Aqua C Remora - too much water in Skim

Hello All - Over a month ago I purchased and setup my Aqua C Remora Skimmer on my 55 Gallon - link below
AquaC Remora Hang-On Protein Skimmer

I know there is a break in period - but from what I have read, it should only be about 2 weeks or so - its been about 5-6

With the Aqua C I purchased the one with the drainage fitting, and I have a hose going to a 1 gallon milk jug for extra over flow - This gallon jug fills up every 2-3 days with water and some skim - this seems a bit excessive, as I thought the skim would be thicker. Also I moved the skim box to the highest point as recommended in the manual

Anyone else experience this? Will it get better over time?

Thanks for your help

 

That's very excessive. Mine doesn't pull anything if it's on the highest setting. Somebody else here reported the same thing about a month ago. Maybe it was you, not sure. you could try to search for remora posts to see if anything comes up.

 

I have had mine for about a year now and i know just what your talking about. I have to run my o ring for the collection cup under the fitting for the drain. I have talked to them and they said it must be my water chemistry???? It seems to do a good job i just dont think it is rite but who am I.

 

Shocks87 - Not sure why I didn't think of moving the ring below the fitting.
But I'm going to try definitely going to move it now - Thanks +1

And I have read that if you are treating the water with say Melafix or Pimafix it could cause excessive skim, but all my parameters are good - and I am not using any treatments at this time

Thanks for the help - 3Reef is always good for the Quick Answers!!!

 

I know the first thing they asked me was if i use treatments i dont i do weekly water changes they really didnt know what to say. Glad i could help good luck !!!

 

you need to turn the flow down on the skimmer...

you're getting a lot of low quality skim... it needs to be at least a green tea consistency or weak black tea color...

ideally it should be thick like sludgy coffee... i have a cheap PS that just started working for me and it pulls the black tea...

if you're getting water with just a slight tinge to it it's overskimming, you need to reduce the water flow/air inlet so it works a little slower and more thoroughly

 

it can be tricky to get the protein skimmer working right... you also need to have it set at the right water level which needs to be consistent... so if you don't have an overflow and it's in your tank it won't have this...

just slowly adjust the air inlet a little bit each day by tightening a quarter or half turn each day and watch what happens...

ideally you should get about a cup or so of thick brown skimmate every few days (some say every day if everything is set just right)

also you might want to get the add-on surface skim box... this GREATLY enhances the efficiency of the hang on back skimmers, as those proteins really tend to accumulate at the surface which is why we all use overflow boxes or overflow baffles for the returns to sumps where our PS's are

 

I do have the surface skim box. With the remora we have you can not adjust the flow Just move the cup up or down.

 

Which pump are you using? What type of water are you using for top-off and water changes, RODI? What is your water chemistry?

Personally I had the exact opposite problem of not enough skimmate. Finally after about 8 months it is working as it should after my husbandry skills and water chemistry stabilized.

It sounds like you are getting too much foam in the skimmer which leads me to believe (very initial uneducated guess) that there is air getting in where it should not be. Are the fittings tight? Hose clamps etc. Perhaps a photo of your setup?

 

These skimmers work best when the water level is consistant and the pump or powerhead feeding it isn't too strong..

I have had good luck with Maxi-Jet 1200 on my Aqua-C.