Is my protein skimmer working?

[dzuckerm]

How does one know if their protein skimmer is working well? I have a 135 gallon with a AquaC ev-180 and a mag 7 pump that i mounted external to the sump. I get about a centimeter of thick skimmate about twice a week. Is that good?

 

[drunktank]

wat kind of bioload do u have?

 

[deelucky]

this is how my seaclone looks everyday in my 29gal and i only have three fish in the tank.

 

[jackson6745]

A CM twice per week is really bad. I am not a fan of the Aquac C EV series and I think the 180 is undersized for a 135gal.

 

[HAVIC]

A cm per 2 weeks seems low. However you said it was thick skimmate. Maybe your are running to dry and need to adjust to run wetter?

Also try cleaning the mag pump and skimmer with a 50/50 water and vinegar solution.

If not than you might need a bigger/better skimmer

 

[jhart]

I was under the impression that you want more of a muddy skim,i look for a dryer foam then wetter,

Set up my etss reef devil skimmer took 2 weeks to start skimming good, last week I set up my boys Deltec Apf 600, LOL... No joking had a nice foam in 10 mins out of the box , now it a week later OMG.. Now thats a skimmer the heck with my reef devil, my skimmer cost me 300 for a 55, his 800 for a 140... after seeing his work I really want onr bad...

 

[dzuckerm]

Well I don't have much of a bioload I guess. In my 135 gallon I have two false percs, a 3inch yellow tang and a 5 inch hippo tang and a small blue chromis. So Could that be the reason I have so little, albeit very thick, skimmate. I have tried to adjust the skimmer to make a wetter foam but i basically have it tuned to the wettest possible. As for cleaning the mag pump, its brand new! The tank is only two months old. I dunno...My water parameters are excellent though, i have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 4 nitrates. Do u think i need a bigger/better skimmer?

 

[jackson6745]

Well I don't have much of a bioload I guess. In my 135 gallon I have two false percs, a 3inch yellow tang and a 5 inch hippo tang and a small blue chromis. So Could that be the reason I have so little, albeit very thick, skimmate. I have tried to adjust the skimmer to make a wetter foam but i basically have it tuned to the wettest possible. As for cleaning the mag pump, its brand new! The tank is only two months old. I dunno...My water parameters are excellent though, i have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 4 nitrates. Do u think i need a bigger/better skimmer?

You have plenty of a bioload to get good skimmate. Try adjusting to a wetter skimmate and you should consider a better skimmer for a tank your size.

 

[Frank]

I use a ev 120 on my 120g. reef.
Love it
I use a mag 7, one more than the suggested mag five.
Is the air fully open ? I set the water level to the TOP of the black box and have the air valve about half way open. If the air is not fully open , open it up a little more. Is it a new skimmer?

 

[dzuckerm]

Frank,

Yes its a new skimmer...installed it when I set up the tank about 2.5 months ago. I have the air valve fully open and the exhaust valve fully open...so I think I have it tuned up to make the maximum amount of skimmate. I have also adjusted the internal water level to be right below the black line. Maybe I will call the company and see if they have any advice for me.

 

[Frank]

Did you take the spray injector out to see if its clean? It could be clogged.
You should also clean out the air valve, they get dirty and clog also.