Skimmer Height Question

[jw1977]

I know that the higher the collection cup on Aqua C Remora skimmers the less you will have to dump it. My question if the cup is on the higher side does it mean it's not skimming as well as if the collection cup was lower? Does this make sense? I don't like dumping my skimmer often but if it means its doing a better job at skimming i'll do it.
Thanks

 

[tropills]

the lower it is the wetter the skim-mate, the higher it is the dryer, it all depends if you feed a lot then wet skimming could be good, dry skimming is kinda for low nutrient tanks with not many fish. IMO

 

[atrialfib22]

I've seen people have different experiences with it...I run mine pretty low, almost as low as it will go and I end up cleaning it about once a week (the collection cup gets about a third full). But I also know that some people have to run theirs higher, otherwise they would be emptying the cup like everyday.
The advantage to having it sit a little higher is that the bulk of your skimmate will be more of a "dry" foam, as it builds up it will dump it in the collection cup. So in theory it doesn't pull as much of the water out and it still collects the formed foam that you want gone. I would say just play with it and find what works best for you...if you don't mind cleaning it out more often then it can't hurt to let it sit low IME.

 

[candycane]

You usually want your waste to be like coffee. If it is too yellow or looks like apple juice, you are most likely skimming to wet and pulling out trace elements. I don't know what model you have, but if it doesn't have an overflow you could drill one just below where the skimmate enters the collection cup (VERY CAREFULLY) at the top of the pipe where it bubbles out - then use a piece of tubing and run it off to like the top of a 2 liter bottle. I have done this with 2 dozen tanks that I have and all of them work out fine.