Air pump on a skimmer?

I don't doubt that one bit

In some setups a pump might improve things, in others, it will make it skim worse.

 

ya i could see both happening. the bubbles produced by the airpump/stone would have to be of the same size to have a posistive effect. if to large the bubbles would inhibit (sp) the others from reaching the collection cup. placement of the airstone would no doubt have an effect on the improvement of the "mod" note: i never have moded a skimmer, if the system is small enough regular water changes is all you need. imo/ime. in a larger system this may no be practicle.

 

i have this P.O.S skimmer



see how the venturi tubing is. well i figure if i inject air into the pipe instead of it sucking open air and regulate it with a valve it might do it some good. right now the bubbles it produces is weak. the whole column doesnt even fully bubble up

 

How about, instead of injecting air in the intake valve, how about drilling a hole in the very top and feeding a limestone diffuser into the bottom of the skimmer.
Or simply use a better maxijet pump.

 

I have an adjustable air pump that flows through my ozinator that feeds my skimmer. I bought the pump from MarineDepot, it has four outlets and each one has its own fine tune adjustment lever. Being able to dial the skimmer in via controlled air flow is key for optimal performance in my opinion

 

Good point, the key is being able to regulate the airflow. Too much flow from a standard airpump actually stops all air from entering through the venturi and too little prohibits proper skimming - but with some time spent adjusting the airpump flow you will find that you can better the skimmer production.

 

I'm going to try this..I have never gotten nasty black goop with my coralife..all I can get is tea looking skimmate..i think it's a water level issue in my sump..so maybe this will help

 

Strange, Mine if I leave it alone, will pull some nasty nasty stuff.. Then again its the leaving it alone part.. I always have to mess with things.. ;D

 

You want to pull out the nastiest stuff in the world? run ozone through the skimmer. I don't have to empty the skimmer all that often thanks to the refugium and ozone - but when I do, omg ! It smells so badly I need to empty it outside.

 

Great point guys. I used one of these for fine tuning. Lee's Plastic 2 Way Valve (2pk) - Air Equipment - Air Valves at BigalsOnline