Skimmer questions regarding Coralife SS

[corigan]

Hey All.

I have been having some issues with my Coralife Super Skimmer 125. I have had this tank setup for about 5 months and have not had any luck with this skimmer. I have read so many threads about adjustments that I have tried, that I thought I would ask you all for some advice. It just doesn't seem to skim very well. Sometimes it takes weeks to get a full cup of green tea (it doesn't look dark brown like most peoples skimmate). I have tried being patient and leaving it run without adjustment for 24 hours, etc. etc. but come back and nothing has been skimmed. I turn the skimmer off when I am dosing DT's and feeding the tank. The inner tube of the collection cup gets dark brown and builds up with all sorts of nasty. The problem is it doesn't seem to come over and fill the collection cup very well. If I try to adjust the skimmer so miniscule (I can't even tell I turned the knob miniscule) it usually will overflow the skimmer. The skimmer goes from not really skimming at all to overflowing. It is a constant adjustment daily it seems like to get this skimmer to perform. I run the skimmer in-sump and have an ATO so the water level is constant. I have tired many different configurations with this skimmer over the past 5 months and am rather frustrated. I have tried it with the diffuser box, without the diffuser box. With a filter sock, without a filter sock. With the silencer, without the silencer. I have adjusted the height of the pump in the sump from very deep to only a few inches under the water. The bubble column seems to work fine as it looks like the bubble columns of everyone elses skimmers and skimmers I see running in the stores. I have tried adjusting where I put the water level in the collection cup. From right where the first bend is before it goes into the collection cup, all the way up to right where the collection cup starts.
I have drilled out the whole on the outlet hose to allow more air out so not to create backpressure. I have cut down the outlet hose to not have it in the diffuser box pushing against the sponges. I know just run it with a filter sock, but like stated am not having much luck. I don't think my tank is that clean that it shouldn't be pulling out massive skimmate. Here are some parameters/specs of the tank:

70 gal w/ 20 gal sump
60 lb. sand DSB
75 lbs of Live Rock
PH 8.2-8.4
SG 1.024-1.025
PO4 - 0
NO3 - 0.0-0.2
Alk 10 dkh
Calcium 420

Tons of different corals, softies, SPS, LPS, everything is growing and looking great.
3 2" Small Bangai Cardnials
2 2" Small False Percs
1 2" Bi-colored Blenny
1 Rainsford Goby
1 Royal Gramma
1 2 " Scopas Tang (this fish will be moved to a bigger tank once he is bigger, but fine size for this tank at the moment).

The tank is fully stocked fish wise. I don't really have an algae problem, just the algae that grows on the glass every few days. Lots of coraline growth.

I am really so frustrated that I am just thinking about looking at new Skimmers. Sal's skimmer that he has available right now has been enticing me. Of course I would just rather use what I already have to save some cash.

This is about all I can think about at this time, any more questions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[victor626nj]

have you tried raising the water level

 

[corigan]

Victor626nj;94285 wrote: have you tried raising the water level

Victor, I have not tried this. Thank you for the suggestion. I am going to go raise the level in my sump to see if this helps.

Matt

 

[saltwater junky]

make sure the pump is 6 to 8 inches from the surface

 

[jeep9783]

I Have The Same One On My Smaller System And I Keep The Pump (from The Top Of Pump) Excactally 3in Under Water And Mine Skimms Perfect, I Am Perfectly Happy With Mine

 

[saltwater junky]

yeah i meant 3 inches

 

[wbholwell]

saltwater junky;94306 wrote: make sure the pump is 6 to 8 inches from the surface

Directions for the SS 65 state that the top of the pump should be 3 to 4 inches below the surface of the water. Is it different for the 125???

 

[flyingarmy]

You can try taking the skimmer off the system and soaking it in vinegar and water for several hours. It could be just build up on the collection cup and internals. It's a good practice to do that to any skimmer every few months to keep it at top performance. Oils and chemicals can build up and decrease the performance of the skimmer. Good luck!

 

[jeep9783]

No It Is The Same For The 65, 125, And 225

 

[lorenk]

Matt, if you do a search for 'Coralife' and my name, you will find a post where I linked the elusive instructions for the skimmer. Not sure if you bought it new and have them or not...that might give you the best idea for proper install if all the equipment is working correctly.

 

[lorenk]

nvm...here's the direct link:

 

[corigan]

Thanks Loren. I did buy this skimmer brand new from a local shop around 6 months ago. Interesting is that those directions are quite a bit updated from my directions that I received with the skimmer. As a matter of fact those directions show an adjustment valve right above the pump. I don't have one of those on my pump, nor is it even listed in my directions as the pictures are entirely different. There is no way for me to throttle the pump at the current moment, only the adjustment dial that adjusts the water level, the big red one.

I do believe raising the water level in the sump has helped as it has put the pump in the 3-4" range as stated by everyone else in this thread. I am going to continue to monitor the situation and will update this thread when I have a chance.

Another question I have, is do people really run the microbubbles that high in the collection cone as shown in the wet skimming/dry skimming diagrams? If I ran the skimmer at even the level the wet skimming shows I would overflow.

Thanks again for everyones suggestions, hopefully I can get this skimmer dialed in and working as it should.

Matt

 

[jeep9783]

Only The 65 Has The Adjustment On The Supply Line Coming From The Pump The 125 Dosen't It Just Has The Red Knob, I Found The Best Way To Skimm Is To Set The Water In The Skimmer Right Below The Part Of The Skimmer When It Starts Getting Narrow Right Before The Collection Cup, Have The Bubbles Start Right Under That Line And U Will Be Skimming Great

Chris

 

[bobz]

I have the same Coralife Skimmer running on my 70G for almost a year now. It took me awhile to get it working the way I wanted as well. I ended up raising the level of my skimmer in the sump because I also wanted to more water in the sump and running the skimmer pump at the 3" level dropped my sump water level too low. I have it raised about four inches and that gives me about 10" of water in the sump return. What a made a big difference for me was taking a small brush and cleaning out the venturi chamber once a month. I agree with Mark, the cleaner the better and soaking will be something I do next time I break down the skimmer for it's cleaning. Now, I pull out about a cup of brown ugly skimate a day from the setup. I added a plastic cup to make changing it easier (see attached photos). Good luck, I think you will be able to keep the skimmer and make it work! BTW, my bioload is about the same as yours (fish and corals) and it seems to handle the load great.
Bob Z
Marietta
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[lorenk]

I wonder if the 65 has an outlet from the cup...that definitely makes maintenance a bit easier.

But with my luck, I'd need to pin the plastic cup on the inside of the sump.

 

[wbholwell]

LorenK;94414 wrote: I wonder if the 65 has an outlet from the cup...that definitely makes maintenance a bit easier.

No, it doesn't

LorenK;94414 wrote: But with my luck, I'd need to pin the plastic cup on the inside of the sump.

That would definitely be the smart move, as my old one overflowed on several occasions.

 

[bobz]

Bryan is right, I keep the cup on the inside of the sump... moved it to the outside for a quick picture... i have had it overflow as well.
Bob

 

[corigan]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions everyone. The skimmer seems to be working quite a bit better than it was. I still don't feel I have it dialed in to have the best level of productivity, but it still is much better than it was. Thank you all.

Matt