Thoughts on my sump?
- Thread starter danh
- Start date
If there's limited dissolved organics in the water then there isn't any thing for it to pull out and the bubbles will be lower in the neck. As the organics increase the surface tension of the bubbles will increase too. That means they won't pop as fast and start rising in the neck. Everything I've read says that this is a good thing, to a point. It says you're not over feeding and the skimmer has more capacity for a higher bio-load. At the same time you don't want the system to be completely devoid of nutrients.
Remember you just started a ATS and now it and the skimmer are competing for nutrients. So it makes sense that the skimmer isn't producing as much skimate.
I've never measured the current pulled by a pump. In many years of boating and my limited experience with aquarium pumps I've found that pumps that aren't running well tend to make more noise.
When I bought my skimmer used, off another member here, I took the PSK-1000 pump that came with it apart. The magnet on the impeller was split and pretty beat up. I bought a replacement and it's been running great since I started it up at the beginning of the month.
Remember you just started a ATS and now it and the skimmer are competing for nutrients. So it makes sense that the skimmer isn't producing as much skimate.
I've never measured the current pulled by a pump. In many years of boating and my limited experience with aquarium pumps I've found that pumps that aren't running well tend to make more noise.
When I bought my skimmer used, off another member here, I took the PSK-1000 pump that came with it apart. The magnet on the impeller was split and pretty beat up. I bought a replacement and it's been running great since I started it up at the beginning of the month.
Since I'm getting crud stuck on the inside of the neck, within the top several inches of the cone, and sometimes it's bubbling over, I feel like it's just not working that well. I think I'll take it apart anyway for peace of mind.
The ATS competing makes sense. It's definitely growing. And, maybe I have the wrong expectation of how a skimmer should work. I'm only a few weeks in to using a skimmer period.
I don't really have a baseline to know what I should expect to hear from this pump. It's louder than my Jecod DCT8000 at its lowest setting.
The ATS competing makes sense. It's definitely growing. And, maybe I have the wrong expectation of how a skimmer should work. I'm only a few weeks in to using a skimmer period.
I don't really have a baseline to know what I should expect to hear from this pump. It's louder than my Jecod DCT8000 at its lowest setting.
I'm in the same boat as far as skimmer use on all counts. I find that within a few hours of feeding it will start collecting for a few hours then stop. The buildup on mine is a light clay/sand color, not darker like the pics you've posted or what I've seen elsewhere. I thought it was due to the cloudy water from when put the sand in. But after cleaning it last week it's coming back the same color again. Even though it was lighter it did pass the smell test, rank. It would gag a maggot, lol.
I wonder if the color of mine is due to bacteria or just that I've been feeding mostly Mysis? Hopefully someone will chime in.
I bought a neck wiper from
I wonder if the color of mine is due to bacteria or just that I've been feeding mostly Mysis? Hopefully someone will chime in.
I bought a neck wiper from
I still don't think mine should be only cracked open to get that kind of skimmate out. Apart it will come.
On another note, my sump as a whole seems to be working well. Easy to clean the filter sock, easy to access the skimmer, easy to remove the ATS. Pump chamber not getting bubbles so the probes seem to be mostly bubble free. ATO working as it should.
On another note, my sump as a whole seems to be working well. Easy to clean the filter sock, easy to access the skimmer, easy to remove the ATS. Pump chamber not getting bubbles so the probes seem to be mostly bubble free. ATO working as it should.
I've got another question along these lines.
We've established that it's likely I've got low waste. Nitrate is at or very near zero. I and Premier can't detect any. Phosphate though is at .035. Low stock, light feeding and only a few corals in the tank. Should I leave it is to help the ATS build by using that phosphate, or do a couple of 10% water changes this week to help lower that?
We've established that it's likely I've got low waste. Nitrate is at or very near zero. I and Premier can't detect any. Phosphate though is at .035. Low stock, light feeding and only a few corals in the tank. Should I leave it is to help the ATS build by using that phosphate, or do a couple of 10% water changes this week to help lower that?
