Another skimmer question

[bobz]

I know there has been a ton of discussion in the past on skimmers. After looking at all the threads and some of the images, I am thinking that the Coralife I have in my sump for my 70G is not doing a very good job. I'm not getting near the bubble production I see in some other skimmer pics. I do get some scum in the collection tray but not as much as I think it should be producing. The bio load on my 70G is not that heavy and includes only small fish (PJ cardinals (3), Royal Gramma, Flame Angel, Gold-strip Maroon Glown and the Dragon Goby. The tank has been set up for about 7 months and the soft corals seem to be thriving. Here is my question, should I dump the Coralife for one of the better skimmers being discussed (although there is limited space in the sump so I need a small footprint skimmer) or is this skimmer not tuned correctly? Any feedback on the Coralife? It supposedly rated for up to 125G so probably not undersized for my set up. Thanks,
Bob
Marietta

 

[wbholwell]

Bob, I'm in the same boat as you. I plan on doing a mesh mod to the needle wheel of my coralife ss to get me by until I save up enough for this skimmer:

http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=47">http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=47</a>

I would prefer a larger one, but this is the largest that will fit in my sump.

You might also want to check your venturi for a partial clog if you've been running your skimmer for a while. They <u>do</u> get clogged over time.

 

[bobz]

Can you elaborate on "mesh mod" to the needle wheel???
BZ

 

[wbholwell]

Take a look here:

 

[FutureInterest]

Honestly Bob after seeing your tank I don't think you need a new skimmer. You have no nuisance algae to speak of and it seems your params are pretty good. Most people upgrade when they find that their current skimmer can't keep up with their bioload. Since you have a light bioload and no problems to speak of I think you should stay pat. Honestly, the cs ss is pretty good and if its working for you don't fix it .

 

[blind1993]

yea a lesson i learned the hard way dont fiddle with ur tank alot. i learned that by a 55g leak from my filter.

 

[bobz]

Thanks Jin - I was thinking the same thing. I need to rearrange my sump set up so I figured it would be a good time to change if I needed.
bob

 

[wbholwell]

What? You're getting a Deltec? Call me.

 

[bobz]

Just a quick follow up on this thread, I spent most of last night reworking my sump and while I had the skimmer out, bushed out the venturi with a very small brush. That seemed to help ALOT and skimmer is working better again, I also took the opportunity to raise it a few inches in the sump which let me a) raise the water level in the sump, b) improve the flow in the skimmer. This should keep me out of trouble for a few months. I looked at the mesh mod that Bryan suggested and will keep that as another possible fix down the road.... thanks for the advice.
Bob

 

[wbholwell]

Yep, I recently had to do the same to my skimmer. It's amazing how clogged the venturi can get.

 

[linda lee]

wbholwell;66514 wrote: What? You're getting a Deltec? Call me.

ah... classic case of *skimmer envy* ....

 

[victor626nj]

that was suppose to be my skimmer lol jk but hopefully i will get mine soon