer for well over a week. i dont have any live rock in my tank but i do have fish. i am doing hypo in the tank. why could this be? i dont feed them alot. prob 2 times a week. 3 at the most, sometimes 1 time a week. is there just nothing to skim? i would think that it should be skimming something, but no nothing at all........and i dont even have it set on really dry(open all the way). it is about half cclosed
 
joncat24

joncat24

Active Member
I would say that it has skimmed itself out of work since you put it on your tank. If their are no organics in the water then there is nothing for it to remove. IMO
 
ejensen

ejensen

Member
If you are doing hypo then its because your salinity is real low. It doesn't work with low salt levels. Have you ever tried it with fresh water? All you get is big bubbles. Just turn it off.
 
peckhead

peckhead

Active Member
Originally Posted by ejensen
If you are doing hypo then its because your salinity is real low. It doesn't work with low salt levels. Have you ever tried it with fresh water? All you get is big bubbles. Just turn it off.

oh alright, so you think its just cause the hypo? that kinda sucks
 
tx reef

tx reef

Active Member
Correct...the skimmer will not work in hypo. You might as well just turn it off until you get your salinity back up to normal.
By the way, how do like the reef devil? Mine kicks a**. I ahve never seen a skimmer pull so much out so quick.....
My reef devil pulls 10x more crap out in my 3-1/2 week old 54 corner than my coralife super skimmer does on my 2-1/2 year old 55 gallon.....
 
ejensen

ejensen

Member
I am looking to get a new skimmer. Either the AquaC EV or a reef devil. Both are reasonable prince. I want to run them external though. I have never seen anybody run them external.
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
Greetings

I ordered a Reef Devil Deluxe skimmer and the Reef Devil sump. I intended to run the skimmer in the sump, but after receiving it, decided that I would prefer to run it externally. I called ETSS and they were extremely helpful - even to the point of putting one of the guys that builds the equipment on the phone so I could talk to him about drilling the sump, installing the bulkhead fitting, etc. Good customer service - what a refreshing business practice! Add to that a product that I am completely satisfied with and I would highly recommend them.

The pictures show my installation (I still need to tidy-up the power cords for the lights) after only 3 days of "action" (these were taken 3 days after the "partially cured" live rock was added and all the pumps were started). The skimmer is pulling some completely disgusting stuff from the water.

P.S. The softener bottle is a temporary overflow container for the skimmer and will be replaced with something a little classier. Some times you have to go "low-tech"

Hope this helps...

 
ejensen

ejensen

Member
I have been waiting to see some Pics of the skimmer external. I will be getting one now. Are you using the gate valve to control your water level? Or is it wide open?
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
EJENSEN - Greetings

Nice avatar - Go Gordon!
The gate valve controls the level of the water in the skimmer and, consequently, the type of foam produced (watery vs. dry). No water should appear in the column, only foam, so when first turned on, the valve should be wide open. You then slowly close it until there is foam in the column and make adjustments from there. The directions recommend that you make changes to the valve opening in small increments and then wait to see the results. That is accurate - you should make changes in 1/8 turn (or smaller) increments and then wait an hour or two to see the results. It's surprising how much difference 1/8 of a turn can make, so take your time. What you want to avoid is creating foam that is too watery, which occurs when the valve is closed too far, because this can quickly fill and overflow the collection cup.
The web site for ETSS has a "Quick Start" guide that might help you. Got to www.superskimmer.com, click on the "Tech Support" link and then the link titled ""Reef Devil Operation Manual". It is a PDF file that you can download and refer to.
Here are some additional pictures - thought they might help...

 
peter1215

peter1215

Member
Originally Posted by TX Reef
Correct...the skimmer will not work in hypo. You might as well just turn it off until you get your salinity back up to normal.
By the way, how do like the reef devil? Mine kicks a**. I ahve never seen a skimmer pull so much out so quick.....
My reef devil pulls 10x more crap out in my 3-1/2 week old 54 corner than my coralife super skimmer does on my 2-1/2 year old 55 gallon.....
hey Tx reef
what salinity do you keep your tank at? I also have a reef devil and it hasnt pulled much over the last few weeks. I wonder if my salinity being at 1.020 recently has anything to do with the slimmer slowing down? It should be pulling out alot b/c i have fowlr 120 with six fish including a 6" Queen and a 5" Harlequin tusk. I just got a 210 recently and was debating wether the reef devil will be enough.
 
peter1215

peter1215

Member
Originally Posted by TX Reef
You should slowly (over the course of several days) raise it to 1.026.
what height do you keep the water level in the sump? does this have any effect on the performance of the filter ?
 
tx reef

tx reef

Active Member
I keep the water level at the top off the skimmer outlet. I will take some pics of mine tonight.....
 
peter1215

peter1215

Member
thanks for the infor TX, I'll start to raise my salinity tonight . I did mention this to my lfs guy and he said that the skimmer should still be pulling gunk even at 1.020. We'll see! what about the bioball sections? does it need to be cleaned out or you leave it alone?
 
peter1215

peter1215

Member
I just spoke to one of the techs at etss and he said that the problem is probably due to eithet chemical that im using (such as purple up) or my sump water level is too high.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top