Dan, is that phos .035pm? If so that doesn't sound that high to me. I would think the scrubber would take care of that without water changes.
Even if you did do 2 10% water changes it would still only lower it to like .03
Even if you did do 2 10% water changes it would still only lower it to like .03
It has pulled but I've never seen it pull very well... And it only works with the water level pretty much as high as it will go. It's just barely cracked up to let water through.
If I put my finger over the air the water goes straight up. I've done that a few times to try to rinse the cone out in to the cup. By that time it's normally too sticky to come off.
I'm going to pull it tonight.
If I put my finger over the air the water goes straight up. I've done that a few times to try to rinse the cone out in to the cup. By that time it's normally too sticky to come off.
I'm going to pull it tonight.
- Messages
- 1,692
- Reaction score
- 53
just give it some time and keep an eye on the wattage over time, the new apex logs usage and graphs it right? so that should be easy. and i think pumps usually pull more power when they're falling but dont quote me on that. either way if you see more than a 10% deviation from its normal wattage then you can assume theres a problem. i would think that not everything pulls exactly the wattage its rated at out of the box.
The 150 watt heater pulls 147-151. The big dip is where I took it out to clean it last night. This is compared to my dc return pump. I can't find any documentation for the power consumption for the setting I have it at. 68 watt max...
alt="" /></a>
Ok, you can stop posting these now. Make'um me jealous lol.
I bought my "Classic" on Last years Black Friday sale. If I'd've known there was a new version coming out I wouldn't have got it then and waited. Sigh....
I bought my "Classic" on Last years Black Friday sale. If I'd've known there was a new version coming out I wouldn't have got it then and waited. Sigh....
I got my video feed working on it too. ha.
I don't have my main light plugged in to my apex yet because it has its own timer. I don't gain a whole lot from the Apex with that particular light and the cord is too short... But because I could see it, I realized this morning at 10:30am that I accidentally changed it to turn off at 10:30am, rather than 10:30pm when I was messing with it last night. While ideally I could just change it on the Apex and turn it back on, at least I could identify it and turn my fuge light on to help the ph and ATS situation.
I don't have my main light plugged in to my apex yet because it has its own timer. I don't gain a whole lot from the Apex with that particular light and the cord is too short... But because I could see it, I realized this morning at 10:30am that I accidentally changed it to turn off at 10:30am, rather than 10:30pm when I was messing with it last night. While ideally I could just change it on the Apex and turn it back on, at least I could identify it and turn my fuge light on to help the ph and ATS situation.
- Messages
- 1,692
- Reaction score
- 53
same here lol i got mine early last year and although i dont like the look of the new one i definitely like the functionallity it offers. especially the one touch wireless updates
A couple cans of fusion, pun intended 😋, spray paint and some masking tape and we can make it look however we want. It's what's on the inside that counts.
In a year or so I may get a base unit and power bar. Then sell one one my bars. Got a lot other things to worry about 1st. Hell, maybe one of us will get lucky before then.
In a year or so I may get a base unit and power bar. Then sell one one my bars. Got a lot other things to worry about 1st. Hell, maybe one of us will get lucky before then.
- Messages
- 1,692
- Reaction score
- 53
i hope so lol. then i can sell my current one and buy more accessories for the new one lol
The skimmer seems like it might be working a little differently now. I have it 3/4 closed and I am getting some overflow to the cup but it's REALLY dry. So dry it doesn't really collect in the cup, it dries on the way down. Most of the organics are drying inside of the cone.
I didn't pay attention to the orientation of the bubble plate when I took it off. I figured that the closed part would need to be over the output and the holes on the opposite side. The only picture I can find looks like its turned a little from there. I assume this would matter. Any ideas?
I didn't pay attention to the orientation of the bubble plate when I took it off. I figured that the closed part would need to be over the output and the holes on the opposite side. The only picture I can find looks like its turned a little from there. I assume this would matter. Any ideas?
- Messages
- 1,692
- Reaction score
- 53
yea the part without holes is supposed to go over the pump outlet. that helps distribute the bubbles more evenly through the skimmer and increase contact time.
Similar threads
