This skimmer working right?

[jetlink82]

I have had this reef octopus NW150 for about 11 months now and I just don't feel like it is pulling as much as it can or should be. This pic is what it has collected in the last 4-5 days, when I run more of a wet skim it just collects what looks like light colored tea, run it drier and basically collects nothing, just the neck gets nasty. I'm guessing I just have a light bio load but not sure about that.

My bio load:

Fish:
1 medium size hippo tang
1 medium yellow tang
1 flame hawk
1 six line wrasse
2 damsels
1 green chromis
1 jawfish
2 clowns
Bunch of hermits, snails, serpent star, cuc, shrimp.

The skimmer is sitting in 8 inches of water (within the recommended water depth range). I have been doing a 25% water change about once a month, sometimes I let it go for 2 months but am trying to be better with that. I am just got new lights and am planning to start adding corals next week. Maybe this amount of skimmate is normal, but some of the skimmers I see on the forums pull some really nasty stuff in a lot less time.
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[ringo®]

When is the last time it had a full cleaning.?

 

[jetlink82]

I haven't taken it out of the sump for a full cleaning yet...so roughly about 10 months. I have been taking just the collection cup off about every 4-5 days and clean that out thoroughly. I am guessing I should take the whole thing out for a cleaning?

 

[mikesmith34]

My SRO 1000 does roughly the same thing. When I started carbon dosing is when it started to pull the super dank stuff out. A lot of the pics you see may be that or heavier bio. As was also stated May need a cleaning.

 

[jetlink82]

I appreciate the info, I will take it out of the sump and give it a good cleaning. I am thinking about upgrading the skimmer down the road. I know the NW 150 that I have is an entry level skimmer, when I purchased it it was in my budget, but I would love to get an SRO. Would it be worth while to upgrade to a skimmer like that...and would it be a big difference?

 

[mikesmith34]

How big is your tank

 

[jetlink82]

90 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump

 

[mikesmith34]

I'm certainly no expert but that skimmer should be fine. You can always buy a bigger more expensive piece of equipment in this hobby that's for sure. However do you need it? RO makes a good skimmer. Now if you want to start with a more sps dominate tank is when you may need an upgrade and there are a lot more experienced people on here that can help you with that.

 

[tbub1221]

Mikesmith34;925099 wrote: My SRO 1000 does roughly the same thing. When I started carbon dosing is when it started to pull the super dank stuff out. A lot of the pics you see may be that or heavier bio. As was also stated May need a cleaning.

+1 I never got anything but light tea looking liquid .
I thought it was my skimmer as well , but after carbon dose began my skimmer pulls thick black sludge.
I pull it apart every 4-5 weeks and scrub the slime coat off it always seems to work better after cleaning.

 

[nholderried65]

It looks like wet skim...thats how I run my sro 5000 ext

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[heathlindner25]

It looks unlevel?

 

[Reefplumber13]

heathlindner25;925160 wrote: It looks unlevel?

I was thinking the samething

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[jetlink82]

Yeah the stand I made for it out of egg crate and pvc is a little off and is slightly unlevel. I am going to take the stand out and level it out.

 

[jetlink82]

Good to go now. I am looking into bio pellets for my nitrates (they are at 10ppm right now), I am told that the skimmer will start to pull a lot more nastiness once the bacteria seeds on the pellets.

 

[palmer]

I have a NWB 200 compared to your NWB 150. I am planning on upgrading to a Bubble blaster pump which would change it to a SRO unit.
I think it is working and I second that comment about carbon dosing. I started dosing vinegar 2 months ago and i see alot more dark waste-

 

[ringo®]

With that stocking list, that skimmer should pull out nastier looking stuff than that. Carbon dosing would make it pull out thicker stuff, but that's not the root of this problem IMO.

 

[jetlink82]

palmer;925179 wrote: I have a NWB 200 compared to your NWB 150. I am planning on upgrading to a Bubble blaster pump which would change it to a SRO unit.
I think it is working and I second that comment about carbon dosing. I started dosing vinegar 2 months ago and i see alot more dark waste-

I wondered about that, if I could change the pump to a bubble blaster but didn't know if it was doable. I'm curious if I can do that to the 150 that I have and if so which pump it will be.

Dosing vinegar is the same as dosing vodka, does the same thing correct? Does it need to be dosed every day? My problem is that I am away for 3 days out of the week usually so I wouldn't be able to dose on a daily basis.

Edit:

Ringo®;925180 wrote: With that stocking list, that skimmer should pull out nastier looking stuff than that. Carbon dosing would make it pull out thicker stuff, but that's not the root of this problem IMO.

That was my thinking as well which is what my reason for posting this was. I just took the whole skimmer out last night and cleaned it out with a paper towel and warm water. The skimmer body hasn't been cleaned in about 10 months prior to this. I am hoping that maybe it just hasn't been running efficiently due to not cleaning it and that it will start pulling more stuff. Not sure if that is wishful thinking but I will see what happens.

 

[palmer]

yep you can change it to bubble blaster- I think you would need a hy2000 but check. I add vinegar to my top off for dosing

 

[ringo®]

Might need to give it a good vinegar bath. Did it perform better when it was new?

Edit: Just looked it up on the coralvue site and it recommends 6-7.5" for operating level. You may be having a hard time finding the sweet spot by running it higher.

 

[jetlink82]

Ringo®;925188 wrote: Might need to give it a good vinegar bath. Did it perform better when it was new?

Edit: Just looked it up on the coralvue site and it recommends 6-7.5" for operating level. You may be having a hard time finding the sweet spot by running it higher.

Interesting find, I thought I saw somewhere the recommended height was 8", which is why I have it set to that. I am going to throw some more egg crate under it to raise it up and see if maybe that is the answer. Here is a pic of how it sits now.

Edit: After doing some more searching around online it appears that most users of this 150 skimmer are running it right about where I am at 8".
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