Aqua C EV 180

I've been told that my skimmer may not be working efficiently and have been told to work it hard or work it to its max efficiency. How do I do that? Its bubbling, can it do more than that or do it faster?

Cindy

 

What is the reasons given for it not working efficiently?

 

Hi birdlady!

It all goes back to my original problems of high nitrates and phosphates. Some have felt that if I had the skimmer working as efficiently as possible that that should help out with my problems. I did make a little stand for it out of pvc to raise it up a bit and it does skim some better. What can I do to make it skim even better so I can get as much crap out of there as possible?

Cindy

 

Hmmm...I dunno. I will leave that one for the smart people here

 

How have you been birdlady? I haven't talked to you in a while. Kind of a crazy day today at the office but a good one. I'll be heading to bed early tonight!

Cindy

 

Cindy,

I'm not sure how a skimmer can actually remove Phos and Nitrates that already exist. Sure it will remove DOCs and help with the increase in P and N but can't see how a skimmer can help remove those compounds.

If your levels are high and staying that way I would run some Phosphate and also Nitrate remover in a cannister filter for a while, or at least until you get the levels down to an acceptable range. Once that happens then take the removers out of the system and see if the skimmer keeps them down.

John

 

Thanks John,  I bought a Magnum 350 to use but I'm going to have to figure out how to make the return portion longer. The intake is in the water, but the returen is several inches above the water. ( because of the hood of the cabinet). Its the hard pvc portion. Could I just take off the little nozzle and add a piece of hose there that would be long enough?

Also, back to the skimmer, what is the best adjustment to use to make sure the skimmer is skimming as efficiently as possible?  I have bubbles in the collection cup, I really don't know what more to do. Any suggestions?

I do have a bag of phosphate remover (phosban) and nitrate remover. I'm not sure how effective they are just using the bag.

What do you think of Salifert's liquid phosphate remover?  I'm thinking I might give that a try.

Fixin to go do another dose of antibiotics to the tank.

Cindy

 

Cindy,

Sorry I can't help with the pump or skimmer questions as I have never physically seen either of those models over here


Also haven't used the Salifert product either, so I am no help there

I have used Phosban and also a generic Nitrate remover that they use in ponds and both worked really well in a cannister filter. I used them for an immediate result and then discarded the bags once I got to a level with which I was comfortable.

It's not something that I would recommend to everyone, but if nothing else is working then I think it's worth the effort.

Good luck with the medication Will you need to turn the skimmer off while medicating?

John

 

what pump are you using? i got a mag 7 on mine and it pulls a good amount of gunk out.make sure the air valve is wide open and clean.i remove mine and soak it in hot water every time i notice a drop in foam

 

Hi NUGIO, I am also using the mag 7. The air valve is wide open. I didn't know the air valve needed to be cleaned. I didn't even know you could remove it.

I have removed the piece that first enters the skimmer from the pump and have cleaned that out. It had gotten clogged up with some fresh minced garlic I was using for ich. I guess it wasn't minced up fine enough although it looked like it was. Now I just use the liquid.

So you say I need to take out the air valve and clean it?
Do you ever clean the black bottom part of the skimmer?

How do you adjust your skimmer so its skimming the most and the fastest? I've really never seen anyone elses skimmer to know what is normal or not.

John mentioned if I need to turn the skimmer off while medicating. Do I? I'm dissolving Kanamycin in with the fish food for a bacterial infection.

Thanks, Cindy